A BIRCH-BARK CANOE TRIP 24 , 



or bogan and heard him go splashing away, but were too late to 



get a shot at him. 



Visiting the bear trap a mile below our camp, we were delighted 

 find a fine bear lying prone in it, lately dead. The coat w* 

 in fair order for this season of the year, but d<x>s not assume that 

 glossy rich appearance till the cold weather sets in. when the fui 

 is of much greater length. The carcass was very fat and was much 

 njoyed by the Indians, but I did not attempt it. The skin Joe 

 dried by stretching with cords on a frame of stakes We f oun d 

 our provisions all right, but a bear had visited the tent and eaten 

 some large trout we had left drying on a cross pole, bearing the 

 suj.jxjrts quite to the ground by his heavy weight. Doubtless, in 

 another night or two he would have summoned up sum. ient courage 

 to break into the tent. 



The episode gave another instance of Joe's superstition. He 

 had told me that morning lie knew we would get some heavy game 

 to-day. ' Why, Joe ? ' ' Oh, sir, I felt my back ache this morning 

 and twitch, so I knew I was going to carry a heavy load of meat. 

 Besides that I stepped on a stone that quivered and shook under 

 my foot, and that is a sure sign of game.' 



We also had more bear stories of course. An Indian without 

 a gun was once chased by an infuriated she bear, whose cub In- 

 had robbed. His only refuge was a hollow tree, down which In- 

 lowered himself with his captive. The old bear descended bear 

 fashion, tail first. The Indian seized her by the stumpy tail, 

 whereupon he was drawn to the top, and giving the bear a thrust 

 off, remained at the summit of the stump master of the situation. 

 Joe was once hunting on the Patepedia. a tributary of the 

 Restigouche, that defines the boundary line between New Bruns- 

 wick and Quebec. Now in the former province there is a bounty 

 of $3 for a bear snout, but none in Quebec. Joe had caught an 

 immense bear in a large steel trap by the foot, and found him 

 marching around shouldering 'the pole to which the trap was attached, 

 biting savagely at the knots and boughs of trees and inflicting 

 terrible wounds on the defenceless wood. Joe knew there was no 

 bounty if he shot him there on the Quebec side, so driving him 

 across the brook, he dispatched him on New Brunswick soil ; an 

 instance of a sudden rise in the value of meat, for the bear by goin^ 

 a few yards raised his price by $3. 



Another clever Indian cut off the snouts of two large New- 

 foundlands dogs, and producing them before the magistrate, de- 

 manded the bounty money. Being asked for the customary oath, 

 he said : ' Swear me in Indian, me no understand English well '. 

 ' All right/ said the unsuspecting justice. The wily red man then 



