The sun., 1894-12-30
BAGGED SEVEN GRIZZLIES.
TIE . sce9 ssr DAYS HUNTING BIIL
WEkFER EYER HAD.

WEkEER EYER FAD.
1sfsrs Hsrsed wire Cs.s In-LoneIy
usnaas Ezpeditieus Against Beavers
sstFsehts VITA I,dts.s-woif Pot-o.ing.
KBp, Mont, Dec. sa.-Probsbly the most sue
oessful of ne ttims trapper, in northern
Montana rss wnS~n Weaver. For many
ye.rs be rs~,rsed tho head waters and tribu-
tsriss Of ths Missouri, matching his skill against
the eunnlnS Of the beaver, and his catches were
always 90 large and the pelts 20 carefully
stretched and dried that the fur buyers In
Port Benton gave the highest price for them.
Starting early In the spring, a. soon a. the Ice
was out Weaver would build q hat-bottomed
scow on some tributary Of the Missouri where
II wss barely wider than the boat itself and
equipped with q small tent, . slender stock Of
provisions, dozen traps, and his rife, he would
float down the stream, setting his traps wher-
ever he found signs Of beavers, and shooting
many . beaver from the boat - he glided si-
lently along.
His favorite stream was the Milk River
From its source In the foothills of the Rockies
10 Wolf Point where It empties into the Mis-
souri,. is at least 500 miles by water. and rarely
did Weaver catch fewer than 125 beavers on .
trip down the river. which took him about two
months to accomplish. When he reached Wolf
Point he would abandon the scow-which he In.
variably named tho Betsy Jane-and take the
first steamboat for Fort Benton. There, after
disposinR Of his furs. which brought him all
the way from $500 to 81 200. ne would buy
enough food and clothing to last six months,
and then have q good time with the balance.
Drinks were 25 cents each in those days; II cost
dollar to dance q set with hurdy girl, and
another dollar to treat her, and much Of
weavers money was spent In this manner. % 10
did not last very long When II was all gone
he hitched up his team, loaded his outfit into
the wagon, and pulled out for some favorite
spot In tho foothills for the summer. He usually
made these summer camps By clear mountain
stream, where trout were to be caught and
where deer and other game were to be found
In good numbers. Not that he was q game
butcher; he never shot to make . big bag for
hides. II every one had been 40 conservative In
this respect countless thousands Of buffalo and
other game would still roam their native haunts.
BY the latter part Of September the beavers
fur was again In good condition, and then the
trapper started out once moro In quest of them.
IN the autumn he took a team and wagon, in
preference to q boat for enc never could tell
when the streams would freeze up, and so that
he had land transportation It didn't much mat
ter. weavers autumn trips were never so sue
oessful the spring expeditions, thirty TO fifty
beavers being his usual catch. With a team he
could not examine the entire length Of a stream,
for the character of the country 10 such that
stretches miles in length must be skipped, long,
deep gullies and high cut banks making trav-
cling by wagon impossible.
Indians were bad in those days, and occa-
sionally they made things lively for Weaver;
bu. this never deferred him from those long,
loaely trips. War parties Of Sioux. Crows. As
sineboines. and Blackfeet were continually
making raids on one another, and the few
white settlers then in the country. and many .
lonely ranchman and trapper met his death at
their hands. A stranger once asked Weaver
why he didn't take brother trapper with him
ON these expeditions, not only for the sake Of
safety. but also for general oomradeship.
Different herel" he replied. -old Bill don't
want pardner amt spent twenty years
lcarnin' how to catch beaver Just TO show some
feller how that never had sense enough TO learn
fer himself. What old Bill Weaver knows
about beaver he has learnt by . heap of study,
and he amt agoin' TO give It away. Lonesomsf
No, sir! / never have time to git lonesome.
There's the Betsy Jane; feller has TO watch
her right smart to keep her straight. Then
there's always something to sec. Floatin' along
quiet, tho game never notices you unless tho
wind is wrong. The buffalo and antelope, the
deer and elk. all come to the river TO drink, and
It's great fun to watch em. I've seen tho geese
aud ducks do some mighty queer things. Then
there's always q chance for a crack at some
beaver that's out cuttin' wood or swimmin'
round when he ought to be home asleep. Some
times get shot at a bear or a mountain lion
prOwlin' along the shore. Lonesomol No. sirl
Sothin' livelier than . trip down one Of these
River beaver seemed to be unusually plentiful
and BY the time he reached a canon known as
sffns ons morSns he went very early to oos @
kt his traps, intending on his return TO cook
and ssa souaas he sSs few Iss
distance OF his tent, when he noticed smoke
sEi,ing apparently from hi hi, ,I1 Sw1 n Sat%P Are;
% the edge o. the brush.soms hfty yards from
wreck ! four indians had TAX ZEN whatever OF his
outfit they fancisd and piled the y balanes,Sf i
the piunder on on his two horses, and In a few
better or quicker shot ever travelled these
plains than the trspper, and before the
tRsa 81, the dust: the fSar,S ons SrI 20.
bullet in his right arm Just as he was disappear
lew W seconds eco later weaver S heard ar R him p plunge
Into the river; but he did not follow him up, for
wagon. BY stfsaaoas sfiorts he sScoeeded In
saying the running gear and part OF the harness;
AS When
hi. horses he found all his blankets, the beaver
snd q s @:s wsS
ss sRs ,ss
three Indians decor ated the brides OF his horses
and right gayly they nuttsred In the breeze.
In the early days wolf skins were worth Is
each, and a. this animals were very numerous,
great deal of money WAS made oatchinR them.
Usually three or four hunters would make up
party, buy enough provisions 70 last hvs months
and selecting favorable locality, would build
comfortable cabin, and then put out lot Of
bats. For these buffalo were shot down and
carefully poisoned. Three bottles OF strychnine.
that Is, three.sishths Of an ounce, were used 70
the animal. The usual method was TO cut the
buffalo open and remove the entrails, being care
ful TO leave all the blood possible in the abdomi-
nal cavity. Two bottles OF the poison were thor
ougbly mixed with the warm blood. and then
the brisket WAS cut The animal was thee prac-
ticaIy cut In two .engthwlse. Deep fashss were
blood. The third bottle OF strychnine was used
to sprinkle the liver heart, lungs, and entralls.
msnss. There are well-Authent nticatsd Instances
~ one hundred and more wolves ana coyotes
having been poisoned In . single night at ono OF
these baits.