LET US GO AFIELD 



natives in their hunting. It is very curious to note 

 how some of these aboriginal devices reappear in 

 the most widely separated corners of the world. 



I don't see why our enterprising sporting goods 

 dealers do not offer hunters something in the way 

 of a waterproof rifle case, not a leather carrying 

 cover but something to protect the gun while actu- 

 ally hunting. Daniel Boone had a cover for his rifle, 

 and so did Kit Carson, and so does the North Amer- 

 ican Indian from Dakota to the Arctic Ocean. These 

 gun covers, usually made of moose leather and 

 highly ornamented, are very fine examples of savage 

 handiwork sometimes. They are not waterproof, 

 however. Among the Aleutian Islands I have seen 

 rifle covers made of canvas and painted in order to 

 waterproof them, as that is a very wet country for 

 hunting. The white man seems to have gotten out 

 of the habit of carrying his rifle in a case while 

 hunting, and contents himself with collecting savage 

 rifle covers for use only in his den very beautiful 

 specimens they are, too, some of them. 



It is a matter of wonder how these savages, liv- 

 ing as rudely as they do, can turn out articles so 

 beautifully decorated. I have seen Indian and Es- 

 kimo women sitting on the ground in the rawest 

 kind of a cold wind, scarcely sheltered at all by 

 the ragged tent or tepee, turning out the most beau- 



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