The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1900-03-03

East of Mount Katahdin. in the heart
of the Maine wilderness, lies small
and lonely lake. Miles Of rough coun-
try separate it from the nearest rail-
road. and not even the lumberman has
disturbed its solitude or married its
natural beauty. On every side but
one the great woods come down to the
waters edge, and trees which have |
been reflected in this primeval mirror |
Tor hundred years, at length bury
their old bones in the familiar depths.
But on the western side OF the lake
is a swale, with clumps of alders and
naples, aud the shore itself is sandy
beach, OH which, early in the morn
ing. there will be great ox-like tracks,
so fresh that the water has not yet
filed them; and smaller footprints,
like those of sheep; and other tracks
that make one think man has
walked there barefoot; and still others
T. again-great round ones-which sug
gest that the man had dog with him.
To the shore of this lake, one day
in midsummer, came Enoch Mitchell,
climber cruiser" and it was these
signs of moose and deer and bear ana
LYNX which convinced him that he
could find no better place for his win
ter trapping.
By the middle Of October ne and
his son Joe were comfortably settled
in tight log camp, the winters stock
of provisions laid in and the traps out
"a line toward the mountain Tor
sable and fisher, line for mink and
otter along a small stream near. the
cabin, and few isolated traps at Ike
ly places along the lake shore.
For two or three weeks nothing IN
terrupted the routine OF making
stretchers, running the line" skin
ming the catch and curing the pelts.
Joe did the cooking, washed the dishes,
cut wood and built and tended the
fires.
But one day toward the end OF No
yember Mitchell started to visit some
traps at the base of the mountain, SIX
miles away. The trail was harder
than he had expected to find it, and
the necessity of repairing deadfall
DELAYED him considerably, SO that the
end of the short day found him still
good way from camp. In the dusk he
missed his footing on the log which
spanned Five Mile brook, and was
plunged into the icy water to his arm
pits. He pushed on as fast as possible
after his ducking, but before he go
home he was chilled to the marrow
and shaking like q man with the az ne
The next morning he was too sim AM
sore to leave the cabin.
"You'll have to look after4ny trap
for day or two," he said to Joe
"You'd better go down along the out
let this morning to the bear traps
set Tuesday. The first one is righ
behind big spruce windfall. l Gu
ont acme branches and left the 10
across the trail. The other one
half a mile or so farther down tn
trail. and set the same way, behind
windfall."
s'There's big holes in both OF m
moccasins," said Joe, obviously.
take my larigans, then. You O.
mt on some extra stockings II they
too big"
Joe started about 8 o'clock. II
sIarrigans" - heavy moccasins WI
legs reaching nearly to the knee
we're large enough to make four pal
of stockings necessity; but the tel
perature was such that comfort won
hardly have been satisfied with les
Some matches, q little bread O.
cheese, a skinning knife and his RI
were Joe's equipment
It was clear, still morning. \
sound broke the silence except
branching of the snow underfoot a
now and then the rapping OF voc
necker: but all around were signs
that abundant life of the wildern
which nature shows freely enough
her intimates, The sn W was cri
crossed with tracks. Here a rap
had jumped, there fox had MOI
about under the young spruces. M
and squirrels and cartridges
worked their intricate and iacei
nattern on the snowy fabric, and o
Toe saw where caribou had come
from the bog on one side and eros
the ridge to the larger bog on
other.
But these were everyday matte
end the boy noticed nothing which
considered worth much atten.
until he reached the spruce vino
behind which the first bear. trap
been set. When he looked thro
the opening his father had cut IN
branches his pulse leaped. Inc o.
and dead leaves on the other side '
Slowed up and ground into the 81
branches were broken on, ST.
had been thrashed to pieces and
tered about, and broad trail lea
down the old ''tote road, which
fered the path of least resistance.
The trap, according to the U
practice, had been chained to
seven or eight inches in Diameter
as many feet in length, cut fr'
green tree, with the branches iol
off foot or 80 from the trunk; 81