continuing furring trip 1931

As usual the next day pop made is rouind checking gear on his own while uncle charley and I went out towards big naps as we called it we only had one otter trap and a few snares to check. we got nothing saw no animals sat around on the ridge just passing the hours away. we boiled the kettle as we always did had lunch whiled away some more time and went back to the cabin. around dinner time pop came back he to was skunked. we passed the evening levelling a place to build another log cabin as this one that was there since grand father Noel's times was getting badf the logs was rotted away. after a nights sleep we left early the next morning heading for slide hang up. we came out of a sprucy groung to marshy places right down to what we called signey sye I always thought the right spelling would [Sydney] but ha no way to prove it. so it remained [signey] signey sye was in a bottom or hollow with a beaver pond we had to cross at the foot. as we came out the other side we skirted on the north I think side of true hill. on the south side was uncle andrew joe's country this was beautiful ground all barrens good bear groung thousands of partridge berries lots of deer trails good place to set fox snares also. looking out eastward is where I mentioned the big wooden Cross was. we took a left turn here southward and went down the slope to slide hang up still we got no furs. this would probabely be one of the lean years. we got to the wigwam around three in the evening Pop had plenty time to check his gear on the off sides. still no furs. this is the wigwan I mentioned before that caught afire.it is also where I had the dream about the aeroplane going straight up in the air and the partridge that carried out my dream. This was our regular stop over in our rounds. we started out the next morning no fire this time and no omens. we were heading to tweg-on- cheech the day got real hot I remember getting very thirsty started to drink. Pop was wearing an old felt hat he used to form his hat into a cup and dip water from the pond or brook and I would drink from it. some times I could see the little water incects flicking around in the water but I was so thirsty I would still drink it. at last pop said it's no use the water isn't doing you any good we better boild the kettle so you can have a drink of tea. that will help but after awhile this was no good and we couldn't keep boiling the kettle so I had to suffer it out. I remember we getting to this nice brook. there was an otter rub on a point just above to where we were. we had put down our bundles pop was about to go check the trap when he saw a bear just to the left of us he had a trap in his hand. as he turned for something the bear moved and showed up a little further from the spot where he was pop was looking to see where it was I saw it first and saidthere he is pointing my finger at the bear pop instinctively hit me across the finger with the trap chain saying dont you point your finger at that bear. he took his gun and went after the bear. got close and took a shot at it the bear took off and got away I got the blame for the bear getting away. pop said I did noe miss because he shook when I fired. he then went to check the otter trap he disappeared around the spruce but in a second reappeared sang out bring along the tomach. I knew right away there was a good reason for him to want the tomack. uncle charley took off with the tomach to where pop was. in about ten minutes the came back with a great big otter when I saw the otter I forgot about the bear. this was the first and only otter for the fall.since we were carrying light loads pop took the otter with him just as it was. he did get mad with uncle charley though for letting the otter bleed on the rub. he said it's going to be a long time before any otter will come on that rub again till all the blood washes off.We travelled on again checking gear without success. passing where pop shot the two beaver on our first trip. we reached our wigwam early in the evening again there was not much to do pop did skin the otter but would not put it on moulds he would do this when we got to home tilt which was our nex stop. we cooked supper as night fell we lay down for the night sleep came easy for me because at this young age walking most of the day in the evening I would be very tired. but I would be up pretty earely the next morning even though pop was up with the fire in before I awoke even uncle charley would be still snoring, we had our breakfast packed our bundles and headed out againthis time for home tilt we passed high mountains on our left pretty barren grounds this is where pop shot the bear on our first trip. after about five hours walking we came to marshy and sprucy ground we would have this kind of terrian for the next thre or four hours right to home telt. we got no more fures on this trip. back to home tilt pop put the otter on the mould sculped it [fleshed it] hung it up in the wigwam to dry. the next day we would head island pond way. to check the rest of our gear. so the neaxt morning we started out again this time to island pond. we did not go to the big jedddores wigwam this time but went on our regular route. just after passing gulp lake pass the big wigwam we stopped on a point by a nice steady and boiled the kettle it was getting hot this was around eleven o;clock in the day.everything was pretty dry so pop took particular care to make sure the fire was put out. throwing water all aroud .we left there went on to reach our wigwam about two o'clock in the evening no furs . pop took a short rin to check his gear close by while we stayed at the wigwam whhen pop got back we had lunch then pop continued to work on the new wigwam putting up the rafters and other things the last he was rind birch rine[bark] packed this flat weighed it down and lefy it this he would cover the wigwam with on our final trip before we go back to conne. finishing our first trip of the fall.the next morning we headed back to home telt, we had not caught any more furs which was more discouraging then ever. when we got to home telt we spent one more day there before making our last check for that trip. civilized food was getting pretty scarce. and it began to tell on me.