Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1904-11-29
HOW svsHMAN FINDS Hls,WAY.
Remembers. Every Detail Of Route
| H. liz DaesaH

Remembers. Every Detail Of Route
v Over Which He Has Passed.
What appears marvellous and posi-
lively uncanny to town person Is
simple to a bushman.
Years of continuous observation de-
velop the bump Of locality, every OBJ
ject has a place and meaning to
trapper, his eye Is ever on the alert,
and what his eye sees Is photographer
ON the brain and remains there for fu-
fure reference at any time he may re-
quire 1t.
This bump Of locality is highly de-
veloped in all Indians and whites who
have passed many years In the bush.
without the faculty Of remembering
objects a bushman could not find his
way through the forests.
I Providing the trapper has once pass
ed from one place to another, he Is
pretty sure to find his way through the
second time, even If years should have
elapsed between the trips. Every OBJ
Iect from start to finish is an index
finger pointing out the right path. A
sloping path, leaning tree. a moss
covered rock, a slight elevation in land,
a cut in the hills, the water in the
creek, an odd looking stone. a blasted
tree-all help as guides as the obser-
want trapper makes his way through a
painless forest.
OF course. this tax on the memory Is
not required Of trappers about set
He'd part Of the country, but am tell
ing of what is absolutely necessary for
the safety Of ones life In the far-away
wilds of the north, where to lose ones
self might mean death.
4, I followed an Indian guide once over
a trail Of 280 miles, whereon we snow
shoed over mountains, through dense
bush. down rivers and over lakes. To
test my powers Of retentive memory,
the following winter when dispatches
again had to be taken to headquarters
I asked the Indian to allow me to act
as guide. he following.
On that long journey Of ten or
twelve days, always walking and con-
tinually thinking out the road, l was
in doubt only once. We were standing
on the ice; a tongue Of land stood out
toward us, a bay on either side. The
portage leaving the lake was at the
bottom Of one Of these bays, but
which? The Indian had halted almost
on the tails Of my snowshoes, and en-
joyed my hesitation, but said nothing.
To be assured Of no mistake, / had TO
pass over the whole Of last winters
trip In my minds eye up to the point
on which we stood. Once the retros-
pect caught up with US, there was no
further trouble. Our route was down
the left-hand bay.
When the Indian saw me start In
that direction, he said: "A-a-ke-pu-
ka-tan" ("Yes, yes, you are able').
The most difficult proposition to
tackle Is a black spruce swamp. The
trees are mostly of uniform size
and height, the surface Of the snow Is
perfectly level, and at times our route
lies miles through such a country, ana
should there be a dull leaden sky or
gentle snow falling there Is nothing TOT
the guide to depend on but his ability
to walk straight.
II has been written time and again
that the tendency, when there are no
landmarks, is to walk in circle.
BY constant practice those who are
brought UP in the wilds acquire the
ability to walk in a straight line. They
begin by beating a trail from point 10
point on some long stretch OF Ice, and
in the bush,, where any tree or OBJ
struction bars the way, they make up
for any deviation from the straight
course by a give-and-take process, 80
that the general line Of march Is
straight.
During forty years in the country 1
never knew an Indian or white BUSH
man to carry a compass. Apart from
a black spruce swamp, 1t would be no
use whatever
In going from one place to another
the contour Of the country has to be
considered, and very frequently the
longest way round is the shortest
way home" A ridge, Of mountains
might lie between the place OF start
ing and the objective point, and by
making a detour round the spur, one
would easier reach his destination
rather than to climb up one side ana
down the other.
II I were to tell you as a fact that
when q bushman sees the track OF
some wild animal in the snow he can
tell YOU not only the name Of the AMI
NAL. but II 1t was male or female,
within an hour Of the time the tracks
were made, If it was calm or blowing
and the direction Of the wind at that
time, and many other minor things.
YOU would think this wonderful. Yet,
as wonderful as this may appear ana
hardly to be credited, an Indian boy OF
10 or 12 can read this page from ma
ture as easily as one Of US can read
Coroof ond Stream