32 NATURE'S REALM. 
his traps having been terribly robbed, there 
having been no less than three fishers on the 
line, only one of them being caught; ten mar- 
ten and three lynx were added to the store, 
which was now beginning to look respectable. 
The next morning ice was running in the 
river and it was not possible to get out the bal- 
ance of traps set in it. However, snow-shoe 
wearing, moccasin making and meat pies was 
in order. The next day was no better and no 
move could be made, as it looked like snow. 
On the following morning ‘they pushed 
through the ice for four miles, but had to take 
to the shores finally, one on each side, walk 
five miles and carry traps back to the canoe, the 
snow coming down fast. Joe had tour traps 
and two beaver to carry ; Fred three traps and 
one beaver, he having lostanothertrap. These, 
together with two more beavers and four minks, 
they took in whilst poling to the home camp, 
which was very welcome. The morning fol- 
lowing the snow was fully eighteen inches 
deep and Joe started to bush his line, returning 
to the home camp at night, Fred doing the 
same. Again they started, each on his own 
line, each with his toboggan, to remain a week 
out and extend the lines if signs were favora- 
ble. Caribou were very plenty on Fred’s divi- 
sion, but having as much as he wanted he would 
not kill, as the skin is of little value. The boys 
now being masters of their work, took times 
somewhat easier, and Fred, when on reaching 
the end of his line not seeing marten signs 
plenty, and keeping his steel traps with him, 
followed the lake to its outlet and traveled the 
river ten miles through heavy alder flats and 
old beaver dams, most of which had no tenants, 
beaver hunters having cleaned them out the 
year previous. He therefore retraced his steps, 
shooting a fisher who undertook to cross the 
lake in front of him. Fred says this was a 
six hundred yard shot and that the animal sat 
on the ice perfectly. still. On arriving at the 
barren of course he loaded on half of the big 
caribou and head, getting home with two lynx, 
six marten and his fisher. 
Joe got back on time with a load of moose 
meat. He had also been on a branch of the 
Kedgewick, following the stream for fifteen 
miles without finding beaver, and seeing also 
poor marten signs. Those cursed fishers, Joe 
said, were playing Old Harry with the marten 
traps and they were shy of the steel traps. 
One of them, he said, was going on two stumps ; 
the tracks in the snow told him this. However, 
he brought two lynx and eight marten to help 
the store. It was now near the middle of Novem- 
ber and snow was fully eighteen inches deep, 
and all the lakes and still places on the river 
were frozen. A couple of days were spent in 
camp, a cache was built to place their spare 
meat in for the spring bear hunt; lots of wood 
got and things made in shape for a month’s 
stay, or until the river froze over. As they had 
now more time they concluded to keep together, 
four days of each week being sufficient to 
examine the lines of traps. 
‘‘Now,” says Fred,.‘‘ what do you say, Joe, 
to a toboggan load of trout out of my lake ?” 
“All right, Fred, I’ll put a five-bushel sack 
on my toboggan.” 
“Well,” returned Fred, ‘‘you go on and get 
up a lean-to (a shelter made with the bark of the 
white birch laid on poles and the snow thrown ~ 
on the top) and I'll bait the traps up.” 
When Fred got into Joe’s camp Joe had 
partridge stew for supper, but had no time to 
try for trout. 
“Never mind,” says Fred, ‘we'll keep qual- 
ity hours to-morrow and have them for a late 
breakfast.” 
‘‘How do you know there are any here?” 
asked Joe. 
‘‘Thousands of them,’ 
dreamt it.” 
The fact was that on his previous visit, the 
ice in places being clear, Fred had seen them. 
The next morning after trying different places 
Joe struck a school and such fierce biting was. 
never seen before—short, plump fellows—many 
ot them were in fine condition, others again. 
quite thin, dark colored and not recovered from. 
the spawning process. 
Now a smoked trout or salmon is rather a 
tempting bait for all carnivorous game ani- 
mals. Joe knew it and took all that came for 
halfan hour and then concluded he had enough. 
Fred was a mile away and had not seen a fin 
when Joe made signs to him to come home. 
The next morning with the new bait they 
returned Fred, “I 
