LOST IN THE WILDERNESS 209 



yell the first night probably a dog howling 

 and that ever since he had crawled under the bed 

 to sleep ! We all had a good laugh and assured 

 him he could rest without any fear, but it was a 

 long time before he got over this feeling. 



It was in his connection, too, that I first ob- 

 served the effects on a person of being lost in the 

 woods. Although furs are not considered prime 

 before November, preparations are always made 

 beforehand for the hunt. Trappers going a long 

 distance inland, often leave in August and it may 

 take a month before the hunting ground is reach- 

 ed. Then camps have to be built or repaired, 

 caches places for storing provisions have to be 

 made, traps put in order, snowshoes and sledges 

 built, etc. Fishing, with either net or line, is 

 also necessary in order to secure bait for mink 

 and marten and this has to be dried. All these 

 little things together take considerable time. It 

 was with all these things in mind that I made my 

 first trip with William. We were to be away 

 two weeks, and then to come back for my brother, 

 when the trapping was to begin. Our hunting 

 ground that winter was to be the head waters of 

 the Trinity river, across to the right branch of the 

 Manicouagan, about one hundred and eighty 

 miles distance. Our outfit weighed about six 

 hundred pounds, not including the canoe. Most 

 oi this was to be cached for the winter. It was 

 all divided and packed in bags, making with the 



