214 FIFTY YEARS A HUNTER AND TRAPPER. 



if you want him but I don't want any dog with me." I said, "Am 

 (that was pard's given name, for short), I do not believe that dog 

 wants to go with you any more than you want him." Am's reply 

 was that he guessed he would go all right if he wanted him. I 

 said, "Am, just for shucks, say nothing to the dog and see which 

 one he will follow." So we stepped outside the shack and the dog 

 stood close to me. 



I said, "Go on Am, and we will see who the dog will follow." 

 He started off and the dog only looked at him. Am stopped and 

 told the dog to come on. The dog got around behind me. A said, 

 "If I wanted you to come you would come or I would break your 

 neck"" I said, "No, Am, you won't break Font's neck when I am 

 around, it would not look nice." 



I started on my way, Pont following after I had gone a little 

 ways. I spoke to Pont, patted him on the head and told him what 

 a good dog he was. He jumped about and showed more ways 

 than one how pleased he was. He showed plainly the disgust he 

 had for his master. 



It so happened that the first trap that I came to was a trap set 

 in a spring run, and it had a coon in it. I allowed Pont to help 

 kill the coon, and after the coon was dead I patted Pont and told 

 him what great things we had done in capturing the coon, and 

 Pont showed what pride he took in the hunt, so much so that he 

 did not like to have Am go near the pelt. I saw from the very 

 first day out that all Pont needed was kind treatment and proper 

 training to make a good help on the trap line. 



I was careful to let him know what I was doing when setting 

 a trap, and when he would go to smell at the bait after a trap 

 had been set, I would speak to him in a firm voice and let him 

 know that I did not approve of what he was doing. When making 

 blind sets, I took the same pains to show and give him to under- 

 stand what I was doing. I would sometimes, after giving him fair 

 warning, let him put his foot into a trap. I would scold him in 

 a moderate manner and release him. Then all the time when I 

 was resetting the trap I would talk trap to him, and by action and 

 word, teach him the nature of the trap. Mr. Trapper, please do 



