Again
early in March they visit their homes for another week, and then again
return to the deep wilderness to remain there until June.
Sometimes the father never comes back, and then the wilderness carries
in its heart the secret of his end. Then, oh, those hours of happy
expectancy that become days of grave anxiety and finally weeks of
black despair! Such a case happened once when I was in Labrador. Later
they found the young trapper's body where the man had perished,
seventy miles from his home.
As I have said, the life of the trapper is filled with adventure. Many
a narrow escape he has, but he never loses his grit. He cannot afford
to. Gilbert Blake was one of four trappers that rescued me several
years ago, when I had been on short rations in the wilderness for
several weeks, and without food for two weeks. I had eaten my
moccasins, my feet were frozen and I was so weak I could not walk.
Gilbert and I have been friends since then and we later traveled the
wilderness together. Gilbert has no trapping partner. His "path" is a
hundred miles inland from his home.
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