I COMMENCE TRAPPING 61 



always to be avoided, and the fire place made 

 higher than the back of the camp, as it always 

 settles down in burning, unless it happens to be 

 on rock. Smoke is a great nuisance on windy 

 nights if proper attention is not given to the posi- 

 tion of the fire. On northern rivers the wind is 

 nearly always down stream at night, but whether 

 on a lake or river, it is always best to have the 

 back of your camp toward the water. With the 

 tent and stove of the present day this is not quite 

 so important, but it is still useful in avoiding 

 sparks from dropping on the tent. Some kinds 

 of cotton will ignite very easily, and as fire 

 spreads fast, tents of that kind can be made fair- 

 ly fire proof by soaking them in a weak solution 

 of alum and salt. A spark falling on cotton so 

 treated may burn a hole in it, but it will not 

 spread. 



Then there were steel traps to take, a few of 

 different sizes. We could not carry many, owing 

 to their weight, but each year we would add to 

 their number by leaving the first ones cached. A 

 good many other things were so left, such as spare 

 axes, knives, awls and camp kit, taking down in 

 the spring only what was absolutely required for 

 our return. When all our things were collected 

 together we generally found that it required two 

 canoe loads to carry it. This meant a double trip 

 all over with the canoe, and four or five loads 

 over the portages. I soon found out that trap- 



