The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-11-20
HOW BUsHMAN FINDS HIS WAY.
Remembers Every Detail of the Route
Over Which He Has Passed.

From Forest and Stream.
What appears marvellous and positively
uncanny to town person is simple to a
bushman.
Years of continuous observation develop
the bump of locality. every object has
place and meaning to a trapper; his eye
Is ever on the alert, and what his eye
sees is photographed on the brain and
remains there for future reference at any
time he may require 1t.
This bump of locality is highly develop
ed in all Indians and white who have
passed many years in the bush. without
the faculty of remembering objects a
bushman could not find his way through
the forests.
Providing the trapper has once passed
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 object from
start to finish is an index finger point
ing out the right path. A sloping path, a
leaning tree, moss covered rock. a
slight elevation in land. a cut in the hills,
the water in the creek. an odd looking
stone, blasted tree-all help as guides as
the observant trapper makes his way
through a painless forest.
OF course this tax on the memory is not
required of trappers about a settled part
of the country, but | am telling 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.
| followed an Indian guide once over a
trail of $50 miles. wherein we snowshoed
over mountains, through dense bush.
down rivers and over lakes. To test my
powers of a retentive memory, the fol-
lowing winter when dispatches again had
to be taken to headquarters | l<ed the
Indian to allow me to act as guide, he fol-
lowing.
On that long journey of ten or twelve
days, always walking and continually
thinking out the road, | was in doubt only
once. We were standing on the ice;
tongue of land stood out toward us,
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 snow
shoes, and enjoyed my hesitation, but
said nothing. To be assured of no mis-
take. l had to pass over the whole of last
winters trip in my minds eye up to the
point on which we stood Once the retro
spect 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, nc said: "A-a-ke-pu-ka-tan."
eyes. yes. you are able'o.
The most difficult proposition to tackle
is a black spruce swamp. The trees are
mostly of Il uniform size and height, the
surface of .he snow is perfectly level, and
at times our route lies miles through
such a country, and should there be a
dull leaden sky or a gentle snow falling
there is nothing for the guide to de-
pend on but his ability to walk straight.
1t has been written time and again that
the tendency, when there are no land
marks, is to walk in circle.
BY constant practice those who are
brought up in the wlds acquire the aoil-
ity to walk in straight line. They be-
gin by beating a trail from point to point
on some long stretch of ice. and in the
bush, where any tree or obstruction bars
the way. they make up for any deviation
from the straight course by give-and-
take process, So that the general line of
march Is straight.
During forty years in the country l