ADVENTURES OF A PIONEER TRAPPER 



THE FOLLOWING IS A PRIZE- WINNING STORY SELECTED FROM A NUMBER 

 WRITTEN BY TRAPPERS, RELATING THEIR ADVENTURES. 



I was born on the sixth day of November, 1863, at Dartford, 

 (now Green Lake) Green Lake County, Wisconsin. My father, 

 Danford Rounds, was a captain on a vessel running from Green Bay 

 to Buffalo, New York. My mother died when I was only two weeks 

 old and my great uncle and aunt (on my father's side) adopted me. 

 It was my uncle, no doubt, who early inspired me with the desire to 

 become a trapper, for as early as September, 1872, I was permitted 

 to accompany him, and one of his pards on a trapping expedition 

 through the pine-tree section of Wisconsin and on into Northern 

 Minnesota. 



Oh, the thrills of those early morning tramps through the forest ! 

 The crisp, vitalizing air, the snow crunching beneath our feet, the 

 mists that hung like fairy clouds over hill and dale all held an 

 irresistible charm for me a charm that grew stronger as the years 

 advanced until it became the predominating factor in my life. 



Well do I remember our first morning on the trap line. My 

 uncle had promised me that the first fur he caught was to be mine and 

 I spent several hours trying to decide just what I should buy with the 

 money I would realize from its sale. The first trap had remained 

 unmolested, as had the second and third, but as we approached the 

 fourth trap, which was down near the water's edge, we saw a large 

 black something. It proved to be a fine dark mink. My uncle 

 smiled when he saw what it was, and said "Well, Jack, that's a pretty 

 good start for so young a trapper." I thought so, too, and I felt 

 rather "chesty" as I carried my prey back to the house and rubbed 

 my hand over its fine, soft fur. 



In the fall of 1874 my uncle asked me if I wanted to go on a real 

 hunting and trapping tour. Jack Haley, his old friend from Iowa 

 was with him and they were planning a trip down the Mississippi. 

 The opportunity for adventure appealed to me and I readily accepted 

 the invitation. Arrangements were made to leave the following 

 morning. 



