The Caldwell watchman. (Columbia, La.) 1885-1946, 1911-01-27

a constant stream of treasure for nearly TWO
and half centuries Last year, according W
Canadian export figures, this treasure amount
ed to $2,719S22, but no credit was gwen io'
the enormous home consumption OF raw pei.s'
The actual catch was worth at least So'ooo,.
00O The coming season will see S',Voo'o'o
worth of furs caught in Canada, IN spi'e -,
the fact i hat the actual number OF SKINS W."
be at least quarter less than year ago.
when the lives of between thirty ana ior,y
million wild things were taken that Nl'"u'
of civilization might have her furs.
AS recently as eight years ago, Wneh 'n0
writer first began his journeys into the hoF'n'
land, one struck the great fur country as soon
az he crossed Lake Superior. From thefe ~
ranged to the Arctic sea- Less than decaoe
has brought about tremendous change anu
now one travels hundred miles farther north
before he enters the last great trapping
ground" From this great trapping siounu
comes seventy per cent OF the petter ciaee
of furs worn by the American woman anu nes
Canadian sister.
In vast desolation one.third as large as
the whole Of Europe there Is no ralroau' ho
white mans village, and its population Is 1858
than that Of the Sahara Desert. IN us cen.
ter is Hudsons Bay, the great ice ooA VI
the north-nne times as large as the state OF
Ohio. Over this vast territory at distances
of from one to three hundred miles apart are
scattered the Hudson's Bay Companys posts
and those of its French competitors the ne
yellon Brothers. In most instances post
consists of nothing more than company
store" the factors house, and two or three
log cabins Except during the months Oh the
trapping season these are practically the only
noints of human life in country that runs
two thousand miles east and west and from
two to eight hundred north and south.
With the first breath of winter the fur-gath-
erers begin to bury themselves in the vast
desolation about them, travelling one ana
sometimes two hundred miles away from the
most to their old trapping grounds.
From the moment he leaves his door 10 60
over his line, three days supply OF 1000 ana
a thick blanket in his pack-sack, knlfe,
be}t.ax and a rifle as weapons, every hour Is
filled with excitement for the hunter OF 1ur.
IN his snowshoes he speeds swiftly from trap
to trap every mile Of snowy forests and
swamps revealing the mysteries OF the WHO
things to him as plainly as pcture-book
In one trap he finds great white owl, and
cuts off the beautiful wings for the wife and
children back in the cabin. In the next there
,s a hinge snow.shoe rabbit, frozen stiff as 1t
had died. And then, from through the thick
and gloomy balsam ahead, ne hears tne RANT
blinking Of a chain. His blood leaps now, for
this royal sport of the wilderness never grows
did RI the fur-hunter The chain clinks loud
er. and he draws In quick excited oreatns as
he lifts the hammer of his rifle ana stares
ahead. He comes suddenly upon the next
house, and there is snarl1ng, leaplng tnlng
in the air before him, great sllvergray
furred thing, 1.-the and beautiful as 1t crouches
at bay-a lynx. And magnificent specimen.
its sixinch fur, as fine as Woman's nalr,
crumpled and lying richly upon the blood
stained snow as 1t waits for the man to come
within springing distance But the hunter
knows better. He aims carefully for spot
where he can sew up the bullet-hole and fires.
Only short time from now some gently nur.
tured beauty Of civilization will press the
warmth and regal loneliness Of that thing to
her face, and-is it possible that vision Of
this wilderness tragedy will come to her then?
No more than the darkfaced hunter sees a
vision Of that woman's loneliness as he skins
his catch and hurries on. To each is given
but part Of the picture.
The forest man knows only that he has
caught Number One, Extra" lynx, and that
the Company will pay him fifteen dollars for
it. His mental visions 60 no farther than
that. He makes no effort to follow 1t in the
great ship that will carry it to Paris or Lon.
don, where 1t will be sold at great profit;
nor to the furrter's shop. nor to the dainty
girl or the society matron in New York who
will pay $3.50 for that saQe dfteendollar lynx
in an imported" nuh. He goes on, keyed
to higher excitement, until the md of the day
comes, and in the first gray gloom of early
night he stops at one Of the three or four
small log shelters which he has built for him
self along the trap-line gets his supper, lights
his pipe, and reviews the happenings Of the
day until slumber closes his eyes,
It will take him three days to cover a forty
mile trap.line, and when he returns to his
cabin at the close of the third he is welcomed
by the glad cries Of his children and the
laughter and Joy Of his wife, who has ten
der roast porcupine or a venison stew waiting
for him. For two days after that he rests
smokes his pipe, and tells of his adventures
while his wife scrapes the fat from his pelts
and stretches them on sticks. Then, once
more, he shoulders his pack, and goes agar
upon his round Of excitement, adventure ant
profit.