156 NARRATIVES. 



active preparations for a spring's campaign of trapping. Dui*- 

 ing the winter two small trapping boats iiad been made, and 



a tent, camp-kettles, and other "fixings " had been got in 

 readiness ; and on about the twentieth of February, in com- 

 pany with E , I set out. We launched our little crafts 



and commenced the campaign by scattering over the marsh 

 one hundred and ten steel-traps, with open jaws, ready for 

 the fur-clad inhabitants. The weather being favorable and 

 tlie water steady, we made havoc among the muskrats and 

 minks ; and as this was a noted place for game, especially for 

 muskrat, mink, and raccoon, we soon had competition in the 

 business. In the course of three or four days, three other 

 trappers stopped in the same vicinity, and commenced opera- 

 tions. But as they were strangers from a distance, we had 

 decidedly the advantage, as we understood the ground, having 

 previously pretty thoroughly reconnoitered the marshes in this 

 section. The game being plenty, we found work enough to 

 keep us busy, and for several succeeding days caught more 

 rats than we could find time through the day to skin. 



However, our good success was of comparatively short dur- 

 ation. In the course of ten or fifteen days, we found ourselves 

 confronted by a prett}^ serious difticulty in the way of success- 

 ful operations. As the previous summer had been remarkable 

 for its lono; continuous rains and o-reat flood, we now had the 

 opposite state of things — continuous dry weather ; and having 

 had scarcely any rain the fall previous, nor snow during the 

 winter, spring found the water in the rivers and marshes 

 unusually low. As the weather continued fair, the March 

 winds dried up the marshes so fast, that we soon found it dif- 

 ficult to get around with our boats, and finally were obliged to 

 leave them altogether and take to the rivers, in order to con- 

 tinue our sport. We now found our chance for sport much 

 reduced. The high Avater the previous spring and summer, 

 overflowing the river-banks for so long a time, either prevent- 

 ed the rats breeding, or drowned their young, so that we found 

 the game rather scarce. We however ascended the Oplain 

 River some twenty or thirty miles. Our way was to string 

 our trap'5 along the banks, three or four miles at a setting^and 



