178 HOW INDIANS HUNT. 



there was anything in the shape of game to be seen, hardly ex- 

 pecting to find any so near the cabin. He returned in a short 

 time saying that he had shot two more deer, as before, both with 

 the same ball, taking two of them as they happened to be running 

 abreast. Of course, those in the cabin were ^vild with excitement. 

 During the hunting season several parties shot deer and some of 

 them more than one, but no one approached the above record. 



We now had fresh meat, and made good use of it, I assure you. 

 It was quite palatable after a uniform diet of salt fish and pork for 

 four months previous. Later on we obtained deer's meat of the 

 Indians, smoked by them, and prepared as our dried beef; 

 they cut it up into small pieces, and eat it from their tin dish 

 much as we would bread and milk, without the milk, however. 

 This dried deer's meat is, in fact, the Indians' bread for a large part 

 of the year, while they are out on their hunting expeditions. The 

 Indians conduct their hunts in a much more systematic manner 

 than would at first appear. They start from the coast and travel 

 about a hundred miles directly inland before pitching their tents, 

 carrying everything with them, of course, by the water of the 

 numerous inland ponds and lakes, or on their back over portages, — 

 a portage being generally spoken of as a narrow passage over some 

 embankment which separates the waters of one lake or pond from 

 those of some other farther on — when they camp, and the men 

 immediately start out on the look, first, before any hunting or trap- 

 ping of other game is attended to, for deer. They travel by 

 concentric circles gradually widening outward, and return in much 

 the same way home. Thus it is impossible for them to miss the 

 tracks, on the snow, of these animals, should they cross them in any 

 direction. The tracks first found, the impressions are followed with 

 accuracy and swiftness, day and night, until the herd is found, when, 

 I believe, generally, part remain to hunt while the others return and 

 fetch the tent and utensils to within a few miles of this new locality. 

 As long as there are deer within thirty miles of the tent the 

 Indians remain in a given place and proceed with their hunting. 

 Several deer are killed, their flesh hung in strips over the fire and 



