A MIXED BAG. 315 



rapidly. He is quite deaf and gets, around with difficulty. Poor 

 fellow, he is nearly to the end of the trail. 



The furs shown in the picture are my first four days' catch 

 with forty traps: 9 fox, 2 coon, 1 mink and 7 skunk. My catch 

 to date, November 25, in thirteen days is 14 fox, 27 skunk, 9 coon 

 and 1 mink. % ^ + 



Brothers, I will give some reassns why I do not write more of 

 my experience as a trapper. First, I am not much given to writing. 

 Second, my experiences in trapping are so different from so many 

 trappers who write, that I thought it best to say but little or noth- 

 ing about trapping. I could call myself, "Old Honesty," and then 

 write or cause it to be written and published in some of the 

 sporting papers, that I had caught 300 fox this season, as I see 

 one trapper did, but I would not feel good about it after I had 

 done so. Fifty-seven fox are the most that I ever caught in one 

 season. 



A brother was down to see me and I was pleased to meet him, 

 I wish to say, brother trappers, that if you should have an oppor- 

 tunity to meet Brother Stearns, you will find him a gentleman in 

 every respect. But, Brother Stearns and I could not agree on the 

 scent question, and he did not like to believe that I handled my 

 traps, bait and all pertaining to the setting of the trap, bare-handed. 

 He went so far as to hint that I was cold-blooded, and even felt 

 of my pulse to see if my circulation was all right. Hold on, I 

 am mistaken, it was my hands that he felt of to see if they were 

 not cold, but he pronounced them all right. He then related a 

 story about an old uncle of his and a crow, but shook his head 

 and said it did not do any harm to wear gloves if it did not do 

 any good. That is all right, but we do not like to be carrying 

 unnecessary weight. 



One word with Brother Chas. T. Wells. No, brother, I do 

 not go much on scents. Perhaps you would have caught more 

 than 15 fox, but I do not like to own that you could have done 

 so. Now the first ten days that I was in the woods, there 

 were hundreds of head of cattle in the woods, and the woods 

 were full of men gathering them up, and one could do but little 

 or nothing in the way of trapping. Neither did the 15 include the 



