JOHN COLTER — FREE TRAPPER 245 



North of the boundary the free trapper had small chance against 

 the Hudson's Bay Company. As long as the slow-going Mackinaw 

 Company, itself chiefly recruited from free trappers, ruled at the 

 junction of the Lakes, the free trappers held the hunting-grounds 

 of the Mississippi ; but after the Mackinaw was absorbed by the 

 aggressive American Fur Company, the free hunters were pushed 

 westward. On the Lower Missouri competition raged from 18 10, 

 so that circumstances drove the free trapper westward to the 

 mountains, where he is hunting in the twentieth century as his 

 prototype hunted two hundred years ago. 



In Canada — of course after 1870 — -he entered the mountains 

 chiefly by three passes : (1) Yellow Head Pass southward of the 

 Athabasca ; (2) the narrow gap where the Bow emerges to the 

 plains — that is, the river where the Indians found the best wood 

 for the making of bows; (3) north of the boundary, through that 

 narrow defile overtowered by the lonely flat-crowned peak called 

 Crow's Nest Mountain — that is, where the fugitive Crows took 

 refuge from the pursuing Blackfeet. 



In the United States, the free hunters also approached the 

 mountains by three main routes : (1) Up the Platte ; (2) westward 

 from the Missouri across the plains ; (3) by the Three Forks of the 

 Missouri. For instance, it was coming down the Platte that poor 

 Scott's canoe was overturned, his powder lost, and his rifles rendered 

 useless. Game had retreated to the mountains with spring's 

 advance. Berries were not ripe by the time trappers were descend- 

 ing with their winter's hunt. Scott and his famishing men could 

 not find edible roots. Each day Scott weakened. There was no 

 food. Finally, Scott had strength to go no farther. His men had 

 found tracks of some other hunting party far to the fore. They 

 thought that, in any case, he could not live. What ought they to 

 do ? Hang back and starve with him, or hasten forward while 

 they had strength, to the party whose track they had espied ? On 

 pretence of seeking roots, they deserted the helpless man. Per- 

 haps they did not come up with the advance party till they were 



