furring trip continued 1931

After we got our home telt Pop started at the bear fat first he cut off a block about a pound it looked like fat back[pork] then he cut it in striped about three eights square cut off about two inch square packed it in a large bake pot [dutch oven] hung it over a low fire so it would not burn let it simmer. whole it was simmering he cut a fir tree about eight inches in diameter. cut off ta three foot length and hewed the centre out into what we call a trough. this he would pour the bear grease into till near full this trough would hold about four or five pots of grease.each time he filled the bake pot and rendered ot out he would keep pouring the grease in. if he thought this one would not hold all the grease which it usually didn't he would make another trough. it would take over two hours to render out a pot full of fat. this fat is easy to burn if you had too much heat. but pop was very particular anything he did was perfect.besided if it's burned you would have to throw it away.if it was a large fat bear like this one was he would not finish it in one day. but he would continue till it was all done. the scruncheons he would put into a birch rind bush -qua-jue. thats what it sounded like this is a piece of birch bark about a eighteen inches square he would fold the ends in such a way that it would from a sort of pan split a piece of stick and clip it on the four corners like clothes pens to hole it together. but before folding it it had to be heated to make it soft it would fold then without breaking.as it happened pop did not finish it all that day . that night the schrunchens wass cold I had my first ever. meal of bear schrunchens. to this day I have never lost the taste for bear schrunchens they are one of the best tasting foods I ever ate.The next ady we headed over to Island pond. still setting fox snares and otter traps we left early in the morning it was real foggy but we had no worrys because pop knew the country better then anyone. I remember we were crossing a small marsh just heading into some spruces when I looked to the left and saw something I mentioned it to pop we stopped pop tried to figure out what it was I thought it looked like a lion. pop said what in hell is it he kept looking at last he said it's got to be a dry juniper. so we left it at that. we went on to Island pond there our wigwam was looking shabby Pop said I think we will build a new wigwam here. I liked the idea. he said it's early in the day we will go see if theres any bear up on the hill. but we will take a deer for a little fresh meat and to bait the country for foxes. it was beautiful open country thousand of partridge berries. I remember it was two o'oclock in the day Pop said the only thing moving now would be a bear. deer he said is all lying down. we didn't see any bear so we lay down on the barren ground. the three uf us. in about a hour I looked and saw an animal I thought it was a wolf. I told pop look a wolf. he said thats a deer just got up and was stretching himself looked real funny. He said I go and shoot it. just as he was getting the deer. I looked below on the marsh there was a fox trotting along stopped to sniff the grass. I told uncle charley I said I got to go after it young as I was I thought I could do better then he could. because I knew he was going to loose the fox. just as he left pop fired a shot at the deer. he did not completely kill it. he shouted to me come over and finish it off I was scared stiff of the shot gun but I went. I crawled over to where he was hiding behind a bush he gave me the gun it was so heavy I could not hold it up and woild surely miss pop crawled out lay down and stuck up hie knee told me to rest the gun on it. as I was getting ready to fire the deer started to get up but I was fast enough to get get the shot off and knock and knock it back down. it was a doe so again that evening we roasted marrow bones. I dont know if everyone uderstands what I mean when I say roast marrow bones the micmac people do. but I think I have explained it somewhere. how we stick the boanes in the fire cook the marrow inside then break the bones open and eat the marrow.Uncle charley lost the fox as I expected. I looked and saw him way down in the bottom of the hill peeping around the tucks [ small short spruce] the fox was long gone we waved to him to come on back.our wigwam was only about half a mile from us so it did not take us long to get back. Pop said now I start at the new wigwam. he cut eight logs about ten inches in diameter about fifteen feet long there was no short of logs this was long before the bud worms ate all the trees.We looked for a good level spot took out all the rocke made it right level we then hauled all ther logs squared them pop cut them to fit down close he took an empty bottle we had filled it with water left a small bubble and used this as a level. after the logs was in place he hewed the inner sides flat. pop then cut small poles for rafters. there was alot of small nice trees so it did not take him long to cut what he thaught was enough. it was coming on dark by now pop said we will try to finish the wigwam on our next trip. we brought bach hunch of meat this we hung up inside the wigwam [ hunch ] you cut the muscle of the hind leg cut down by the un joint at the first joint go down take off at the hip. you will do this with the quarter hung up.The next morning we headed back to home telt . this is the only route where we backtrack on our the same trail. we did not bother to check any gear because because we just set it out a day before.on our way back we stopped th look at what pop thought was a dry juniper there was nothing there. pop said I'll be darn that was an animal. we wakled up to where we saw it there was lage moose footing there pop said and it was right in shot too.