Black beaver was never lost but once in his life And that was in
Cordalane Idaho. It had a peculiar effect upon him, it made him, sick to
his stomach, sleepy and gave him the head ache. He never carried a
compass in his life. can awaken at any hour of the night and point north
south east or west.
Black beaver gives a recipe for cureing gray hair. this alone is worth
the price of this book--"When I went up to Alaska I was quite gray
headed I was crossing Jumbo Glacier, going North-west, they wind was
cold and exceedingly stout my steel registered over seventy below
zero--I was making good time--I became warm and perspired a little--for
about ten seconds I removed my cap when I discovered my scalp was
frozen. for nearly a year my hair was all out around my ears--at last it
came in just as black as it was when I was a child--(Se my head seeing
is believing) Ladies, gentemen freeze your scalp if you are gray"
Black Beaver is a natural tarveler in cold regions because; he is always
feeling of himself to see if he is freezing. which is the only way one
can tell in extreme cold.
An excciting place to sleep--on a Glacier which moves about ten feet a
day--it is cracking, bursting exploding, trembling, groaning and
together with the Glacier Bears and howling dogs, and Siberian wolves,
and rolling around to keep from freezing is very soothing. Now I have
fought buffalo flies in Michigan, Bed Bugs in Wisconsin, Lice in
Wyoming, Rattlesnakes in Colorado, Coyotes in North Dakota, Rats in
Australia, Spiders in South America,--But Glaciers are of all places I
ever attempted the most exciting and difficult to get a little sleep.
The Glacier is moved forward by the compressed air which gets into the
crevices behind the glaciers when it is split open by frost--then it
freezes again and explodes which moves the great mountain into the
river. The Glaciers not only furnish the water supply for the world--but
also keep it fresh.
The term Mushing has been used in the book that means to walk.
The term Pan, means one dollar, Bum Pan means a half dollar. Hit means
five dollars.
A great manny hunters have severe accidents with their guns--often they
burst when they are fired off--this is caused by dirt accidently getting
into the end of the barrel which so many inexperienced hunters
unconscouusly do. I have known an explosion caused by snow in the end of
the muzzle.
There was a very bad bear in Wyoming known as "Old Three points" There
was an Irishman crossing over his territory and while sitting on a rock
he looked up and saw "Old Three Points" coming toward him evidently on
his track--for he was putting his noose to the ground seemingly in every
track--"The Irishman said" Oh! its tracks ye want--then be gorry I'll
make ye some" and he did. as many have done.
I was employed by a Ranchman to kill Three Points--so named because he
had a nail torn off and left but three points to his track with his
right paw. I took two of the best marksman I had and we rode over into
his territory--after we had cooked our meat partly because we were
hungry, and partly to draw the old fellow on by the scent--and before we
had time to eat our meal the old plough hove in sight--
He was certainly in fighting trim, he came down over the hill--like a
Newbraska cyclone--every log he came to he would knock clean out of his
road the stones were flying right and left, he would knock rotton logs
all to pieces, he would not turn aside for anything, he had been in a
fight his hair was ruffled up, he was all covered with blood, and had
been wounded several times, all at once we opened up on his with three
bullets in his pelt driven there by guns which struck thirty eight
hundred pound apiece--he just groaned and staggered a little, and made
for us, We split up and gave him dope from three quarters which was more
than old Three points had expected; and before he could claw any of our
meat he lost his appetite because we had fed him too much lead.
Black Beaver--knows how to live outdoors better than we know how to live
indoors. He never catches cold, he positively knows every time just
where to sleep, he never sleeps on his back if the ground is cold or
damp--always upon his stomache.
He could teach the U.S. Army something worth knowing--about living out
doors.
Black Beaver knows what animals think. Can tell just what maneuver a
dog, wolf deer, or even a fish will go through on almost every occasion.
The Eskimos at Point Barrow--think the Aurora Borealis is caused by the
Great Icebergs toppling over into the water, and the water is so much
warmer than the great lump of ice covered with frost that an explosion
takes place--caused by the coming together of these two substances so
different in temperature. Then the ice splits and the explosion causes
light ans makes a noise which is always heard in the Arctics.
The Eskimo scoffs at the idea of man reaching the North Pole. They say
the place where the pole is supposed to be, is an unfinished part of
creation, and how can man find that which has not been created. They say
the north Pole is one continous upheavel of indisscribable explosions.
That not a bear, owl, tomigan, fox, indian or even a whale or fish could
live, nor do they live beyond the hut of the Eskimo.
Could you if you could not write, write a better book? I have no vain
idle catchy words, but news in a nude form do you appreciate news, gold
dug out of mud? then give me credit for what I have done rather than for
what I have said. Read my later publications. So excuse the errors of a
sourdough, keep track of me I want to talk to you later. Good bye for
this time. I shall enjoy being a true friend to every reader of Black
Beaver the Trapper.
Ask me questions, if you have my address, write to me while I am in the
wilderness. I once stopped and listened for an hour to the disputed
music of a Baby's cry.--then if this consoled--perhaps you can, I start
tomorrow for the Golden shore Of Alaska, over rough seas, swollen
rivers, rocky coasts and shaggy hillsides. But I shall return
again--From that wilderness, to enjoy and make glad the gentle loving
people in the States where the stars and stripes defend, And where
maidens and lovers, husbands and wives, enjoy sweet life and charities
beyond the possibility of any race in any other land under God's
girdling skies.