A HUNT ON THE KINZUA. 71 



the run until I found a suitable place to set the trap, knowing 

 that he would be back that way again sooner or later. 



After setting the trap I climbed the ridge to look for deer 

 and got two shots during the afternoon but missed both. All came 

 to camp that night without killing any deer. I had seen a number 

 of marten tracks during the afternoon. The next morning it was 

 thawing and the boys feared they would lose the tracking snow, 

 so Charley and Will hurried to localities where they expected to 

 find deer. I sliced some strips of venison from the fore-quarters, 

 or rather what was left of the fore-quarters, of the deer Charley 

 had killed the first day out. I made tracks to the ridge where I 

 had seen the marten tracks, and I lost no time in putting up dead- 

 falls at the best pace I was capable of getting into. 



In the afternoon on my way to camp I came to the creek some 

 ways below where I had set the mink traps, so I put up two or 

 three more deadfalls for mink. I also found a big flood drift which 

 otter were using for their feeding grounds. I selected places to 

 set the other two steel traps which were in camp, and then went 

 to camp, looking at the mink traps on the way, but found that 

 none had been disturbed. 



When I got to camp I found both Charley and Will there, and 

 each had killed a deer. Will had killed a good sized buck close 

 to camp, so he dragged it down to the shanty to dress and hang up. 

 The boys gave me the laugh because I had not killed any deer. 

 I told them to hold their breath and I would get into the harness 

 after a bit. In the morning the snow was all gone and the boys 

 were afraid that it was going to get so warm that their venison 

 would spoil. Cuts were drawn to see which one of them should go 

 to Kane to get a team to take ou t their venison. It fell on Charley. 

 They tried to have me join in the draw, but I told them that I 

 did not see where I came in as I had no venison to spoil. 



The weather kept warm for sever?! days, so I kept building 

 deadfalls on the different ridges for marten and along the creek 

 for mink and coon. Charley and Will continued to still hunt, 

 killing several deer. When the snow came again I had all the 

 traps up I intended to build, but it turned out that later I built 

 two deadfalls for bear. I now put in my time still hunting, shap- 



