at the boys had gone off with the dogs, for, if they had not, he
would have tried to trail and tree the lynxes.

The boys had taken the dogs because they wanted them to haul their
sled. It was, however, against the advice of their grandfather, for he
had admonished them that only white men and half-breeds would use dogs
to haul a sled on a trapping path; that a good hunter would never do
such a foolish thing, and for many reasons: the traps--being usually
set close to the path--were apt to be either set off or destroyed by
the swinging sled; besides, the dogs' tracks would obliterate the
tracks of game; also the dogs might be caught in the traps;
furthermore, the smell of dogs always inspired fear in animals, again,
the noise of driving dogs frightened the game away. So, according to
Oo-koo-hoo, the wise hunter either packs his load upon his back, or, by
himself, hauls it upon his sled. But one must remember that The Owl
was an Ojibway and that those Indians as well as the Saulteaux Indians
prefer to haul their own sleds on the hunting trail and to keep their
dogs solely for trailing game; though all other Indians of the Strong
Woods use their dogs for hauling sleds. One advantage of the Ojibway
custom is that hunting dogs--when running loose--never have to be fed.

Amik, however, being a rather shiftless fellow, often spoilt his boys
as much as the average white father spoils his, for he never thrashed
them, though they frequently deserved it, and having given in to them
on many previous occasions, he had now let them take the dogs. But
speaking of parents' treatment of children, even an old she-bear could
give many a civilized father or mother pointers on how to bring up
children, for even among animals and birds one frequently finds a model
parent.

According to the verdict of the old fur-traders, the best trapper is
the uncivilized Indian. Though, apparently, he does not derive the
same amount of sport from his work as the white man does, he never
shirks his work and always takes great pains to prepare for and perfect
the setting of his traps. Though he is slow, he is, nevertheless, sure
and deadly in his work. Oo-koo-hoo assured me that the secret of
successful hunting was intelligence, caution, and patience.

During December and January, or according to the Indians, Yeyekoopewe
Pesim--"The Rime Moon," and Kakisapowatukinum--"The Moon When
Everything Is Brittle," there is always a lull in the trapping, f