June 17, 1905.] 
FOREST AND STREAM 
478 
Primitive American Hunting. 
: ditor Forest and Stream: 
The second account of his hunting given by Baron 
- ihor.tan is much more general in character, and, as will 
seen, includes wildfowl shooting from a blind, trap- 
iiig, the taking of bears and the driving of wapiti into 
I pound or inclosure, much as buffalo in more recent 
jines were driven into inclosures on the Western plains. 
The story needs no comment further than tO' identify 
i.rtain animals, which the author calls by names which 
c either French or are obsolete. Thus, Bustards is a 
ansla'.ion of the French Outard, meaning the Canada 
iiQsc; Turtle-Dove is the passenger pigeon; Bateus de 
■rax, may mean woodcock, but this is a guess merely. 
outeraux is mink; siMeur is whistler, or woodchuck; 
ircaioux, wolverine; moorhen is very likely Canada 
i ouse and woodhen is ruffed grouse. 
Lahontan's Fall Hunting. 
In the Beginning of September, I set out in a Canow 
Lipon several Rivers, Marshes and Pools, that disembogue 
in the Champlain Lake, being accompany'd with thirty or 
forty of the Savages that are very expert in Shooting 
md Hunting, and perfectly well acquainted with the 
proper Places, for finding Water- 
fowl, Deef, and other fallow Beasts' 
The first Post we took up was upon 
the side of a Marsh or Fen of four 
or five Leagues Circumference ; and 
after we had fitted up our Hutts, 
the Savages made Hutts upon the 
Water in several Places. These 
Water-Hutts are made of the 
Branches and Leaves of Trees, and 
'contain three or four Men : for a 
Decoy, they have the Skins of 
Geese, Bustards, and Ducks, dry'd 
and stuff'd with Hay, the two Feet 
being fast with two^ Nails to a small 
piece of a light Plank, which floats 
round the Hutt. This Place being 
frequented by wonderful Numbers 
of Geese, Ducks, Bustards, Teals, 
and an infinity of other Fowl, un- 
known to the Europeans ; when 
these Fowls see the stuff'd Skins 
swimming with the Heads erected, 
as if they were alive, they repair to 
the same Place, and so give the 
Savages an Opportunity of shooting 
em, either Flying or upon the 
Water ; after which the Savages get 
into their Canows and gather 'em 
up. They have likewise a Way of 
catching 'em with Nets, stretch'd 
upon the Surface of the Water at 
the Entries of the Rivers. In a 
y/ord, we eat nothing but Water- 
fowl, for fifteen Days; after which 
we resolved to declare War against 
the Turtle'Doves, which are so nu- 
merous in Canada, that the Bishop 
has been forc'd to excommunicate 
em oftener than once, upon the Ac- 
count of the Damage they do to the 
Product of the Earth. With that 
View, We imbarqu'd and made to- 
wards a Meadow, in the Neighbor- 
hood of which, the Trees were cov- 
er'd with that sort of Fowl, more 
than with Leaves,' For just then 
twas the Season in which they re- 
tire froni the North Countries, and 
repair to the Southern Climates ; 
and one would have thought, that 
all the Turtle-Doves upon Earth 
had chose to pass thro' this Place. 
For the eighteen or twenty Days that we stayed there, I 
firmly believe that a thousand Men, might have fed upon 
.'eni hearrily, without putting themselves to any Trouble. 
You must know, that through the middle of this Meadow 
there runs a Brook, upon which I and two young Sav- 
iages shot several Snipes, Rayles, and a certain sort of 
Fowl call'd Bateus de faux, which is as big as a Quail, 
and eats very deliciously. 
In the same Place we killed some Musk Rats, or a sort 
of x\nimals which resemble a Rat in their Shape, and 
are as big as a Rabbet. The Skins of these Rats are very 
niueh valued, as differing but little from those of Beavers. 
Their Testicles smell so strong of Musk, that no Civet 
or Antelope that Asia affords, can boast of such a strong 
and sweet Smell. We spy'd 'em in the Mornings and 
Evenings, at which time they usually appear upon the 
Water with their Nose to the Windward, and betray 
themselves to the Huntsmen, by the curling of the Water. 
The Fouteraux, which are an Amphibious sort of little 
Pole-Cats, are catch'd after the same Manner. I was 
ikewise entertain'd upon this occasion, wiih the killing 
of certain little Beasts, call'd SiMeurs, or Whistlers, with 
Allusion to their wonted way of whistling or whizzing 
at the Mouth of their Holes in fair Weather. They are 
as big as Hares, but somewhat shorter, their Flesh is 
good for nothing, but their Skins are recommended by 
their Rarity. The Savages gave me an Opportunity of 
hearing one of these Creatures whistle for an Hour to- 
gether, after which they shot it. To gratify the Curi- 
osity I had to see such Diversity of Animals, they made 
a diligent Search for the Holes or 'D&n^ oit\\Q Car caioux, 
and having found some at the distance of two or three 
Leagues from the Fen upon which we were posted, they 
conducted me to the Place. At the Break of Day, we 
planted ourselves round the Holes, with our Bellies upon 
the Ground, and left some Slaves to hold the Dogs a 
Musket-shot behind us. As soon as these Animals per- 
ceiv'd Day-light, they came out of their Holes, which 
were immediately stop'd up by the Savages, and upon that 
the Dogs fetcli'd 'em up with Ease. We saw but two of 
'em. which made a vigorous Defence against the Dogs, 
but were strangled after a Dispute of half an Hour. 
These Animals are not unlike a. Badger, only they are 
bigger, and more, mischievous. :Tho' our Dogs show'd 
a great deal of CouraRe in attacking the Cafc'aioux, they 
betray'd their Cowardice the next Day in' a' 'Rencounter 
yyitli a Porcupine, which we spy'd upon a little Tree. To 
obtain the Pleasure of seeing the Porcupine fall, we cut 
down the Tree; but neither the Dogs nor we durst go 
near it: The Dogs only bark'd and jump'd round it; for 
it darted its long and hard Hair, like so many Bodkins, 
three or four Paces off. At last we pelted it to Death, 
and put it upon the fire to Burn off its Darts ; after which 
we scalded it like a Pig, took out the Intrails, and roasted 
it: But tho' 'twas very fat, I could not relish it so well 
as to comply with the Assertion of the Natives, who 
allege, that it eats as well as a Capon or a Partridge. 
After the Turtle-Doves had all pass'd over the Place, 
in Quest of their Southern Retreats, the Savages offer'd 
to send some of their Number with Canows to conduct 
me home, before the Rivers and Lakes were frozen over; 
for themselves were to tarry out for the Elk-hunting ; 
and they imagin'd that the Cold and Hardship attending 
that Exercise, had made me sick of it the Year before. 
However, we had then a Month good before the Com- 
mencement of the Frost, and in that Interval of time, 
they proffer'd to entertain me with more diverting Game 
than I had seen before. They propos'd to go fifteen or 
sixteen Leagues further up the Country, assuring me 
that they knew of a certain Place that had the most ad- 
vantageous Situation in the World, both for Pleasure 
and Profit, and that afforded great Plenty of Otters, of 
the Skins of which, they mean'd to make a great Cargoe. 
Accordingly we pull'd down our Hutts, and having im- 
barqu'd in our Canows, sail'd up the River, till we came 
to a little Lake of two Leagues in Circumference, at the 
End of which we saw another greater Lake, divided 
from this by an Isthmus of 150 Paces in length. We 
pitch'd our Hutts at the Distance of a League from that 
Isthmus ; and some of the Savages fish'd for Trouts, 
while the rest were employ'd in laying Traps for the 
Otters upon the Brinks of the Lake. These Traps are 
made of five Stakes plac'd in the Form of an oblong 
Quadrangle, so as to make a little Chamber, the Door 
of which is kept up, and supported by a Stake. To the 
middle of this Stake they tye a String which passes thro' 
a little Fork, and has a Trout well fasten'd to the End 
of it. Now, when the Otter comes on Shoar, and sees 
this Bait, he puts about half his Body into that fatal 
Cage, in order to swallow the Fish; but he no sooner 
touches, than the String to^ which 'tis made fast, pulls 
away the Stake that supports the Door, upon which an 
heavy and loaded Door falls upon his Reins and quashes 
him. During our Pilgrimage in that part of the Coun- 
try, the Savages took about two hundred and fifty Canada 
Otters, the Skins of which are infinitely prettier than 
those of Muscovy or Sweden. The best of 'em which are 
not worth two Crowns in this Place, are sold in France 
for four or five, and sometimes for ten, if thej^ are black, 
and very rough. As soon as the Savages had set their 
Traps, they gave Orders to their Slaves to go round the 
Lake every Morning in order to take out the Amphibious 
Animals. After that they conducted me to the above- 
mention'd Isthmus, where Lwas surpris'd to see a sort 
of a Park or Fence made of Trees, fell'd upon another, 
and interlac'd with Thorns and Branches ; with a Quad- 
rangular Inclosure of Stakes jt the End of it, the Entry 
of which was very narrow. They gave me to know, that 
they used to hunt Harts in that Place, and promis'd to 
divert me with the Shew, as soon as the Inclosures were 
a little mend'd. In effect, they carry'd me two or three 
Leagues oft', upon such Roads as had nothing on either 
side but Fens and Marshes; and after they had dis- 
persed themselves, some on one Hand and some on the 
other, with a Dog for every Man, I saw a great rnany 
Harts running to and again, in quest of Places of Safety. 
'The Savage that I' kept Company with, assur'd me, that 
he and I had no Occasion to 'walk very fast^ because he 
had \oo\i the straightest and the nearest Road. Be|orp 
us we saw about ten Harts, which were forc'd to run 
back, rather than throw themselves into the Marsh, of 
which they could never get clear. At last after walking 
a great Pace, and running now and then, we arriv'd at 
the Park, and found the Savages lying flat upon the 
Ground all round it, in order to shut up the Entry of 
the Stake Inclosure as soon as the Harts enter'd. We 
found thirty-five Harts in the Place, and if the Park had 
been better fenc'd, we might have had above sixty; for 
the nimblest and the lightest of 'em, skip'd over before 
they came to enter the Inclosure. We kill'd a great many 
of 'em, but spared the Dam's because they were great 
with young. I ask'd of the Savages the Tongues and 
Marrow of the Harts, which they gave me very readily. 
The Flesh was very fat, but not delicious, excepting some 
few Bits about the Ribs. But after all, this was not our 
only Game; for two Days after we went a Bear-hunting, 
and the Savages who spend three Parts of four of their 
Life in hunting in the Woods, are very dextrous at that 
Exercise, especially in singling out the Trunks of Trees 
upon which the Bears nestle. I could not but admire 
their Knowledge in that Point, when, as we were walking 
up and down in the Forest, at the Distance of an hundred 
Paces one from another, I heard one Savage call to an- 
other, Here's a Bear. I ask'd him how he knew there 
was a Bear upon the Tree which he knock'd with his 
Axe; and they all reply' d, that 'twas as easily distin- 
guish'd as the Print of an Elk's Foot in the Snow. For 
five or six Times they never miss'd; for after they had 
knock'd two or three Times upon the Trunk of the Tree, 
the Bear came out of its Hole, and was presently shot. 
The Canada Bear are extremely black, but not mischiev- 
ous, for they never attack one, unless they be wounded or 
fir'd upon. They are so fat, especially in the Autumn, 
that they can scarce walk. Those which we kill'd were 
extream fat, but their Fat is good for nothing but to be 
burnt, whereas the Flesh, and, above all, their Feet, are 
very nice Victuals. The Savages affirm, that no Flesh 
is so delicious as that of Bears; and indeed, I think they 
are in the right of it. While we rang'd up and down in 
quest of Bears, we had the pleasure of spying some Mar- 
tins and wild Cats upon the Branches of the Trees, which, 
the Savages shot in the Head to preserve their Skins. 
But the most comical thing I saw, was the Stupidity of 
the Wood-hens, which sit upon the Trees in whole 
Flocks and are kill'd one after another, without ever 
offering tO' stir. Commonly the Savages shoot at them 
with Arrows, for they say they are not worth a Shoot 
of Powder, which is able to kill an Elk or an Hart. I 
have ply'd this sort of Fowling in the Neighborhood of 
our Cantons or Habitations in the Winter time, with the 
Help of a Dog who found out the Trees by Scent, and 
then bark'd ; upon which I approach'd to the Tree, and 
found the Fowls upon the Branches. When the Thaw 
came, I went two or three Leagues further up the Lake, 
in Company with some Canadese on purpose to see that 
Fowl flap with its Wings. Believe me. Sir, this Sight is 
one of the greatest Curiosities in the World; for their 
flapping makes a Noise much like that of a Drum all 
about, for the Space of a Minute or thereabouts; then 
the Noise ceases for half a quarter of an Hour, after 
which it begins again. By this Noise we were directed to 
the Place where the unfortunate Moor-hens sat, and 
found 'em upon rotten mossy Trees. By flapping one 
Wing against the other, they mean to call their Mates; 
and the humming Noise that ensues thereupon, may be 
heard half a quarter of a League off. This they do only 
in the Months of April, May, September and October; 
and, which is very remarkable, the Moor-hen never flaps 
in this manner, but upon the Tree. It begins at the break 
of Day, and gives over at nine o'clock in the Morning, 
till an Hour before Sunset that it flutters again, and con- . 
tinues to do so until Night ; I protest to you, that I have 
frequently contented myself with seeing and admiring the 
flapping of their Wings without offering to shoot at 'em. 
G. B. G. 
*'The Heroic Pose/' 
Philadelphia, Pa., June 10. — Editor _ Forest and 
Stream.: Nothing I have read for a long time has so im- 
pressed me as the article "The Heroic Pose," written by 
Flint Locke, in last week's Forest and Stream. 
Like Flint Locke, I too, have killed a number of moose, 
deer and caribou and enjoyed the sport. Why, I know 
not, for now, strange as it may seem to many, I am filled 
with remorse every time I look upon my walls and into 
the wild glass eyes and think of the murder I have done — 
for murder it surely is, to wantonly slaughter the poor 
defenseless creatures that people the wilderness of our 
country. 
Even though I lived up to the law, there were times 
when the meat was not exactly needed, but Aye tried not 
to waste it and gave the surplus to the Indians. I am 
far from setting myself up as an example, or to say that 
a certain amount of shooting of birds and beasts is not 
necessary to ourselves and them, but I do want to entreat 
my fellow sportsmen to quell the insane desire to kill, and 
to be content as I intend to be hereafter, with photo- 
graphs and memories of noble game crashing through 
brush unhurt by any bullet from my firearm. 
Killing game — and I will except no animal on the face 
of the earth — is not dangerous work when the hunter car- 
ries in his hand the latest and most approved weapon. 
No, but it is cowardly. Think of a penny cartridge blot- 
ting out forever the life of a magnificent animal, probably 
the head of his family or the leader of a herd. Once I 
stalked a big, powerful moose; he neither smelt, saw nor 
heard me, and I shot him down by breaking his leg; he 
rose, when another shot broke another leg and he went 
down again, unable to rise, although comparatively little 
hurt, and the look of that poor beast when I stepped up 
to shoot him, I can never forget, but I want to. It was 
poor shooting, and I have no excuse to offer other than 
that I am truly sorry and could never do so again. To 
have let him live would have been the true sportsman- 
ship. 
And so I ask you, gentlemen, to try it for this year at 
least; let us go to the woods and lakes with a firm de- 
termination to let live what animals we hunt and come 
home with beautiful pictures of life and not with a feeling 
of defeat, but of victory over the spirit of the hunt to kill. 
See if the memory of one spared life is not worth z. 
dozen pelts. Will some of you not promise to do this 
with Flint Locke and me? Stephen P, M. Tasker. 
