232 THE STORY OF THE TRAPPER 



bad day s work, considering he did not go to the uni 

 versity for ten years to learn his craft, did not know 

 what wear and tear and drive meant as he worked, did 

 not spend more than a few cents worth of shot. But 

 for his musk-rat-pelts the man will not get $9 in coin 

 unless he lives very near the great fur markets. He 

 will get powder and clothing and food and tobacco 

 whose first cost has been increased a hundredfold by 

 ship rates and railroad rates, by keel-boat freight and 

 pack-horse expenses and portage charges past count 

 less rapids. But he will get all that he needs, all that 

 he wants, all that his labour is worth, this &quot; lazy vaga 

 bond &quot; who spends half his time idling in the sun. Of 

 how many other men can that be said? 



But what of the ruthless slaughter among the little 

 musk-rats? Does humanity not revolt at the thought? 

 Is this trapping not after all brutal butchery? 



Animal kindliness if such a thing exists among 

 musk-rats could hardly protest against the slaughter, 

 seeing the musk-rats themselves wage as ruthless a war 

 against water-worm and owlet as man wages against 

 musk-rats. It is the old question, should animal life 

 be sacrificed to preserve human life? To that ques 

 tion there is only one answer. Linings for coats are 

 more important life-savers than all the humane socie 

 ties of the world put together. It is probable that the 

 first thing the prehistoric man did to preserve his own 

 life when he realized himself was to slay some destruc 

 tive animal and appropriate its coat. 



