30 THE GREAT NORTH-WEST 



First we had breakfast, consisting of cakes made of 

 roughly pounded corn, with dried fish, and the cocoa 

 which I had brought. The breakfast was not a heavy 

 one ; but the Indians do not eat very heartily in the early 

 morning. They prefer an evening meal, when the labour 

 of the day is over; then, indeed, they are first-class 

 examples of trencher-men. 



Before daylight the traps were unpacked, and with 

 the first streak of dawn we started to set them. We had 

 a dozen strong steel traps, like those used by keepers to 

 catch foxes, but larger. These traps are procured from 

 the Hudson Company's posts, and are, I should think, 

 made specially for their service. They are furnished with 

 several yards of strong chain, for they must be secured to a 

 branch, or tree, to prevent the fox or wolf walking away 

 with them when caught. And the trap, as well as the 

 chain itself, must be hid under the moss, or these cun- 

 ning brutes will not go near it. The bait, in this case 

 consisting of the entrails and skins of the hares, was not 

 placed on the trap, but cut up into small pieces and 

 scattered around it ; so that, in walking about to gather 

 them, the wolf or fox should accidentally step upon it. 

 If the bait is placed in the trap, no wolf or fox would be 

 caught if you tried till doomsday, so wide-awake are 

 these creatures. 



The Indians, before handling the traps, carefully 

 rubbed their hands with the entrails, so as to cover the 

 scent of their fingers, and used every precaution to leave 

 as few traces of their presence as possible, wiping out the 

 marks of their feet in the snow with a spruce bough. 

 The traps were placed a considerable distance apart 

 perhaps a quarter of a mile at spots where the Indians 

 found traces of wolves or foxes. These traces consisted 

 of the remains of animals preyed upon, and footmarks, 

 and a few other signs which I could not discern, though 

 my friends detected them quickly enough. The drop- 

 pings of a wolf were pointed out to me several times, 



