Now that they had the cabin for winter, and food for the present,
they must set about the serious business of trapping and lay a line of
deadfalls for use in the coming cold weather. They were a little ahead
of time, but it was very desirable to get their lines blazed through the
woods in all proposed directions in case of any other trapper coming in.
Most fur-bearing animals are to be found along the little valleys of the
stream: beaver, otter, mink, muskrat, coon, are examples. Those that
do not actually live by the water seek these places because of their
sheltered character and because their prey lives there; of this class
are the lynx, fox, fisher, and marten that feed on rabbits and mice.
Therefore a line of traps is usually along some valley and over the
divide and down some other valley back to the point of beginning.
So, late in September, Rolf and Quonab, with their bedding, a pot, food
for four days, and two axes, alternately followed and led by Skookum,
set out along a stream that entered the lake near their cabin. A quarter
mile up they built their first deadfall for martens. It took them one
hour and was left unset. The place was under a huge tree on a neck of
land around which the stream made a loop. This tree they blazed on three
sides. Two hundred yards up another good spot was found and a deadfall
made. At one place across a neck of land was a narrow trail evidently
worn by otters. “Good place for steel trap, bime-by,” was Quonab's
remark.
From time to time they disturbed deer, and in a muddy place where a
deer path crossed the creek, they found, among the numerous small hoof
prints, the track of wolves, bears, and a mountain lion, or panther. At
these little Skookum sniffed fearsomely, and showed by his bristly mane
that he was at least much impressed.
After five hours' travel and work they came to another stream joining
on, and near the angle of the two little valleys they found a small tree
that was chewed and scratched in a remarkable manner for three to six
feet up. “Bear tree,” said Quonab, and by degrees Rolf got the facts
about it.
The bears, and indeed most animals, have a way of marking the range that
they consider their own. Usually this is done by leaving their personal
odour at various points, covering the country claimed, but in some cases
visible marks are added. Thus the beaver leaves a little dab of mud, the
wolf scratches with his hind feet, and the bear tears the signal tree
with tooth and claw. Since this is done from time to time, when the bear
happens to be near the tree, it is kept fresh as long as the region
is claimed. But it is especially done in midsummer when the bears are
pairing, and helps them to find suitable companions, nor all are then
roaming the woods seeking mates; all call and leave their mark on the
sign post, so the next bear, thanks to his exquisite nose, can tell at
once the sex of the bear that called last and by its track tell which
way it travelled afterward.
In this case it was a bear's register, but before long Quonab showed
Rolf a place where two long logs joined at an angle by a tree that was
rubbed and smelly, and showed a few marten hairs, indicating that this
was the sign post of a marten and a good place to make a deadfall.
Yet a third was found in an open, grassy glade, a large, white stone on
which were pellets left by foxes. The Indian explained:
“Every fox that travels near will come and smell the stone to see who
of his kind is around, so this is a good place for a fox-trap; a steel
trap, of course, for no fox will go into a deadfall.”
And slowly Rolf learned that these habits are seen in some measure
in all animals; yes, down to the mice and shrews. We see little of
it because our senses are blunt and our attention untrained; but the
naturalist and the hunter always know where to look for the four-footed
inhabitants and by them can tell whether or not the land is possessed by
such and such a furtive tribe.