The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1900-03-16
THE TRADE IN FURS
HARD LIFE OF The HUNTERS OF THE
NORTH.
But the Element Of Danger and Ex-
citement is RIVER Present - An
Average Days Journey in the
Woods-IIunting Big Game.

Woods-HuntinS Big Game.
The quantity and value of the furs,
which an Indian may secure as the re-
suit OF his spring hunt varies greatly,
Vi course, but III u good year from
SZuU 10 $500 may be taken as Il tair
average. He may have eight or ten
pears, Il dozen beavers. for or i've OF
tiers, number OF lynXes, martens and
mnks, anu several hundred musuuash
or muskratS. When all the hunters
nave come in the furs are pressed INTO
packs of hundred pounds each and
sent in York boats t. the frontier trails,
over Whaich they are carted to the
nearest railway station to be shipped
To London, England, where they are
carefully sorted and afterwards sold at
the two great annual sales OF the COM
pany in January and March, which are
attended 10y buyers from all parts of
the world
In the hard life of the voyageur there
are ever present the elements of danger
and excitement. With the first glance
of dawn the guide shouts his waning
'Leve. Lever. and the men spring from
thelr blankets, pack their camp outfit
INTO the boats and are off. Six oars to
boat, one to Il man, besides
sweep in the hands of both bow and
sicerSman. The oars are large and
heavy. and the rowers rise TO their feet
and sink Lack with precision upon their
seats with each long stroke. At s
O'Clock they put ashore for breakfast,
and about noon another halt is made;
then they 20 on until night falls, when
they stop for the day eat their sup
per and lay themselves on the ground
for few hours rest. | have been told
by voHa@ours that they have been so
tired ut night that they wore unable
to eat, and have flung themselves Gown
on the nearest level SPOT. without so
much as removing their coats or>n ten
ing blanket. and slept the Sltep cf
uead WEAKNESS until aroused ~ day
break by the cry of the guido.
Fifteen or twenty mile is narNa s. IN
average days journey: much dep 80
upon the water. In some 2la"as ra5'.' -
and portages occur with aNa~nrat -
frequency; in others thn stlram is
broad and deep, and there is 81 little
current. Again. in cioSsins Il IN g..
with a favorable wind. sail may ne
made and the rowers have welcome
rest; while in breasting Il rapid around
which 1t is unnecessary or imnOSSlh,e to
portage tracking" is resorted to A
long fine is attached to the bow of
the boat and the men diSembark. leav-
ing only the steersman to keen her
nose off shore or off rocks u the
stream, while the men. far ahead on
the bank. haul her up against the tor
rent. Accidents are common. A block
Of overhanging ice four or five feet
thick. left by the spring flood. may fall
upon man rs he passes beneath it and
crush out his life; sudden access of
force in the current as the boat rounds
a bend may jerk the men from their
feet and into the river. and some NAV
not get out again. Or the boat may
drift upon a rock. smash it to atoms
ana the cargo and men In her be lost.
But portaging is the hardest work
which comes to the voyageur, for
osmetiWcs il is necessary TO drag the
heavy boat and then carry her load
of four or five tons over a rough. rocky
point mile in width. 4 portage strap
is fastened to one piece" of ahour one
hundred pounds; another place. per-
haps two, are placed upon this and
with the strap against his forehead.
with bare legs and sh0elcsS feet, man
after man tolls across the portage. until
the narrow path beneath is soft and
damp with human sweat They are
glad when the last piece is over. The
clumsy oars seem Fight when they pick
them up again.
In former times buffalo pemmican
constituted the chief food of the voy-
ageur: now dried moose and caribou
meat have taken its place. Fhcn tea
and flour were Injuries enjoyed but
once year at Christmas; now they
form part Of his daily ration.
Hunting is the main recreation of the
majority of the officers and clerks The
staff nj post often 30 off and hunt for
week. and n hundred or more reese
and double that number of ducks load
the boats on the return. The ptarmi-
gan-hrown in summer and white in
winter-is n good game bird. and in
some localities minated grouse or
prairie chickens arc very numerous.
Our ubiquitous little friend. the part
ridge. too. is nowhere more Frequently
"at home" TO the hunter than here and
he is often such stranger to tho guile
of man that an Indian will walk ND
to the tree upon which he is sitting
and slip the moose that he has fixed to
the end of n pole over his head. After
the first snow in the fall rabbit shoot
ing is good snort. end in seasons when
they are plentiful fifty or sixty to the
credit of single huntsman in an af.
temoon is not an uncommon score.
Then there IS the LARGE game. such as
moose and deer. while now and then q
stupid bear pokes his nose in dangerous
proximity TO the fort. the STAFF turns
out and he is shot for his fatal inouisi.
tiveness.
At one of the nosts whore I was STA.
toned we kent 4 moose for two vrars
She was taken when very young bv an
Indian. who killed her mother and
brought the calf in his canoe to the
fort. She was quite tame. and in tho
second winter we broke her TO horncss
Her chief amusement was soaring Tn.
dams ny racing mp to them AMI ston.
ping abruptly with a loud snort and
planting her forefeet on the Backs Of
the train dogs. A train dog will howl
on the slightest excuse. and the ratbet.
lc outhurst which greeted the Success.
full performance of this latter feat an.
Deared to cause Maud unsfinfeI on.
ioyment and certain wonder which
It was ludicrous to behold.
The clerks often set traps adjacent
to the forts, and in this wav find an
other means of passing time and of
adding to their incomes. Snowshoeino
is also popular exercise on the short
LAYS. and at poSts where they are kept
horses arc in much requisition.