1 66 FIFTY YEARS A HUNTER AND TRAPPER. 



We were all ready to start Friday morning. Our route lay 

 over the mountains a distance of about 20 miles from the head 

 waters of the Allegheny to the head water of the west branch of 

 the Susquehana waters, known as the East Fork of the Sinna- 

 mahoning. We pitched our tent just at the point where the Buffalo 

 and Susquehana Railroad begins to cross the divide, known as the 

 Hogback, by means of several switch backs. It is a splendid 

 sight to see two or three trains working their way up the moun- 

 tain's side on a clear, frosty morning, when the steam and smoke 

 show so plain. 



We did not get the tent in good shape for the first night, nor 

 did we get our bunk up, owing to its being so late when we got 

 to our camping ground. The first night in camp we had a sharp 

 frost and in the morning Smoky Jim's fever for camping had 

 dropped fully one-half. He complained that any one that would 

 go into such a country to camp should be reported for trespassing 

 on the rights of the porcupine. 



It took until the third day to get our camp in good shape. 

 We built a skeleton frame of small poles all over the tent, leaving a 

 space of about 18 inches between tent and frame, and thatched it 

 good with hemlock boughs. While we were working at the camp 

 we had our bee bait out, and the second day after we put out the 

 bait no bees came to it. Smoky laughed at me and said that a 

 honey bee was too intelligent to stop in a place like that, but Smoky 

 was wrong. The next morning after the sun had got well above 

 the top of the hills, so as to warm up things down in the valley, I 

 heated a large stone quite hot and burned some honey comb on it. 

 It was not long before Smoky called out to me and said that there 

 was one fool of a bee. It was not long before we had bees 

 a-plenty. We paid no attention to them farther than to keep 

 plenty of bait out for them.. Every bee hunter knows how much 

 steadier a bee flies after they have the bait well located. 



After the camp was well completed and a good pile of wood 

 cut we gave our attention to the bees. We soon located two lines, 

 one going nearly east while the other went nearly south. I told 

 Smoky to take his hatchet and go across the creek some 50 rods 

 and make an opening or a stand about half way between the two 



