Sometimes tilts are built along the path at the end of a day's
journey, but if there is no tilt the cotton tent is pitched. In likely
places traps are set for marten, mink or fox. Ice prevents trapping
for the otter in winter, but they are often shot.
At the end of a week or fortnight the partners meet at the base tilt.
Otherwise each man is alone, and we may imagine how glad they are to
see each other when the meeting time comes. But they cannot be idle.
Out through the snow-covered forest, along the shores of frozen lakes
and on wide bleak marshes the trapper has one hundred traps at least,
and some of them as many as three hundred. The men must keep busy to
look after them properly, and so, after a Sunday's rest together they
again separate and are away on their snowshoes hauling their toboggans
after them.
At Christmas time they go back to their homes, down by the sea, to see
their wives and children and to make merry for a week. What a meeting
that always is! How eagerly the little ones have been looking forward
to the day when Daddy would come! O, that blessed Christmas week! But
it is only seven days long, and on the second day of January the
trappers are away again to their tilts and trails and traps.
Pages:
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108