Catoctin clarion., 1917-12-27

are the natural nesting places OF WHO
ducks. geese end swans. 1t is common
sirht insummer to see an old duck pad
ling happily around a pond. surrounded
by her wild little brood of ducklings.
There are millions of ducks here Teal
Blue-bills, Mallards and Canvas backs.
During the open season, which begins
Sept. l, it is quite the usual thing ior al
expert gunner to bag from 30 to 100 IN a
single day. There are prairie chickens
and pheasan Jack-snipe and two larg-
er varieties besides toothsome species
of crane, commonly called "wild turkey
here. The prairie also abounds In JACK
rabbits big fellows who weigh about
20 pounds and can run at terrific speeo.
Together with the snow-birds. these big
fellows are gray in color during the sum-
mer; but turn snow white during the
winter months, so that they are hard to
find by the coyotes, which also abound
and sometimes, when forced by hunger
may be seen prowling around peoples
doors at night in search Of scrapso OF 1000
right IN the heart OF the town.
There is bounty of ST. 90 on their heads
and their pelts are valuable for ladies
furs. They are dyed and made up into
muffs, etc. and placed on the market as
fox. The Big Game Country lies 30 miles
north of US. A number of hunters from
the town go up there every year to hunt
black bear, elk and moose.
Some of the lakes are filled with fish
large enough to turn the heads OF the
successors of Isaac Walton. Last sum-
mer we spent few days on the shores
of Long Lake, 80 miles from here. we
caught number of pickerel weighing
from to pounds, end we have photo.
graphs to prove it. We also saw man
pull in 20 FOUNDER also photo proof,
and we saw a boat come in weighted
down with 100 fish averaging 4 pounds
each, as the result of a single days
catch. Long Lake is from 3 to miles
wide, and 30 miles long.
Our nearest city, Saskatoon, is "a
miles distant. We are connected by rail.
It is fine modern town Of rs, 600 inhab-
itants, with wide asphalted streets, and
fine hotels, department stores, theatres,
etc. 1t has grown up during the last IL
wears from village of dozen houses.
So you see we are not so far from civil
lisation after all.
Situated IL miles west Of US, in the
sparsely wooded sand hills, is the White
cap Indian Reservation. We motored
out there one day last summer over the
sand-hill trail IN the "Tin Lizzie, and
when she went buzzing down the street
of the Indian village, it was amusing to
see the squaws and papooses running
and hiding in their mud smeared log cab
ins. and then peeping out OF the win
dows at US. They are Dakotah, or Sioux
Indians who years ago had their home
in the States, but were crowded north
ward by the advancing tide of civilization,
which has now reached to their very door.
They have been Christianized and an
Indian teacher, Charley Hawk, teaches
the kiddies in a by log cabin. Several
weeks ago we met the chief, Charley
Eagle. He has expressed the desire to
attend our Sunday school Christmas ex-
ercises at Dundurn, and we will be look
ing for him. The Indian squaws are a
dept at tanning leather end making bead
work, and we are hoping to have one
of them make us moccasins before long.
But must tell you little about our
own work here. We are living in neat
little s. room bungalow in the residence
portion of Dundurn. One block away is
the church, neat building of frame,
with basement, Sunday school room, ante
room and pulpit recess. The main audi
torium has seating capacity of 25O and
has sloping floors and circular pews.
Besides the church here there is another
one at Pleasant Point, 10 miles distant,
and right out on the open prairie. Last
summer l also started another preaching
place in a schoolhouse in the Wall Lake
district, also 10 miles from Dundurn.
In order to serve these three appoint
ments the congregations have furnished
US with new 5-passenger Ford. Every
Sunday, as long as the car can run l ira
vel 80 miles, making the rounds of these
preaching places. and on returning
hold third service at Dundurn. During
the winter, when horse and sleigh are
necessary, l alternate between the two
country charges, thus cutting down the
trip to 20 miles each Sunday. Last week
| made the trip with the thermometer
registering IS below zero. In order to
keep from freezing everybody has to
wear fur coats, caps and mittens; and
with my good, warm coon-skin coat
wrapped tight about me, / could laugh
at the cold. During the summer we Of
ten make a trip of SO miles to make a sin
gle pastoral call.
Most of our calling must be done in
the summer when daylight arrives about
2 A. M. and darkness falls about 10. Is
P. M. This gives US good, long days.
In winter the days are correspondingly
Mort. Daylight does not come until 8
A. M. and by $3.50 P. M. lights have to
be lighted.
Many of the people here have been
away from Church influences so long
that they have grown Indifferent to re-
liuion II ia Our work tO hiring them