TRAPPER LORE.
While the other two boys were finishing the packing of their stores Owen
had wandered up the bed of a creek that joined the river at a point just
above the site of their late camp.
He had evidently noted something that aroused his interest, for the
others noticed him peering closely at the banks and examining a number
of things.
"Now what in the world do you imagine he sees?" asked Eli, who was
possessed of a good lively streak of curiosity in his composition, and
could not observe these things without commenting on the same.
"I was wondering somewhat along that vein, myself, and had come to the
conclusion that Owen's trapping instinct has been aroused by certain
signs of the furry game for which every man in this region is always on
the alert. Nothing else I can think of would interest him so," returned
Cuthbert.
"Well, here he comes back again, and from the smile on his face I
imagine he wants us to take a look, too."
"I'd just like to, for I've heard so much about the fur business since
striking this wild country that it seems a shame not to be better
posted. I know a lynx from a common everyday bobcat, and can tell an
otter when I see it; but there are a thousand or two little things
connected with the trade of a trapper that are just so much Greek to me.
You notice I've been pumping him every chance I got, and perhaps he sees
an opening to make a demonstration. We're in no big hurry today, and I'd
be only too willing to hold over a bit if I could add to my pump of
practical knowledge."
"Me, too," echoed Eli, who, although a woods dweller all his life, had
never made a practice of taking furs; and unless one goes into this
business at first hand the result is always disappointing.
One week with an everyday trapper along the lines of his traps will do
more toward giving a novice a fair insight into the strange business of
outwitting the cunning bearers of fur coats than all the guides ever
written.
For once Cuthbert had made a bullseye guess.
When Owen reached them he was holding some little object up for
observation.
"Do you know what that is, boys?" he asked.
Both of them took a good look.
"Looks like a bunny's paw," said Eli, dubiously.
At this Cuthbert laughed.
"Down in my section of Old Virginny the coons like to get rabbit's foot
for a charm; it is said to keep the evil spirits away, especially if
taken from a graveyard rabbit. Can it be possible there are fellows up
in this benighted region of the same mind? But that is not a rabbit's
foot, I think, Owen," he said.
"What then?" asked the Canadian.
"I don't know for certain, but if I made a guess I should say mink."
"Good enough for a hap-hazard guess. Mink it is, and the little animal
just gnawed it off himself, last night, for you can see it is quite
fresh."
"Gnawed it off himself, did you say? What in the world would he be fool
enough to do that for?" demanded Cuthbert looking closely to see whether
the other gave any signs of joking, but failing to find any.
"Well, for one thing, he could not find anybody to do it for him."
"Oh! and was it so very important that Mr. Mink should drop one of his
little footsie-tootsies in that way? Is it the habit up here for these
animals to go around cm three legs?"
"No; but you see he was silly enough to believe that it was better to
go along the balance of his natural life with three feet rather than to
give up his nice soft pelt to grace the back of some lady in Montreal or
New York or London," returned Owen, gravely, twirling the little
reminder around between his fingers, and looking at it as though he
believed it could tell a sad story if only it were gifted with the power
of speech.
"Now I see the reason. The mink had been caught in a trap, and after
twisting and turning until it had torn its leg fearfully, as is seen
right there, in desperation it finished the amputation itself; not that
it was afraid of decorating some high born dame's back, but because it
was threatened with starvation if it sat there in the trap indefinitely.
How's that, brother?" he declared.
"About as near the facts as any one could come, for that is just what
happened to our poor little friend here. He'll have to hobble around on
three legs for the balance of his natural life; but that's better than
knocking under now. And, of course, some trapper, an Indian, probably,
is out a valuable skin through his carelessness."
"But how does it come that more of the little beasts, all of them, in
fact, don't do the same thing? I should think it would be necessary to
guard against it," remarked the Virginian.
"That is just it. I said this trapper was out a skin through sheer
carelessness, for it is a slovenly way of trapping to let a nice mink
like that get away. If you care to step this way with me I'll show you
something which perhaps neither of you have ever seen before, and is
worth remembering."
They were only too willing, for already what Owen had said was arousing
much curiosity within their minds, and they could not bear to let a
chance to have this gratified pass by without taking advantage of the
same.
He jumped down into the gully through which the little creek ran, coming
from the hills far away, and winding in and out through the timber,
often being fairly choked with brush, so that an expert would find it
difficult to make headway.
Still, down near its mouth it was more open, and they could wander along
for quite some distance without great effort.
The banks were sloping in places, and rather inclined to be precipitous
in others, but at no place more than half a dozen feet in height.
After going up for some little distance Owen stopped.
"Here is where our little friend lost his foot and there is the trap
that helped to take it off," he said, pointing to a rusty Newhouse No. 2
that was lying in full view, chain and all, by the edge of the water.
Stooping over Cuthbert saw that the jaws were marked with a stain, and
bits of fur, proving the truth of Owen's assertion.
"Sure as you live it did, and there was no surgeon's fee for that
amputation, either. Now go on and tell us why this happened, and what is
to prevent it being the rule, rather than the exception," he said
eagerly.
"First of all, I must explain how mink are located, and something of
their habits, or you will not understand. They are nearly always found
along the banks of a small stream that empties into a larger, just as in
this case.
"The female mink have settled places of abode, while the male are
rovers, and roam up and down the creek for a distance of about two miles
in either direction. Now, when a trapper has made up Ms mind that a
certain stream is the home of a considerable number of mink he comes out
in the early fall, some time before the regular trapping months open,
and gets things ready for his season.
"Along the edge of the little bluff near the water line he digs holes
about three feet back into the bank and some nine inches across the
front, throwing water about the place to kill the scent of his presence,
and a little driftwood in and around the hole, so that it will seem
natural to the suspicious animal.
"These holes are made about a hundred feet apart, and are then left for
a couple of weeks, and when you go back to set your traps you will be
surprised to discover that almost every hole shows marks of mink having
gone in and out, searching for mates.
"When they set the traps it is the regular thing to fasten the end of
the chain out just so far in the water, where it is deep enough to drown
the mink; once the trap snaps upon the leg of the animal its instinct
causes it to spring into the creek, and being weighed down by the trap,
it is soon drowned; this saves needless suffering, does not injure the
fur, and prevents the mink gnawing off its own foot in the mad desire to
escape."
"Say, that's mighty interesting, now," declared Eli, bending down to
examine the trap again; "I didn't know there was so much to the pesky
business--had an idea all you had to do was to find where the animals
held out, stick a trap there, and go out the next day and grab your
fur."
Owen laughed heartily at this.
"I'm afraid such a trapper would not get enough mink, otter, fox, or
even muskrat skins to buy his tobacco in a season. Why, these little
varmints are just chain lightning when it comes to cleverness, and they
can sometimes outwit the smartest old trapper who ever drew breath.
There are a thousand secrets connected with the business, and no one man
carries them all. Many of these have been handed down from some of those
old fellows who used to spend their lives trapping for the Hudson Bay
and the Northwest Fur Companies at the time these two were great rivals
over the whole of the fur country. You'd find it a most interesting
subject if you ever chose to dig into it. Of course, I've picked up
quite a few of these secrets and can do my share of a season's work,
though it never did appeal to me strongly enough to carry it on as a
business. If you went along up this stream you'd find a dozen traps or
more, some of them perhaps with a mink or, it might be, an otter in
their jaws, but always drowned. Now, I'm going to leave this foot just
where I found it. This man ought to be more careful. In the eyes of a
first class worker it's a sign of poor business to find a foot in a
trap. Perhaps he'll take warning and improve his methods. I hope so, for
I don't like the idea of a number of these poor little beasts hopping
around on three legs for the balance of their lives."
"I can see that nature never intended you for a trapper, Owen," remarked
Cuthbert, sagely; "for you have too much sympathy in your composition. I
imagine a man has to harden himself to all such things before he can
become a successful fur gatherer; but then it is necessary that there
should be some people follow such an occupation, else what would all our
lovely girls do for wraps? After all, the taking of furs does not
compare in cruelty with the shooting of herons and other birds by the
tens of thousands, just to pluck an egret or plume and toss the body
away. That is a cruel deed that ought to make every woman blush who ever
wears an egret on her hat or bonnet. But what you've been telling us is
mighty interesting, do you know? I am determined to learn all I can
about this strange business while here on the spot. Nothing like getting
things at first hand. Are other animals taken in the same way?"
"To some extent. Whenever it is a water animal they are drowned when
caught. Even beaver have to be treated that way."
"But these animals live under the water, don't they? Then how can they
be so easily drowned?" asked Cuthbert; but immediately adding: "Of
course, I know they have to come to the surface at stated intervals to
breathe. I suppose the trap holds them down beyond their allotted time,
and then they suffer, just as a fellow might after a minute had passed.
Now, foxes are caught on the land--are they ever know to gnaw their foot
off to get free?"
"Oh, yes. Trappers look more closely to their fox traps, you see, for
they are always hoping to catch a silver, and that means a fortune,"
said Owen.
"I suppose by that you mean a silver or black fox. I have heard they
were worth a big sum of money, and quite rare. What do the pelts bring
as a usual thing?" asked Cuthbert.
"I believe as high as two thousand dollars for one fur, but that must
have been a mighty fine one. I knew one man who received eight hundred,
and I suppose the fur trader who bought it from him sold it again for a
thousand anyway. Some men have been lucky enough to take several silvers
during the whole of their trapping lives, while others have waited for
forty years and never caught a single one. But every fur gatherer lives
in hopes, even the Crees and Ojibwas indulging in these anticipations
that may never be realized. It is the highest priced skin to be found
ashore. A sea-otter may bring more, but I doubt it."
"You've seen the pelts then?" asked Eli, whose eyes were sticking out at
this intelligence, for it seemed to him just then that a brisk trade in
silver foxes was even more to be desired than a copper mine.
"Oh, yes, often, at a post where they were brought in. Some are only
seconds or thirds and worth far less than a first class article. I
remember one case that was pretty rough. A trapper had a beautiful skin,
that would have brought him a little fortune; but when the factor came
to examine it he found it almost worthless on account of being torn by a
charge of shot at close quarters."
"That was a shame," declared Cuthbert, who was eagerly listening to all
these remarks on the subject of trapping; "but if silver fox pelts are
so very valuable I should think some enterprising fellow with an eye to
business would start a farm and raise them for the market."
"Just what I was going to say. There would be big money in the deal if a
fellow had the right ground, and bought a pair to begin with," exclaimed
Eli.
"It's easy enough to get the ground. Others have succeeded to some
extent with red foxes, though at first they lost every one, for the
cunning rascals burrowed under the fence; but a way was found to prevent
that by digging down a yard, filling it with stones, and running a heavy
wire mesh back several feet. Of course the foxes kept on burrowing along
the fence, but seemed to lack sense enough to start in five feet back so
as to avoid the obstruction. Their cunning has a limit, and beyond that
they're as stupid as any animal."
"But how about the silvers--what is the obstacle that stands in the way
of making such a fox farm a success? Perhaps they refuse to breed in
captivity--I've heard of animals acting that way, even skunks at times,"
said the Virginian.
"No trouble in that line particularly, I believe. The great obstacle to
success lies in the fact that the silver fox is not a distinct type at
all, but a freak," smiled Owen.
"A freak--that is, it can't be depended upon to reproduce its like?"
"Never does, in fact. From a pair of silvers you will get red foxes,
that's all. It's been proven again and again, and yet I've heard of
several parties with more money than brains starting a silver fox farm.
Don't you ever allow yourself to be tempted to put cold cash into such
a game, either of you," continued the young Canadian, tossing the
severed foot of Mr. Mink down by the cruel trap that had been
instrumental in relieving the poor animal of his useful extremity.
The trapper would find it there, and understand just what had happened,
doubtless profiting by his blunder and setting the trap right next time.
All might have been avoided had he staked the end of the chain far
enough out in the water, so that the animal when caught would have been
drowned by the weight of the steel trap.
Cuthbert seemed loth to give over questioning the boy who knew about the
various ways of circumventing these cunning little varmints of the
wilds; he found himself deeply interested in the matter and could not
hear enough on the subject.
To his mind there must ever be a halo of romance connected with the
lives of those old-time French-Canadian voyageurs who, in early days,
used to paddle all the way from Montreal to Fort William on the northern
shore of the "big water," Superior, to collect the great and valuable
bundles of pelts brought in to the post in the Spring by the many
trappers connected with the company, some of them white, but mostly
full-blood Indians or halfbreeds speaking French.
He had read considerable of their doings before making this trip into
the region of the mighty Saskatchewan, being desirous of posting himself
on the subject; but interesting as it may have seemed then, when seated
in his luxurious apartment in a New York hotel, it was doubly so now
that he was on the ground.
Why, these very woods must have witnessed many a scene such as those
described, and he could easily picture the flotilla of batteaux moving
up or down the river, propelled by the muscular arms of the husky
voyageurs, while upon the still air rang out their famous Canadian boat
songs.
It thrilled him to even think of it, and the surroundings assumed a new
aspect in his eyes; perhaps those days were gone, never to return, and
the trappers of today might prove to be merely ordinary Indians, or such
rascally fellows as Stackpole and Dubois; but Cuthbert did hope that
once at the post he might be able to hear some of the songs that have
come down from the old days, filled with the romance of the pines, the
birches, the larches, and the hemlocks that hung over those early
pioneer camps in the wilderness.
"I'd like to ask you one thing," said Eli, as they slowly walked back
in the direction of the camp.
"All right. A dozen if you like, and I'll be only too glad to answer
them if I can. There are some things that even a fellow who has spent
years up here, and kept his eyes and ears open all that time, couldn't
answer. Go on, Eli," said Owen promptly.
"I've taken a few animals myself over in the Peninsula, but not having
had any advice I guess I bungled the job somewhat. Anyhow, they said
down in St. Louis, where I sent my bunch, that they were misfits, and I
suppose it must have been so, if a fellow was to judge from the size of
the check they sent on. Since then I've been told that all animals can't
be skinned alive. Is that so? I just sliced 'em down, and peeled off the
jackets in the best way I could. Of course I knew enough to have thin
boards to fasten the pelts to when drying, and they seemed to be all
hunk when I shipped 'em; but somewhere I biffed it. Now, what d'ye
s'pose was wrong with my work?"
Owen smiled as if he knew instinctively.
"When they said the furs were misfits they meant that you had not taken
them off the right way. Some skins have to be cased, that is removed
entire, or turned inside out, and not cut down the belly first, which
injures their sale. All skunk, marten, mink, fox, 'possum, otter,
weasel, civet, lynx, fisher and muskrat have to be treated this way.
Other animals should be cut open, such as the beaver, wolf, coyote,
'coon, badger, bear and wild cat. They cut off the tails only of such
chaps as have a rat-like appearance--'possum and muskrat. In all other
cases the tail is a part of the fur, and a valuable one, too, as I have
found out to my cost. The bone is of course taken out, which can be done
with only a small split."
"All this is mighty interesting to me," remarked Cuthbert.
"You can just bet it is. What else, Owen? Is there any difference about
the way skins are fastened to the drying boards? I might have blundered
there too, and that would help make a misfit, eh?" ventured Eli,
grinning.
"Well, it would, without a doubt. It is just as well for any young
trapper to get thoroughly posted on these subjects before he tries to
take any fur, or all his work during the winter may go for nothing. I've
seen packs of pelts ruined by just that thing--they were cased the wrong
side out and could not be remedied. Some have to be cased with the fur
side out, and others with the pelt exposed to the air. Those that are
better with the fur out are fox, weasel, lynx, fisher, otter, marten
and wolf. The others must have the pelt outward so that the air can get
to it in plenty. And then again some trappers spoil their catch in part
by drying near a fire or in the sun. The best way is to hang them in the
open air in the shade, and let them have plenty of time, making sure to
clean them thoroughly of all fat and bits of meat."
"There's one thing that strikes me about this business, and the more I
hear about it the firmer grows my conviction that after all the taking
of furs and curing the same is an art. Who'd think there was so much
that is interesting in the capture of wild animals, and preparing their
skins for the market. Then again I suppose these big houses that buy in
bulk have ways of handling the furs that increases their value a great
deal. The fur we see on the shoulders of our fine ladies has mighty
little resemblance to the pelt the poor trapper brings in to the post,
and trades for tobacco, powder and shot, tea, sugar, coffee and such
indispensables, not to mention whiskey," suggested Cuthbert, wisely.
At this Owen shrugged his shoulders.
"There you have me. I have a limit to my knowledge, and it stops with
the capture and drying of the pelts. What takes place after they get in
the hands of the dealer I know nothing about, only that they have mighty
cute ways of dyeing many of the cheaper grades, and calling them
something else. A skunk would not sell for as much under its own name as
some high sounding one; for you know there is always an unpleasant
association connected with the skunk."
"You just bet there is," avowed Eli, heartily, as with the conviction of
one who knows whereof he speaks; "it associated with me for a whole week
once, up in a lumber camp, and by ginger, it was the only thing that
would associate with me till my new clothes came along and I could bury
the old ones. After that my curiosity about the cunning little striped
beast that used to slink across the tote road was satisfied, and
whenever I saw one I'd give a whoop that could be heard a mile away and
run for my life! They got to know that yell, and whenever any of the
boys heard it they'd laugh and say: 'There's that fool Eli huntin'
polecats again.' But I wasn't, not by a jugful; I was giving him a wide
berth, and taking off my hat to him in the bargain. Oh! ever since that
day I've had the greatest respect you ever heard tell of for the ornery
little critters."
By this time they had arrived at the mouth of the little creek, and
climbed out upon the upper level.
"I'd think the fur bearing animals would be pretty well cleaned out
along here, so close to the post," remarked Cuthbert, still harping on
the subject.
"They are as a rule; but when a place is let alone a few years they
increase again; and I guess that's what has happened here. In the last
fifty years this creek may have been cleaned out a dozen or two times,
and then let alone for a spell to grow up again. This year it's being
gone over again, and from certain signs I noticed, the trapper is
reaping quite a little harvest. He was an Indian, too," said the other.
"I suppose you can tell from signs whether a white man or an Indian is
working along a stream; no doubt they have different ways of doing
things. I thought the only way to know was to look at the moccasin
tracks, as an Indian toes in, while a white man walks with his toes
out," pursued Cuthbert.
Owen laughed as though pleased.
"That's an old and exploded theory. Why should a white man brought up in
the wilds toe outward, as though he wore shoes? With moccasins on his
feet, and used to them from a baby, he walks just like a red. But there
are many ways of telling whether it is a white or Indian at work. Only
long practice will do this. I could not explain it, but if the chance
comes I'll promise to show you what I mean."
And with this they rested content, having learned considerable about the
art of fur gathering and curing in this little talk.