The Elbert County tribune., 1911-01-27


and half centuries. Last year. according to
Canadian export figures. this treasure amount
ed to S2,719S22, brt credit given for
the enormous home consumption of raw pelts.
The actual catch was worth at least Sb.ooo.-
600 The coming season win S7.0oo.0oo
worth of furs caught in Canada. in spite OF
the fact that the actual number of skins VIII
be at least a quarter less than a year ago.
when the lives of between thirty and forty
million wild things were taken that Milady
of civilization might have her furs.
As recently eight years ago, when the
writer first began his journeys into tie north
land. struck the great fur country as soon
he crossed Lake Superior. From there II
ranged to the Arctic sea. Less than decade
has brought about tremendous change. and
travels a. hundred miles farther north
before he enters the last great trapping
ground" From this great trapping ground
comes seventy per cent. of the better class
of furs worn by the American woman and her
Canadian sister.
In vast desolation one.third as large
the whole of Europe there is no railroad. no
white mans village, and its population is less
than that of the Sahara Desert. In Its cen
ter is Hudson's Bay. the great ice box" OF
the north-nine 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 Company's posts
and those of it's French competitors. the Re
consists of nothing more than a company
store" the factors house. and two 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 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 and
sometimes two hundred miles away from tho
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 rifle weapons, every hour is
filed with excitement for the hunter OF fur.
On his snowshoes he speeds swiftly from trap
to trap. every mile of snowy forests and
swamps revealing the mysteries of the wild
things to him plainly as picture-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
is a huge snow-sboe rabbit, frozen stif 1t
had died And then from through the thick
and gloomy balsam ahead he hears the faint
clinking of chain His blood leaps now for
this royal sport of the wilderness never grows
old to the fur-hunter The chain clinks loud
err and be draws in quick. excited breaths as
he lifts the hammer of his rifle and stares
ahead He comes suddenly upon the next
house and there is a snarlng, leapng thing
furred thing 1.-THE and beautiful as It crouches
at bay--a lynx. And magnificent specimen.
its six-nch fur. fine woman's hair.
crumpled and lying richly upon the blood
stained snow 1t waits for the man to come
within springing distance But the hunter
knows better. He aims carefully for spot
where he up the bullet-hole. and fires.
Only short time from now some gently
tured beauty of civilization will press the
warmth and regal ioveliness of that thing to
her face. and-is it possible that a vision OF
this wilderness tragedy will come to her then?
No more than the dark-faced hunter sees a
vision OF that woman's ioveliness as he skins
his catch and hurries To each is given
but rart OF the picture.
The forest knows only that he has
caught Number One, Extra" lynx and that
the Company viii pay him fifteen dollars for
it, Ills mental visions go farther than
that He makes effort to follow it In the
great ship that will carry It 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 hfteen-dollar LYNX
in an imported" muf. 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 of the three or four
small log shelters which he has built for him
self along the trap-ine 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-llne 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 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 sticks. Then. once
more. he shoulders his pack. and goes again
upon his round of excitement, adventure and
profit