IMPORTANT DISCOVERIES
For a moment I was almost stunned by the discovery, but presently I
realized that some prowling creature had robbed me of the fish which I
had taken such pains to capture, and that I had only myself to blame for
leaving the trout so carelessly within reach of any four-footed thief
that might pass by.
It was a keen disappointment to be deprived of my expected feast, but
there was nothing to be done save to drain another pool and capture more
fish, if I wanted to eat trout that day.
I was anxious, however, to discover what manner of beast had stolen my
fish, and I sought carefully in the soft earth and among the vegetation
for signs of footprints. I had not long to search and soon discovered a
number of tracks which I recognized as those of a fisher-cat, a large,
marten-like animal which every woodsman knows for an inveterate thief.
My first thought was to set a trap to capture the fisher, but, knowing
the flesh to be unfit to eat, I abandoned the idea as a waste of time
and trouble and set about my work of draining another pool. This time I
selected a rocky basin worn by the water of the brook in the ledge
itself—a sort of pot-hole—with solid walls which obviated the necessity
of chinking up the openings and crevices as I was obliged to do in the
pool I had drained before. With my birch-bark dipper the work of bailing
out the pot-hole was simple and I soon secured a couple of good-sized
trout.
With these and my frogs I dined well and decided to set forth on my
tramp as soon as possible, for, now that I could obtain fish so readily,
I had little fear of starving, for I knew that every brook and river in
the forest swarmed with trout. I deemed it wise, however, first to wait
until I could be sure of determining the exact points of the compass,
and I also wished to determine the success or failure of my deadfall.
Although the sun shone through the cleft in the forest formed by the
stream, yet it gave me only a vague idea of direction, and while I knew
by the sun that the river flowed in a more or less southerly course at
this spot, yet I wished to familiarize myself with the various compass
points and to discover some other means of distinguishing north from
south and east from west, for I had little doubt that there would be
many days on which the sun would not shine. Accordingly, on the
following morning I started into the woods while the sun was yet low, to
study and reason out any signs which would aid me in maintaining a
straight course through the forest.
As soon as I was well into the woods I looked about with minute care for
any details which would be of use and also examined the trees very
carefully for moss and lichens, for, as I have already mentioned, I had
heard that moss grew more abundantly on one side of trees than the
other, but I had forgotten which side it was.
Nearly every tree was well covered with lichens and moss and I could not
see that these growths were any thicker on one side than the other. I
was about to abandon this scheme for determining direction when I made a
discovery. Glancing up and down the trunks in search of the moss
growths, I noticed that one side of every tree was dark-colored and
damp, whereas the other side was grayish and drier, and the damp side I
soon found corresponded to the north as determined by my glimpse of the
sun above the river. I was quite elated by this and I now noticed that
the mosses _did_ appear heavier and more luxuriant on the damp side of
the trees than on the dry side. A further scrutiny and comparison of the
various trees also convinced me that the branches, twigs, and leaves
were thicker and more regular on the south side of the trees than on the
north, and that more dried and dead branches and stubs projected from
the north side of the trees than from the south side. Fixing these facts
in my mind, I determined to test my discoveries by actual experiment,
and without looking at the tree trunks I wandered aimlessly ahead for
several hundred yards. Then, closing my eyes, I walked slowly about for
some time, bumping into numerous trees and tripping over fallen branches
several times—until I felt that I had lost all sense of direction. Then,
opening my eyes, I looked about. I was out of sight or sound of the
river, the only signs of sunshine were faint, bright patches amid the
lofty foliage of the trees, and nothing was in view which seemed
familiar. For a moment my heart thumped and I shuddered to think what
might happen if my signs failed and I could not find my way back to the
river. It was a dangerous experiment, the peril of which I did not fully
realize even then, but, pulling myself together, I focused my attention
on the trees about me. There was no question about it, scarcely a glance
was needed to show me which side of the trees faced the north and which
the south, and, knowing that the river flowed to the east of the woods
wherein I stood, I turned and started to retrace my steps. Even as I did
so I realized how important was my newly acquired knowledge of this
feature of woodcraft, for the direction which I had felt sure would lead
me toward the river was _exactly opposite_ to that which was shown to be
right by the trees.
I was greatly pleased, for now I knew that in case rapids, cascades, or
cliffs prevented me from following the river I could make detours
through the forest, and, moreover, where the river turned and swung from
its southerly course I could save miles of weary tramping by cutting
across through the woods.
Thinking of such matters and only glancing now and then at the trees to
assure myself of my direction, I was suddenly aroused by a large hare or
rabbit which leaped from beside a dead stump almost at my feet and
scampered off among the shadows. For a moment I stood still, watching
the creature as he flashed across the open spaces and thinking
regretfully what a fine supply of food was flitting beyond my reach.
Then glancing down, I caught sight of a great mass of fungous growth
upon the base of the stump from which the hare had jumped. The fungus
was dull orange or yellow and grew in a form resembling sponge or coral.
I had often seen the same thing before and had never given it more than
a momentary glance, but this mass instantly riveted my attention, for
one side of it had been eaten away and bits of the nibbled fungus were
strewn upon the earth. This, then, was what the hare had been eating and
I realized that by setting a snare or trap beside it I might be able to
capture the rabbit. There was no time like the present for attempting
the feat, and I at once set about preparing a trap. It was merely a
simple “twitch-up,” such as every farmer’s boy uses for catching
rabbits, partridge, and other small creatures, and while a few days
before it would have been beyond me, it was now simple, with my
knowledge of hemlock roots and the self-reliance which I was so rapidly
acquiring.
Cutting a number of short sticks, I pushed them into the earth about the
fungus, thus inclosing it on all sides but one. On either side of the
opening thus left I drove two stout stakes with notches near their upper
ends. From a bit of dead wood I then whittled out a spindle-shaped piece
just long enough to reach from one of these stakes to the other. Then
with a fine hemlock root I formed a noose, tied the spindle to the fiber
just above it, and fastened the end of the root to the tip of a small
sapling close by. Bending down the latter, I slipped the spindle into
the notches in the stake, spread the noose across the opening, and my
snare was completed. I was very proud of my work, simple as it was, and
was quite confident that when the hare returned to finish his meal he
would push his head through the noose, dislodge the spindle, and would
be jerked into the air and killed by the spring of the sapling. I stood
for a moment looking at the snare and the fungus and suddenly roared
with laughter at my own stupidity. Here I had been working for nearly an
hour to set a trap which might or might not catch the rabbit, and within
a few inches was a supply of food of far more value and to be had
without the least effort. Surely if a rabbit could eat the fungus, so
could I, and I plucked a bit of the queer growth and tasted it.
[Illustration: HOW I SET THE “TWITCH-UP” FOR THE HARES]
It had a rather musty but not unpleasant taste with a slight nutty
flavor, and I judged that, cooked, it might be very palatable. The
question of eating mushrooms had occurred to me before this, but I knew
nothing as to the edible qualities of fungus except that certain species
were deadly and some nutritious, and I had not dared attempt eating
them. Now, by the merest chance, I had discovered an edible species, and
with a feeling of intense gratitude to the hare, I determined that his
life should not be forfeited to my appetite and that he should be
rewarded by being spared. Without more ado I removed the snare which I
had taken so much trouble to prepare, and pocketed a large section of
the fungus. That there was an abundant supply of this growth in the
forest I was confident, and as I walked toward the river I searched on
every log and stump for more. Several large masses were found, and, as
many of these had been partly devoured by small animals, I felt
reassured as to the edible and nutritious qualities of the sponge-like
material.
[Illustration: “I PLUCKED A BIT OF THE QUEER GROWTH AND TASTED IT”]
I reached my shelter without further adventure and at once prepared to
cook and sample the fungus. I was not at all sure as to the best method
of cooking it, and decided to try a small quantity in various ways. I
therefore placed a lump among the hot coals to roast like a potato,
while another lump was hung on a green stick before the fire to broil.
Hitherto broiling and roasting had been my sole means of cooking food,
but now, having remembered that Joe had once showed me how to boil water
in birch bark, I made a rude pot of this material, placed water and
fungus within, and set the whole over a bed of hot coals covered with
ashes. The bit of fungus to be broiled soon shriveled up and was
transformed into a leathery-like material, tasteless and useless, while
the piece roasting in the coals sputtered and sizzled, and might as well
have been a bit of pine bark at the end of a few minutes. Both of these
methods were undoubtedly failures, and I watched with some anxiety the
piece boiling in the birch-bark pot. When it had boiled for some minutes
I fished a bit out and, as soon as it had cooled, proceeded to taste it.
Much to my joy, it had quite lost its musty, woody flavor and was as
sweet, nutty, and palatable as a boiled chestnut, and I at once drew
forth all that remained in the pot and dumped in all I had left. Words
cannot express the satisfaction I felt at thus having discovered a
source of vegetable food which I could gather as I traveled along and
which would assure me a supply of provisions without the trouble and
labor of trapping animals, catching fish, or hunting frogs and mussels.
As soon as my meal of fungus was finished I arose and, taking my
frog-spear, made my way to the brook and my muskrat-trap. It was with
quite a little excitement that I pushed my way through the thick growth
toward the runway where the deadfall was placed, for even with my newly
acquired knowledge of edible fungus I felt that meat would be necessary,
or at least welcome, during my tramp, and the success or failure of my
first trap meant much to me. But I had no cause to worry, the deadfall
had been sprung and had served its purpose well, for projecting from
beneath the log was a furry head. Even before I reached the trap I
thought it the largest muskrat I had ever seen, and as I stooped down to
lift the log I uttered an involuntary cry of amazement. The creature I
had caught was no muskrat, but a great, fat beaver. Truly, my first
attempt at trapping had been a huge success.