SOME EARLY EXPERIENCES. 297 



We filled the spaces between the logs, going over every crack on 

 the outside of the shack. 



Now and again Frank would notice a mink or coon track along 

 the creek, while he was gathering moss from the old logs. These 

 tracks would drive Frank nearly wild, and he would double his 

 energy so as to get the shack finished so we could hit the trap 

 line. 



After we got the shack in good shape, we went to work get- 

 ting up a good supply of wood, sufficient to last through the sea- 

 son. We had an open fireplace, so we cut the wood about three 

 feet long The wood was now up near the camp door, ranked up 

 in good snug piles. We then cut crotched stakes and drove them 

 in the ground on each side of the ranks, and laid poles in, then 

 placed cross poles on and covered with hemlock boughs. 



Frank was so anxious to get to work on the trap line, that he 

 at first objected to putting in so much time in getting up the wood, 

 saying that we could get the wood at odd times. But when told 

 that there are no odd times on the trap line, he then worked the 

 harder to get the supply of wood, including a good supply of dry 

 pine for kindling fires, which we got by cutting a dry pine stub. 



The camp now being in good shape, we hit the trap line and 

 began building deadfalls for marten. We went onto the ridges 

 into the thick heavy timber, where the marten were most likely to 

 be found. We would select a low hemlock to build the deadfalls 

 under, so the trap would be protected from heavy falls of snow, 

 as much as possible. Some of the traps we would drive crotched 

 stakes and lay poles in them and then cover with hemlock boughs 

 to keep the snow off. 



After we had several lines of marten traps built, we went onto 

 the stream and branches and built deadfalls for mink and coon. 



Nearly every day we saw deer, but the weather was still too 

 warm to keep venison any length of time, so we did not carry our 

 guns with us. When Frank would see a deer he would make grave 

 threats that he would carry his gun the next day. We were about 

 two miles from the stage road. The stage made only one trip a 

 week, so there was no way of disposing of a deer as long as the 

 weather was so warm. It took but little persuasion to convince 



