I came to a turning point in my career--I was to Travel and specialize:
as a roving trapper. Only experts can catch a special kind of fur and
make it profitable.
I discharged all my old time laborers; and With The Coyote Kidd set out
after Mink--There are three or four distinct species of mink but the
Dark are by far the most valuable, these inhabit the colder regions,
they are worth between six dolars and fifteen per skin, according to the
shade and size. The mink is a keen observer, he lives on meat and eggs,
being somewhat like a weasel, also loving blood. The mink is used for
collarettes, boas, and ladies coats. A boa made from black water mink is
worth about 50 dollars, a collarette about $100,00 and a coat reaching
down to the hips would cost about $250,00. We took our way to the old
rendavous near the sweet water mountains. While hunting one day I shot a
Black tail deer. I was skining him for meat and was very hungry, I heard
a limb crack, turned around; and behold a large grizzly was coming after
my meat; or myself. I thought best to push the deer forward to him, so I
made a rather hasty retreat: and old bruin stopped when he struck the
deer. My gun was uncomfortablly near the dead dear, and the live bear,
so I had to go home disarmed.
This was a great grizzly, and he was great. I supposed he would tip the
scales at about 1,200 lbs. although some have been caught that weighed
2,250, lbs. these great bears live in the rocky mountains from Wyoming
to Mexico. Their favorite meat is colts, deer and sheep. Their nails
are often found seven inches long, their fur is best in Feb. and March.
valued at about 35, dollars apice. their pelts are used for rugs, robes
and overcoats.
We trapped from the Sweetwater to the Atlantic peaks, then westward
across Horse creek, to the Colorado desert. then up to Salmon river. We
followed salmon river through the seven devil mountains and left our
horses at the XL, ranch and started for the Indian war.
Now we were told by a trapper that there was a bad war on in Montana So
we intended to go--for we loved an excuse to hunt the cunning
game--Indians. But when we reached Mont. the war was in British
Columbia. So we sailed up into the cold region and settled at Silver
Creek Canada. We began about October the first setting our traps on
spruce river. The Tahoo and Blackfeet indians inhabit these parts, they
are a very jealous class of indians. owing to the great number of
half-breeds. the half breed indian is the smartest, most troublesome of
all indians. they ordered us off their grounds but I had been ordered
off hunting and trapping grounds so many times by indians that I payed
no more attention to their threats than I did to mosquito bites. So they
got mad, bristled up, surrounded our camps one night,--well we got
away--that is more than some of them did. Moving down the river and
overland about one hundred and seventy miles we camped on the Blackwater
river about fifty miles from the telegraph range. here I had my first
experiences with Work Dogs. we ran out of grub about the tenth of March,
and lived the rest of the winter on Big-horn and Moose. We next moved to
Mt. Norris Idaho and after trapping there a few weeks we sold out and
began to prepare for our long contemplated trip to the Amazon river
South America. We sailed from Frisco in July For Brazil Via Cape horn.
We landed seventeen days later in the good port Para, and from there
reshipped for Obidos and from there fitted out for a new experience. It
would be foolish to try to explain the real customs and traits of
animals after only having forty days experience for that covers our
trapping and hunting in South America. I did learn considerable about
that much discussed animal Monkey. I was taught by a native how to trap
him, the simple remedy I'll give my reader without any extra cost,
although I gave a mexican hat for that recipe. To catch a monky take a
ripe cocoa-nut dig out the three eyes and the meat Fill up the unbroken
shell with almost any kind of edibles; then tie a cord through the two
holes and tie the nut fast to a tree or a stake. The monk sees the nut
puts his hand in the tight hole gets a handful of food shuts up his hand
this forms a lump so big that it cannot be drawn back, the monk could at
any time get away by simply letting go the food, but he never will, and
hence is easily taken prisoner--how like man is the monky.
I cut my stay short one day when I came nearly having to shoot the pass
of a mammoth Boa constrictor--I concluded I was a fair trapper a common
hunter, but no snake charmer--I enjoyed the fruits and foliage of that
summer land, but was glad to get back to Galveston, Texas.