The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1911-01-26

and a half centuries. Last year, according 10
Canadian export figures. this treasure amount
ed TO S2Tl9S22 but no credit was given Tor
the enormous home consumption OF raw pelS'
The actual catch was worth at least |bhoo'
600 The coming season VIII see $tVou'oVv
worth OF furs caught in Canada, In spite o,
the fact that the actual number OF skins Will
be at least n quarter less than year ago
when the lives OF between thirty and forty
million wild things were taken that MiIauy
OF civilization might have her furs.
As recently as eight years ago when the
writer first began his Journeys into the north'
land. one struck tho great fur country as soon
as he crossed Lake Superior From there II
ranged to the Arctic sen Less than ueC"ue
mas brought about Il tremendous chahge' anu
now one travels a hundred miles farther north
before he enters the last great trapping
ground" From this great trapping srouhu
comes seventy per cent. Of the better class
OF flrs worn By the American woman and her
Canadian sister
In a vast desolation one.thlrd as large as
the whole Of Europe there is no railroad no
white mans village and It's population Is less
than that Of the Sahara Desert In It's cen
ter is Hudson's Bay the great Ice box OF
tho north nine times Rs 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 Re-
yCillon Brothers. In most Instances q post
consists Of nothing more than a company
store" the factors house. and two or three
log cabins Except during the months OF the
trapping season these are practically the only
points of human life In a country that runs
two thousand miles east and west and from
TWO 10 eight hundred north and south.
with the first breath OF winter the fur-ghth'
ercrs begin TO bury themselves In the vast
desolatl1u about them. travelling one and
sometimes two hundred miles away from the
post to their old trapping grounds
From the moment he leaves his door to go
over his line. three days supply of food and
n thick blanket in his packsack, knife,
belt.ax and n rife as weapons every hour Is
filled with excitement for the hunter Of fur.
on his Gnowshoes no speeds swiftly from trap
10 trap every mile OF snowy forests and
gvamps revealing the mysteries Of the Wild
things TO him as plainly as picture-book,
In one trap he finds a great white owl and
cuts off the beautiful wings for tho wife and
children back in the cabin. In tho next there
is n huge anow.shoe rabbit, frozen stih as II
had died And then, from through the thick
and gloomy balsam ahead, he hears the faint
clinking Of a chain. His blood leaps now for
this ROYAL sport OF the wilderness never grows
q
or. and he draws In quick. excited breaths as
he lifts the hammer OF his rifle and staros
ahead He comes suddenly upon the next
house and there ia Rnarling leaping, thing
in the air before him. a great silver-gray
furred thing 1.-THE and beautiful rs II crouches
ut bay-a lynx. And magnificent specimen,
its six.inch fur, az fine as n womans hair.
crumpled and lying richly upon the blood
stunned snow az II 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 n short time from now some gently nur-
tured beauty Of civilization will press the
warmth and regal loveliness Of that thing to
her face. and-is II possible that vision OF
this Wilderness tragedy will come to her theni
No moro than the dark.faoed hunter sees a
vision of that womans lovelincss 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 vii pay him fifteen dollars for
1t. His mental visions go no farther than
thai He makes no effort to follow It in the
great ship that will carry II to Paris or Lon
don where 1t will be sold at great profit;
nor to the furrier's shop nor TO the dainty
girl or the society matron In New York who
will pay $3.50 for that same lfteen-dollar lynx
In an imported" nun He goes on, keyed
to higher excitement. until the end OF the day
comes. and in the first gray gloom OF early
night he stops at ono 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 tho happenings OF the
day until slumher closes his eyes.
1t will take him three days TO cover forty.
mile tapline, 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 a ten.
der roast porcupine or a venison stow waiting
for him. For two days after that no rests,
smokes HIS pipe and tells OF his adventures,
while his wife scrapes the fat from his pelts
and stretches them on sticks. Their once
more, he shoulders his pack. and goes again
upon his round OF excitement. adventure and
profit