The fox traps had not been disturbed, but a fox had been feeding upon
the caribou head and entrails, where they had been left upon the ice,
and one of the traps was taken up and reset here. The others he also
put in order, and returned to the tilt with the rabbit and marten. The
former, boiled with small bits of pork, made a splendid stew, and the
skin was hung to dry, for, with others it could be fashioned into
warm, light slippers to wear inside his moccasins when the colder
weather came.
The marten pelt was removed from the body by splitting it down the
inside of the hind legs to the trunk, and then pulling it down over
the head, turning it inside out in the process. In the tilt were a
number of stretching boards, that Douglas had provided, tapered down
from several inches wide at one end until they were narrow enough at
the other end to slip snugly into the nose of the pelt. Over one of
these, with the flesh side out, the skin was tightly drawn and
fastened. Then with his knife Bob scraped it carefully, removing such
fat and flesh as had adhered to it, after which he placed it in a
convenient place to dry.
Bob felt very much elated over this first catch of fur, and was
anxious to get at the real trapping. It was only Tuesday, and Bill
would not be at the river tilt until Friday of the following week, but
he decided to start back the next morning and set all his traps.
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