The Elk Mountain pilot., 1911-02-02

a constant stream of treasure for nearly two
and a half centuries Last year. aceordihs 70
Canadian export figures. this treasure amount
ed to 327l9.s22, but credit was given ior
the enormous home consumption OF raw pel.s'
The actual catch was worth at least so,ooo.'
OOO The coming season VIII see *i''vo'Vo.
worth OF furs caught in Canada In spite %, o,
the fact that the actual number OF skihs VIA
be at least . quarter less than year ago
when the lives of between thirty and forty
million wild things were taken that Mi'ao'
OF civilization might have her furs
As recently as eight years ago. wheh INC
writer first began his journeys into the hof'
land one struck the great fur country as sooi
as he crossed Lake Superior. From there II
ranged to the Arctic sea. Less tnah oec"uo
has brought about tremendous cnahse' anu
now one travels a hundred miles farther north
before he enters the last great trapping
ground" From this great trapping srou"u
comes seventy per cent OF the oe~e' e'a's
of furs worn by the American woman ana nef
Canadian sister.
In vast desolation one-third as large ns
the whole of Europe there Is no railroad. no
white mans village. and its population Is less
than that Of the Sahara Desert. In It's cen
ter is Hudson's Bay the great ice ooA o.
the north-nine times as large as the state Oh
Ohio Over this vast territory at distances
of from one to three hundred miles apart are
and those OF its French competitors. the Re-
veiIlon 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 OF the
trapping season these are practically the only
points OF human life In n country that runs
two thousand miles east and west and from
two to eight hundred north and south
with the arst breath OF winter the fur-gath-
encrs begin to bury themselves In the vast
desolation 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
A thick blanket in his packsack. knife.
belt-ax and a rifle as weapons, every hour is
flled with excitement for the hunter OF iur'
On his snowshoes he speeds swiftly from trap
to trap every mile OF snowy forests ana
swamps revealing the mysteries OF the wild
things to him as plainly as a picturebook.
In one trap he finds n great white owl. ana
cuts or the beautiful wings for the wife and
children back in the cabin. In the next there
is a huge snow-shoe rabbit. frozen stih as II
had died And then. from through the thick
and gloomy balsam ahead. he hears the faint
blinking OF n chain His blood leaps now. for
this roval sport of the wilderness never grows
old to the furhunter. The chain clinks loud
or and he draws in quick. excited breaths as
he lifts the hammer OF his rifle ana stares
ahead. He comes suddenly upon the next
house. and there is snarling. leaping. thing
in the mir before him. great siVer-gray
furred thing 1.-THE and beautiful as 1t crouches
at bay-a lynx And magnificent specimen.
its sixinch fur. as fine as womans hair.
crrnpled and lying richly upon the blood
stained snow It waits for the man to come
within springing distance. But the hunter
knows better. He aims carefully Tor spot
where he can sew up the bullet-hole. and fires.
, eho ina frOm gently
tured beauty OF civilization will press the
warmth and regal loveliness OF that thing to
her face. and-is 1t possible that vision OF
this wilderness tragedy will come to her then?
No more than the dark-faced hunter sees a
vision of that woman's loveliness 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 go no farther than
that He makes no effort to follow 1t in the
great ship that will carry It to Paris or Lon
dom where 1t will be sold at great profit:
nor to the furrier's shop, nor to the dainty
girl the society matron in New York who
will pay $3.50 for that same fifteen-dollar lynx
in ar Imported" nun. He goes on. keyed
to higher excitement, until the end OF the day
comes and IN tho first gray gloom OF early
night he stops at one OF the three four
small log shelters which he has built for him
self along the trap-ne, gets his supper. lights
his pipe. and reviews the happenings Of the
day until slumber closes his eyes
1t will take him three days to cover 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.
hl~ -tf p~A d
and stretches them on sticks. Then once
more he shoulders his pack. and goes again
upon his round Of excitement. adventure and
profit