Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1910-11-30

vork have 4 hard task, sths lot Of the
trupuw i Infinitely hnEdsf. He mnse
purs.e the sources q hiDsltvslihood with
ths sAmest cumming, vaxying his msthods,
from logging Z bullst - - vteais o.
bar q other large animAlin such way
q viii nor iniurs the psit. to sitting the
subkssst Of snares for snch wary ones -
the little ermine, only tie jst- black tail OF
WHICH 10 visible a. Il whisks across the
binding snow.
TIE srmine il very shy, and it must b
specially dealt with In order to avoid in
Jury to it, delicate skin Even the small
cot Of the steel traps are too heavy for the
best specimens, which the trsppsr must
catch in snsrss OF tender boughs or in
some such way. Sometimes he puts
little grease on his hunting knife and lays
it across the succession Of dots and dashcs
in the snow which show that an ermine
has passed that way. Along comes the
little white form on it, errntic conrse
egain. The grease appeals to il, and IL
bexins to like the blade Of the knife; but,
alas, that piece OF steel 10 icy cold, and the
tiny red tongue is instantly frosen to II %
tightly a. to render fssile all the frantic
struggling. The knife i too heavy fce
The little animal to carry Awsy, and in his
own good time the trapper comes and
finishes his work.
II be manages to take . silver fox. the
trapper il in great luck, sor the pelt Of .
prime specimen OF that animal is worth
fsoo 70 the man who bays it down st
Eduonton, and the very best will bring
the hnyer ~ much - $500. But the
trapper gets few silver foxsa, and for thess
be receives price much smaller than the
figure ct which the white trader will
eveatually make his saie- The animal
OF which the trspper viii probably cap
turs most 10 the lynx. One nrm OF traders
brought 5000 lynx into Edmonton last
summer, and these formed only part OF
the tosai receipts. Other snimals which
are taken in large numbers are beavers,
bears, stters, wolverines, minks, martens,
musk rats, musk oxen, nshers, weassls
and Waite, red, black and cross fox.
Tens Of thousands are trapped during the
course of . season.
LIFE OF THE rRAPPnRs.
The hunter or trappsr must carry traps
and supplies into the remotsst regions,
where even lumbsrmen arc unknown.
He builds low, white sled, holding 10
pounds, and loads this with pork, -four,
understanding and steel traps. And when
the ICE ON streams and lakes will bear his
weight, be starts into the wilderness,
there to lsad . hermit's Life FOR seven
months.
Arrived u point many miles arom the
nearest habitation, the tfapper tries to
find two parallel streams running near
each other. Here he pitches his home
camp, setting traps along both rivers.
The work OF taking game from the trsps 10
varied by catching nsh, snaring rabbiss
and capturing muskrats for bait and food.
Now snd than the hunter may kill .
wandering bear an event which may
lead him to . big store Of wild honey in .
hollow tree.
In utter solitude lives the adventurer,
perhaps forgetting the day Of the week or
the month Of the year. He fxes the date
for breaking up camp and turning back 70
civilization by the condition Of the fur on
the animals he takes or BY the effects OF
sunlight ON the snow. Now and then he
will shoot deer, or even . moose, for the
sake Of the raw hide, meat and fat, which
latter keeps his traps from rusting. A file
serves him instead Of . grindstone to keep
axes and knives keen, and be washer his
- krI~ t,x ~. t.
drying them by IN open fire.
The dazzling glare Of February often
brings snow blindness, and . month or
two later the fast-thinning fur on his
prey Allows that further work IL unpront-
able He then secrets his traps in hollow
logs ready for The next SEASON, packs his
load Of pelts ON the wide sled, and trudges
"a through the forest to the nearest post
or settlement. On arriving, the tFapper
| sells his furs.
When the trading season il over, the
trAppers 70 back to their winter hunting
grounds, which they do not leave from
October till June. Here they may have q
shack or hut buiit OF Logs which win en-
able them to Withstand the rigorous
weather, but the location must Be near
the homes Of the animals, where they can
frequently examine the score or more OF
traps and nets which are set for their cap
ture.
The extreme cold weather largely en-
ables them 70 kssp tbs skins coached" or
stored out OF doom until the late spring,
when they prepare for their journey
southwark to meet the traders. The furs
may be packed on ponies, on siedges or in
boats or other water craft, for where
waterways are available these are used in
making the journey. Az the traders nos
advance further into the wilderness, the
hunters and trsppers are saved many .
week formerly needed in making their
way to the Dearest factory.
Many curious instances Of the manner
in which the honesty Of the Indian mani
Tests itself are cited in the north country.
One rf the tales told in Of \ natiVe Vim