6 THE DRAMA OF THE FORESTS 



would think of hanging his overshoes over his drawing-room 

 mantel. Upon the mantel shelf, however, stood a few un- 

 framed family photographs and some books, while above hung a 

 rustic picture frame, the only frame to be seen in the room; it 

 contained the motto, worked in coloured yarns: "God Bless 

 Our Home." When pipes were lighted and we had drawn 

 closer to the fire, the Factor occupied a quaint, home-made, 

 rough-hewn affair known as the "Factor's chair." On the 

 under side of the seat were inscribed the signatures and dates of 

 accession to that throne of all the factors who had reigned at 

 the Post during the past eighty-seven years. 



A MIGHTY HUNTER 



After the two traders had finished "talking musquash" — 

 fur-trade business — they began reminiscing on the more pictur- 

 esque side of their work, and as I had come to spend the winter 

 with the fur hunters on their hunting grounds, the subject 

 naturally turned to that well-worn topic, the famous Nim- 

 rods of the North. It brought forth many an interesting tale, 

 for both my companions were well versed in such lore, and in 

 order to keep up my end I quoted from Warren's book on the 

 Ojibways: "As an illustration of the kind and abundance of 

 animals which then covered the country, it is stated that an 

 Ojibway hunter named No-Ka, the grandfather of Chief White 

 Fisher, killed in one day's hunt, starting from the mouth of 

 Crow Wing River, sixteen elk, four buffalo, five deer, three 

 bear, one lynx, and one porcupine. There was a trader winter- 

 ing at the time at Crow Wing, and for his winter's supply of 

 meat, No-Ka presented him with the fruits of his day's 

 hunt." 



My host granted that that was the biggest day's bag he had 

 ever heard of, and Trader Spear, withdrawing his pipe from his 

 mouth, remarked: 



