258 THE DRAMA OF THE FORESTS 



where honking, out upon the lake the loons were calling, near 

 the shore the ducks were quacking, while all through the 

 woods the smaller birds were singing. Now, even among 

 the shadows, the snow was slinking away; while the river ice, 

 plunging along with a roar, ran down to the lake where it 

 rested quietly in a space of open water. 



Now, too, it so happened that day, that Neykia, she of wood- 

 land grace and beauty, was strolling in the sunshine with her 

 Little Pine; while on every side the trees were shaking their 

 heads and it seemed gossiping about the hunting plans of that 

 reckless little elfin hunter, Hymen, who was hurrying overland 

 and shooting his joyous arrows in every direction, till the very 

 air felt charged with the whisperings of countless lovers. It 

 made me think of the shy but radiant Athabasca, and I won- 

 dered — was her lover with her now? 



THE SPRING HUNT 



The Indians divide their annual hunt for fur into three 

 distinct hunting seasons: the fall hunt — from autumn until 

 Christmas ; the winter hunt — from New Year's Day until Easter ; 

 and the spring hunt — from Easter until the hunters depart for 

 their tribal summer camping ground. At the end of each 

 hunting season — if the fur-runners have not traded with the 

 hunters and if the hunter is not too far away from the post — 

 he usually loads upon his sled the result of his fall hunt and 

 hauls it to the Post during Christmas week; likewise he hauls to 

 the Post the catch of his winter hunt about Easter time; while 

 the gain from his spring hunt is loaded aboard his canoe and 

 taken to the Post the latter part of May. Easter time, or the 

 end of the winter hunt, marks the closing of the hunting season 

 for all land animals except bear; and the renewing of the hunt- 

 ing season for bear, beaver, otter, mink, and muskrat, all water 

 animals save the first. 



