88 THE DRAMA OF THE FORESTS 



suave and classic oratory, and rearing up, roared out in the 

 House of Parliament: "Such women get my goat!" 



Truly, there is much suffering in the wilderness, especially 

 on account of civilization; but if my readers will be patient 

 enough to wade through these few paragraphs of pain, they may 

 later on find enough novelty, beauty, and charm in the forest 

 to reward them for reading on to the end. 



But to return to foxes — they are much given to playing dead. 

 Once, while travelling in Athabasca with Caspar Whitney, 

 the noted American writer on Sport and Travel, we came upon 

 a black fox caught in a steel trap. One of our dog-drivers 

 stunned it and covered it with a mound of snow in order to 

 protect its pelt from other animals, so that when the unknown 

 trapper came along he would find his prize in good order. 

 Three days later, when I passed that way, the fox was sitting 

 upon the mound of snow, and was as alive as when first seen. 

 This time, however, my half-breed made sure by first hitting 

 the fox on the snout to stun it, and then gently pressing his 

 moccasined foot over its heart until it was dead — the proper 

 way of killing small fur-bearing animals without either injuring 

 the fur or inflicting unnecessary pain. 



Colin Campbell, a half-breed at York Factory, once had 

 a different experience. He had been on a visit to an Indian 

 camp with his dog-train and on his way back found a white 

 fox in one of his traps. He stunned it in the usual way and 

 pressed his foot over its heart; and when he was sure it was 

 dead, placed it inside his sled-wrapper and drove home. On 

 arriving at the Fort he unhitched his sled from the dogs, and 

 leaving them harnessed, pulled his sled, still containing its load, 

 into the trading room; where, upon opening the wrapper to 

 remove the load, the fox leaped out and, as the door was 

 closed, bolted in fright straight through the window, carrying 

 the glass with it, and escaped before the dogs could be released 

 from their harness. 



