New York Zoölogical Society
A mink.
“Hog” proposed that we go down to the Portneuf country and spend the winter at the trapping business. He said he knew of a stream there that was full of beaver and mink and other fur animals. I was anxious to go, but my wife protested that she could not think of my going off for a whole winter with an Indian. She was sure I would be scalped. It was hard work for me to persuade her that under our circumstances it was the right thing to do. She finally consented, however, and we set to work to get ready.
With “Hog” to help we soon had enough winter’s wood chopped up to last my family through the winter. I did all I could otherwise to leave them comfortable; but the best I could do was not enough to keep them from having a hard time of it while I was away.
I had three horses. “Hog” got two more from Thomas Rich; and Joseph Rich, who kept a store in Paris, supplied us with provisions and camp outfit upon our agreeing to sell to him what furs we should get.
New York Zoölogical Society
Beaver and beaver lodge.
It was about a week after New Year’s that we struck out northward through the cold and snow. The snow got deeper and deeper as we went on towards Soda Springs. It seemed impossible to make our destination. I suggested that we turn back, but “Hog” wouldn’t listen to me. He said that we would find the snow lighter from there on, and it would be only a day or two more before we got to the Portneuf. So I yielded and we pushed on till we reached Dempsey Creek, a branch of the Portneuf. Here we made our winter camp at the base of the lava cliffs that border the stream near where it empties into the Portneuf. We chose a good place on the sunny side of the rock, and built our quarters. A cleft up the face of the cliff served us well. By building up a fourth side to this cleft, we made a fine chimney and fireplace. Around this we made our shack—of quaking aspen poles and willows, and long grass to thatch it. For a door we used the skins of two white-tailed deer stretched over a quaking aspen frame. Our house was a cosy shelter from the storms, and roomy enough to store our bales of furs. For wood we used cedar, which grew near by.
Within the cedars we found plenty of black-tail deer, while in the willows the white-tail were so numerous that we had little trouble to get all we needed. Trout we could catch at any time; so we had food in abundance.