140 NARRATIVES. 



of salt, and a man can carry food sufficient, with what game 

 and fish he can procure, to last him a month. It is much 

 easier to carry the flour into the woods and bake it as it is 

 wanted, tlian to attempt to use bread already baked, as it is 

 lighter and less bulky. When the woodsman wishes for 

 bread, he mixes the flour in a basin of warm water, adds a 

 little saleratus and salt, and bakes it in his frying-pan, or if 

 that is not at hand, on a chip. 



Third. Cooking utensils, namely, a small frying-pan, two 

 tin basins of the capacity of one and two quarts respectively, 

 and a small tin cup for drinking. 



Fourth. Implements for general use, namely, an axe, gun, 

 knife, and pocket-compass. 



Lastly, and above all, a good supply of matches. 



Every trapper should have a companion to assist him, as 

 the same gun, axe, and cooking utensils will suffice for both, 

 and it is much less labor for two than for one to carry them. 



When the business of trapping is prosecuted on the borders 

 of lakes and large streams, much hard labor is saved by the 

 use of a boat. Those who make free use of boats are more 

 lavish in their outfit, as the labor of transportation is there- 

 by very much reduced. I suspect that Mr. Neuhouse lias 

 been more familiar with this method than myself; and this 

 may account for an}^ apparent discrepancy between us in 

 respect to outfit. 



When I began life as a trapper, I lived, as I have said, with 

 my father, on the southern border of the great New York 

 wilderness ; so that our line of traps commenced not far from 

 our home. This line was by degrees extended further and 

 further into the forest, until it had reached the limit beyond 

 which the provisions we could carry would not hold out. We 

 began by carrying our traps into the woods, and distributing 

 them along our intended line before the trapping season began ; 

 so that when the time arrived that fur was suitable for market, 

 we should have only to set our traps and bait them. At the 

 proper season we would shoulder our packs, containing as 

 much provisions as we could comfortably carry, and commence 

 carefully setting and baiting our traps. This process was con- 



