n8 A SPORTING PARADISE 



dog. In Maine they are as apt to kill moose 

 as caribou, deer, and bear ; but elsewhere an 

 occasional cougar or wolf are the beasts of chase 

 which they follow." 



Nowadays as these old hunters die there is no 

 one to take their places, though there are still 

 plenty of backwood settlers who do a great deal of 

 hunting and trapping. Such an old hunter rarely 

 makes his appearance at the settlements except to 

 dispose of his peltry and hides in exchange for 

 cartridges and provisions, and he leads a life of 

 such lonely isolation as to insure his individual 

 characteristics developing into peculiarities. 



Generally the weapon mainly relied on by these 

 old hunters is the rifle ; and occasionally one 

 will be found even to this day who uses a 

 muzzle-loader. 



The following is an extract from my notes on 

 a visit to an old trapper fourteen years ago : 



" Muskoka District, Freeman's Land, February, 

 1888. As I approached the small clearing my 

 attention was drawn to a bucket, a recently opened 

 water-hole, and the faint sound of chopping sure 

 indications of his presence. I found him busily 

 engaged in chopping a supply of cord wood.* 



* A cord is a measure of wood containing 128 cubic feet. 



