THE FALLACIES OF CORMIERS KIP PEW A. 



185 



genial, hospitable and kindly man I never 

 met. If I ever go back to that region it 

 will be to see him and tell him so. Here's 

 to him! 



Blackman had a little experience with 

 his guide which illustrates his ability as a 

 woodsman, one of the "expert and relia- 

 ble" kind. Bill, the guide, had been di- 

 rected by some loggers 

 on the lake to a cran- 

 berry swamp, where 

 some moose had been 

 seen. He led Blackman 

 around for a time until 

 he was tired of it, when, 

 after inquiring the di- 

 rection from the guide, 

 Blackman turned him 

 around and with a few 

 appropriate remarks 

 showed him the way out. 



It was with such men 

 and in such country that 

 Cormier knowingly or 

 ignorantly left us — either 

 way culpably. 



When we reached 

 Kippewa, on our return, 

 we were amused to find 

 that Cormier had sent a 

 separate bill to each of 

 the 5 parties for his en- 

 tire personal and travel- 

 ing expenses from Ot- 

 tawa and return. Com- 

 ment is unnecessary. 



A word about the dif- 

 ficulty of getting tro- 

 phies out of Canada. 

 Their system, as prac- 

 ticed now, makes it extremely doubtful 

 whether a man can save a specimen 

 once he secures it. To illustrate: I 

 bought, on Ostobonning, a pair of an- 

 tlers of a bull killed in the previous No- 

 vember, and with them, shipped to New 

 York from Mattawa some grouse I had 

 killed for mounting. I complied with all 

 the requirements in shipping them, at 

 Mattawa, and a week later my taxider- 

 mist in New York received word from 

 Montreal that the agent could not ship 

 package until he was in receipt of my 

 hunting license, which had already been 

 copied, and a copy sent with the package 

 from Mattawa. The horns were declared 

 as being a year old, and all the license re- 

 quirements were obviously a farce. Of 

 course the birds were ruined. 



A friend of Beekens, who was fortunate 

 enough to kill a moose in New Bruns- 

 wick, lost the head bv the same stupid 

 delays and red tape. When he finally re- 

 ceived it it was spoiled for mounting. 



When I was declaring the horns at Mat- 



tawa, the magistrate, before whom I made 

 oath, denounced Cormier roundly, as did 

 every one, when we were coming out. 

 In expressing his sympathy for our dis- 

 appointment he offered, for a considera- 

 tion, to let us go into the National park, 

 near Mattawa, and kill moose. He ad- 

 mitted this had been done before. 



WHAT SLOCUM ESCAPED. 



There is a chance for any one who 

 cares to obtain his game in that way. 



Cormier tells us he is advertising the 

 country by bringing people there in thisj 

 way. I believe him, and I shall try to as-j 

 sist him in every way . possible. Any; 

 reader may draw his own conclusions;] 

 but it looks as though these people were! 

 anxious to entice you there for all they cani 

 get out of it, but are careful to put you 

 where vou can't get anything out of it. 



The last night on Cherry creek, Slocum 

 and I. in pitching our tent, stumbled on a 

 cross which marks the grave of a man 

 who had been drowned near there. As he 

 sat musing by the fire Slocum said: 



"Doctor, if there is a ray of sunlight in 

 the morning I wish you would photo- 

 graph that moose hunter's grave, 

 should like to show my friends what I 

 have escaped." It rained heavily in the 

 morning, as usual; but an exposure of 8 

 seconds gave a fairly good picture, which 

 I enclose. This grave and Cormier were 

 the 2 most interesting and depressing ob- 

 jects we saw on the trip. 



