The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-08-02
KITUk AND THE SILL
YER FOX
BY ROY j. SMELL.

When the schooner yalantia an
chored off Cape Prince of Wales one
summer she had on board. beside
and hundreds OF steel traps. Now
Alaska Is the finest trapping grounds
in the world Along the rivers are
the rarest minks and martins; over
the hills are many beautiful foxes
red fox. white fox. cross fox, but
rarest of all is the silver fox.
When Kituk's father came off the
schooner he bore over his shoulder a
great bundle Of traps.
Now he said to Kituk, you must
be of real service to your family. You
are a good fisherman, IL Is true. but
there is fishing to do only n few days
in the year. You must learn to be
useful In other ways. You must be
trapper. Your father will some day
be too old to take the long walks
over the mountains. We must have
fox skins to trade for. deer skins to
keep us warm.
This pleased Kitnk very much, He
had heard men. as they sat about the
fire at night, telling of their successes
as trappers. He had always longed
to Join them. Now the time had
come
must begin In the summer time" said
his father.
/ "But. father" Kituk objected "the
fur Is not good in the summer"
| You are right, my SON" his father
said. proud Of his young sons wisdom.
Yet you must begin in the summer
/ IAsten, You must go out into the
mountains and watch all day long.
Should you see nothing let that pass,
Z ha 40
/ But should you see foxes playing
about or hunting ptarmigan, follow
/ them TO their holes, When you have
| found where they live drive stake
near by. Cut ON one side of that stake
| three lines. a cross and three lines
more. This way" He picked up a
stick and cnt on 1t three lines That
will be your sign, When men see
that sign they will read by it: This
He alone has a right to trap it. He
alone may shoot it. 1t is his. for
| he found it. -
Every boy has some one thing
| which he does not want to share
with any other boy. Kituk decided
he would not tell Arthur. the mis-
sionary's son, about his traps or his
trapping. He would call 1t a secret,
When winter cine and foxes furs were
/
with his catch and surprise his friend.
! For week Kituk spent his time
in the mountains. His inexperienced
+, eyes showed him no sporting foxes
He was becoming very much discour-
aged when one day he saw a flock of
ptarmigans on a rock. They seemed
excited about something like flock
| Of chickens when hawk Is near
Sure enough. in a moment Kituk saw
h,-Nr cd II,
the edge of that rock The birds flew
away. but Kituk found where the
owner Of that brown head the fox.
had his home beneath the rock.
Proudly then he cut his lines, cross,
lines on a stake and set it there.
After that, search as he might. all
the short summer long he found no
more foxes
Never mind" said his father you
have done very we'll for a beginner,
When you are older your eyes will be-
come more experienced. They will
| tell you better where the foxes are
| hiding When the snow has fallen
you must go often to the big rock
and see that the fox does not leave
that home for another"
| Kituk went many times. but each
| time he found many tracks In and
| out OF the hole beneath the rock. BY
! TINS ne knew lIldt Ciu Sly SSS
was still there.
| Now. Arthur, too. had heard the
Eskimo people telling Of trapping
foxes. and like all boys. he thought
| 1t would be great sport to trap them.
! He told his father OF this and he
| bought him traps with money he had
saved from the sale Of Arctic blue
berries Strange as it may seem, like
| his playmate he decided to make his
| trapping secret.
! .
/ Now. it Is time to set your traps,
said kituk's father one day in De-
cember. THE furs are prime. But
leave your marked one until later.
| Try all the other likely places FIRST.
No one will modest your fox. 1t is a
law OF our people" So Kituk went
about his trapping. Only he did not
go near the rock where his stake was
set.
| A few days later Arthur threw his
traps over his shouldeI. He went