The Seaforth News, 1924-07-03, Page 2A Lucky Adventure
BY MARTIN HUNTER.
Ff om "Rod and Gun in Canada."
PART. I. was only momentary, and for a short
distance; for theysoon returned, and
"I'll tell you what it is, Ben; I don't
feel at all easy about the boys." began to devour their dead comrades.
The speaker was the good wife of Tom took in at a glance that this was.
the house, and she made this remark his opportunity while they were fight -
to her husband, who was repairing
fish nets in the corner of the kg house
in which they lived. She
had
gone out
some eight or ten times within , the
hour to see if the boys were coming
on the sands between Long Point and
their home at Mutton Bay. The father
had sent the two little fellows up to
the Point early that morning to get
a couple of lead sinkers fox his fishing
lines from the merchant who furnish-
ed them supplies, and had told them to
return in the afternoon. The distance
is only eightmiles, and sixteen miles
there and back, were comparatively
nothing to sturdy little fisher -folk like
these boys.
The shades of night were coming on
apace, and the mother was anxious,
especially as signs of wolves had been
ing amongst themselves, to climb up
to a safer position, By dint of stick-
ing his toes and fingers into the small
ridges of the rock, he managed to
draw himself up to the top. But
where was little Georgie? The rocky
cliff rose up at each side of this boul-
der; and at the bank it had collected
branches and driftwood by the action
of the high tides. When his brother
called to him Georgie answered from
down amongst this debris, Toni, as-
sured of his whereabouts and safety,
told him to stay there, while here-
mained on the top of the rock and de-
fended the place. A. watchful Provi-
dence must have directed the boys to
this place, certainly a better one could
not have been found. It was impos-
sible for the wolves to get at them
LAT. WAS
Tol.t7 To 1'A#E Nis
t4AFE A4-4 DAUbHTERS
AN flet ''ioW
¶ ERE'S LOT AN WNER1c5
THERESA ilS 4,111'E tAT eHND THE
MAC' RIA_
A
& F A
E
H
1
trE
NE
M ARE
-,.,.QA.yGNTES
Ger`
1h til except by climbing up the face of the ___ _-._ - -- ---•- -
tel b t
seen a y y e se ors
"I don't see, Ben," she continued, boulder, which was about tenfeet
high;and a determined boy
couldBEAVER
"what call there was to send them all
push them back when his ammunition / it n
Was expended.
The wolves,every now an again, DOMINIONOFCANADA'
}�
would make a determined rush for the
rock, but Tom would tumble over one
that way for two sinkers. You might
have used stones or a piece of iron
until such time as you visited the
Point yourself 1"
"My, Mary, you are worrying for
of the leaders before they got quite u ADMIRABLE nothing. The boys are all right; no to the base. This would t the QUALITIES
doubt they are playing along the gang and the next moment they would. OF FOUR -FOOTED
be fighting over the carcass of their ENGINEER
fallen fellow, tearing him piecemeal
amongst them.
This was all very well while day-
light lasted, but the shades of evening Symbol Animal Has With-
were coming on apace; and Tom fore- stood Two and a Half Cen-
saw that when night had come upon
them one or two might gain a foothold turies of Commercial
on the rock. If they did, the death of Hunting.
his brother and himself would surely
follow. In the hollow back of the In selecting the beaver as the sym-
boulder, as I have said, there was a bolic animal of Canada, choice was
great collection of branches, driftwood made of a somewhat lowly species,
and pieces of bark. Tom told little
3L4�l�
ing bargain days. The price tag on a
laced coat for women demanded five
sands; and When they see night com-
ing on, they will hurry home, Besides,
Tom is no baby, and he has the rifle
with him and he will take care of
himself and little George all right.
No one," he continued, "has seen any
wolves; the tracks they report may
havebeenmade by some stray team
dogs, as like as not."
However, old Ben was not so easy
in his mind as he would make it ap-
pear to his wife; for, shortly after,
he put away his net, and went out-
side himself.
"Drat the boys," he said,. after George to ba in at once to collect all
draining his eyes to the west. "What g g
can be keeping them? If anything he could to hand up to him to feed a
happens to them, the old woman will blaze that he set about making imme-
never finish saying it was my fault"' diately. With a fire on the cone the
This family consisted of the father place would be lit up for quite a dis-
and mother and the two boys: Tom ,Itanco on each side, and in front by
a ed thirteen who accom anied his the reflection from the high rocks at
good skins. Beads were quite reason-
able at two skins per pound, She was
a brave woman who could resist a
comb and a mirror priced at only two
beavers.
No Reduction.
Seventy-five years of hunting and
trapping did not rafter) this great na-
tural resource to any appreciable ex-
tent, In 1742 a band of Indians came
into Prince of Wales Fort on Hudson
Bay bringing with them no less than
;fifty thousand beaver skins.
Species of Rodent.
The beaver is a species of rodent,
and is the largest and most intelligent (It is my dream to have you here with
member of that order. It is 0 heavily. me,
bunt round -bodied animal weighing, Out of the
f thirty
best use
. want the
Y W�10
k�
Fc>'very
...RED ROSE' ORANGE PEKOE
T4
• A.Kingly Gift..
With every passing season the dress-
ing of, shop windows, especially' at
Christmas time, becomes more artistic
and elaborate. Compared with the
gorgeous, glittering miles of alluring
objects that every city of any preten-
sions can now display the shops of a
hundred years'. ago were poor and For all his sport and all his toil;.
dingy indeed, ' For playthings and for tools,
Yet the lure of city shops for the' For ships to navigate the air.
rustic from village -or backwoods is Or sail the Seven Seas—
ages old. No need of all his many needs
So far back as the reign of Louis But he will. take the trees.
XIV. of France, Paris was already the
greatest mart for luxuries and objects But when the singing tribes have come
of art and fashion. Even then France Across the fields of `air,'
had settlements in Africa; and it hap-
pened that a Senegalese, son of a
black chief who had been serviceable
to the settlers, was taken under the
king's protection and'sent to receive
his education In the capital—a lone
precursor of the many thousand Sene
galese blacks who were to help France
fight her battles in the Great War,
After the young chieftain had seen
the wonders King Louis graciously
asked him to choose a present for his
The thrushes seek the shadowy depths
father, promising that whatever he Of forest solitudes;
selected should be promptly dispatch. More sociable, the robins flock
ed to Africa, To village nelghhoriroods;
Unhesitatingly and In tones of- The bluebird loves the' orchard aisles
ploring eagerness the youth exclaim•
Where fragrant blossoms fall; •
ed: "mighty monarch, let me send a From friendly maple branches high
shop!" The oriole flutes his call;
The redbud tree the clilekadee
A Voice from the Farm. Is satisfied he owns;
The. crossbill from the pine tree peers
And dinesontasty cones.
KIngSshere watch the lakes and
streams
From drooping svillow boughs;
The kinglets find the juniper
A warm and sheltered house;
The blackbird haunts the swampy
glade
have not been Where all his brothere throng;
In use since the old games you need And from the cedar tree there floats
to win The warbler's homing song.
When two pitehod horseshoes; and 1 Each knows and greets sone favored
want to be spot,,
At utter loaf with you in this dim land And each his taste can please;
Of grove and meadow, while the crick- Through age -long tenancy secure
ets-make They know they own the trees!
Our own talk tedious, and the bat -Annie Johnson Flint in Youth's Com -
wields panion.
His bulky flight, as we cease converse,
and
In a desk -like velvet smoothly take
Our way towards home across the
dewy fields.
• --Jas, W, Riley.
The Owners of the Trees.
Mari thinks the • trees were made for
him
To use them as he. will,
Their centuries of vibrant life
With axe and saw to still.
Cradle and coffin, hut and hall,
Churches and homes and schools,,
Tliey take possession of the trees
As if their right were there.
To branch or bole, forked limb or' hole,
The myriad clans lay claim,
And there they come to make a home
Year after year tate .same.
By.ancient and
law.
A. valid deed they hold;
From sire to son the titles pass,
And none is bought or sold.
forty
on an average, from r y to •rya heated city's dust and din,
Where the colts have room to gambol
in,
And kine to graze in clover to the
knee.
I want to see your wan face happily
Lit with the wholesome smiles that
writes Dan McGowan, Banff, Alberta, Pounds. An occasional individual will
Yet it is doubtful if, in the long list of grow much larger than this. Only a
birds of the air and beasts of the field, few years ago a very large specimen
there is a creature endowed with so was killed at evectyore, It turned
many admirable qualities as this four- the scales at seventy pounds. The
footed engineer possesses. coat of the beaver consists of a cover-
ing et long coarse hairs overlying a
Being extremely intrestrious, having thick coat of silky brown fur. This
great intelligence, well developed fine fur gives the skin its high market
g ' the back. Thus he would have every social instinct, and displaying quite
father in his cod -fishing boat; and
George, aged ten, who stayed ashore movement of the wolves under his extraordinary ability along certain
with his mother. Little as he -vas, he eye. Before it became dangerously lines, it is one of the most noteworthy
did the chores about the house, and dark Toni put a match to the little mammals alive to -day.
helped his mother dry the fish. This Rile, and in a minute all around was The Influence that the fabled she -
day, however, the sea was too -rough as bright as day. The wolves sat on wolf had in founding the Roman Lm- frost, will, however, set it working
to go out; so the father had sent them their haunches in a kind of semi -circle Aire was insignificant when coin• both day and night. Being a strict
about sixty yards off, gazing at the pared with the influence of the beaver
to Long Point p , vegetarian, it subsists on roots and on
The little fellows arrived at the flames and Tom by the fire, with his is opening up and colonizing 'Western the bark of trees, particularly that of
Point safely, got their leads, and the, trusty rifle over his knee watching Canada. The skin of the beaver was the poplar, birch and willow.
hart's wife had given them a and waiting. To keep little George the one North American product
value.
Almost Nocturnal,
Almost nocturnal in its habits, it is
but seldom seen in daytime. An
emergency, such as a sudden early
good warm dinner before they left on, from being sleepy he commanded him which European merchants were eag-
their return journey, Each one of to collect more and still more brush, er to purchase. Their former great
them had a seven -pound lead slung by thus keeping the little boy's mind and abundance and the high value placed
string across his back and Tom hands busy. As everything in the upon the pelts brought enterprising
Profficient Engineers.
In the building of dams and in the
erection of houses, beaver exhibit a
very great proficiency of engineering.
being the Larger, carried the rifle and light of the fire was so bright and tr appers and traders from many lands. The ordinary methods employed by
clear Tom had leisure to talk to his Keen competition amongst these pion. them in this work are well known to
cartridge belt. I almost every one. Houses are conical!
All went well until they reached . brother, and said: ear adventurers resulted in the estab•
all night. The wolves won't leave us the fur -producing regions. And so the diameter at the) base. The entrances
about half way; share a small fresh -
"Of course, Georgie, we will be here lishment of trading posts throughout in shape and are about ton feet in
water creek finds its way out to the i morning, o
sea. The boys were resting here and wards to the living chamber situated
salting a drink, when, all at once,! they don't, father and some of the westward to the Rocky' Mountains and
there came on their ears a single howl,! nen will be along early to look for pressing northward even to the shores is °floorede t with smaller level. is ollest
'm sur' he continued `that retic blazed the trail and p
till rnin , if theydo then; but if vanguard of civilization ,penetrating are usually under water and lead up -
then another answering one, and, as us, , t of the A , Such a corrugated floor is effective in
they stood terrified listening a sue- mother is anxious. Dear mother! But paved the way for the coming of an
g what can they do at night? Perhaps, agricultural and industrial people who draining off water which, dripping
cession of blood -curdling howls. I too, they think us up at the Point. turned the wilderness into a wheat from each incoming animal, would
Tom said, seizing his brother by the But we are all right, Georgie; I have field and who founded cities upon the soon make a puddle of his dwelling -
hand, "Come on, George, it's wolves! place. In these re-inforced concrete
I'm sure it's wolves!" The boys bur-; twenty cartridges yet; there is plenty scarce cold ashes of the red man's
ried on in the direction of home as of wood down where you are to keep
fast as they could; but, by the sounds up the fire; so don't be scared. And
behind them, they knew the fierce won't we be great boys amongst the
brutes would soon be up with them. other boys of the Bay when we get
To Tighten themselves the leads were' home and tell them.
cast off. Tom said to his little bro- (To be concluded,)
ther: "Follow me quick; if we remain
on the' sands they will surround us."
The wolves were now almost on
them, and Tom pushed his little bro-
A Difference.
The doctor's little daughter, though
not very well, was quite as chatty as
then up the face of a large sloping usual,
boulder, and told him to climb higher
while he stood the wolves off. There
were fifteen or twenty of the brutes,
as they bunched up, in front of the
brave boy, about twenty yards off.
Tom quickly brought his Winchester
to the aim, and pulled the trigger. On
the report of the gun there was a
scattering of the pack, with two left
dead and one limping off, mortally
wounded. This scattering, however,
"Int a hundred to -day," she told her
visitor.
"But you told me yesterday that you
were only four."
"Oh, yes," replied the child, "but
that was birfdays. This is tempera-
choors."
Experts say valves of an automo-
bile engine should be ground after
1,500 miles of running.
Opportunities in the
Veterinary r fes&&®i
If you desire to enter into a profession you should con-
sider what the new field of Veterinary Sciencehas to
offer: Graduates have splendid opportunites
for a successful career.
You should inquire.
•
Sessin Begins October 1st, 1924
Write for bulletin and calendar to
C. D. McGilvray, M,D.V.a =Principal
Qatari® Veterinpry eo,l a a.
-
GUELPH ONTARIO
Affiliated with Under the Oaths to
University of Toronto Department of Agriculture
campfires.
Indirectly Responsible.
Thus was the beaver indirectly re-
sponsible for the settlement of a great
portion of Canada. What is even of
greater moment, they were directly re-
sponsible for the fertility of vast areas
of land which otherwise would have
remained barren, desert places. They forester .gnaws a double ring around
cleared the land by cutting clown the the tree trunk with his sharp teeth.
timber which stood upon it. They The wood between these rings is then
threw dams across ten thousand gouged out and so the tree falls, us -
streams and so arrested the move• natty towards the stream or pond.
ment of soil which was being rapidly When the available timber stands
Carried seawards. This silted soil some distance from the pond these
spread deep on many a valley floor . animals, given level ground, will con -
now yields crops of golden grain and trive to dig small canals for the trans -
mellow fruit. portation of wood. Moving large logs
In 1070 these was considerable ac- overland is laborious work for these
tivity in Canadian real estate, Bur- , shrt-legged lumberjacks.
ing that year the "Governor and Com- When the supply of standing timber
pang of Adventurers of England trad-in the immediate vicinity, of their pond
ing into Hudaon Bay" became proprie- has been exhaused the animals pro-
ton of about a third of North Ameri- teed to build another clan at a point.
ea. This in consideration of payment further up stream where fresh wood is
to be had. This process is repeated
again and• again until the headwaters
of the stream have been reached and
the entire valley has been denuded of
such wood as the animals use. This
method of'moving,.up stream has an
element of safety first attached to it.
When the new dans is being construct-
ed, and until housing has been pro-
vided, the pond about to be vacated is
most convenient as a piece of refuge
in sudden danger.
Beaver aro very prolific animals and
increase rapidly when given reason-
able protection. Having successfully
withstood some two and a half cen-
turies of intensive commercial hunting
lodges the beaver family passes the
winter months. Their wood -food hes
been cut and collected in the fall and.
is now stored at the bottom of the
pond, where it is cafe from frost and
readily available at any time.
Tree Felling.
In the operation of tree felling, this
to the king of "Two elks and two
black beavers."
A Standard Value.
With the coming of this Hudson's
Bay Company a standard value was
placed upon the skin of the beaver. It
became the unit of value In all com-
mercial dealings. There was no'
money in circulation and trade was
carried on by, barter When the In-
dian hunter brought his furs into a
trading post the trader sorted them in-
to graded lots. The value was com-
puted at so many beavers, or castors
as they were then called. The Indian
would then receive a number of small
pieces of wood respresenting the value there is every likelihood that this, our
of his furs With these tally sticks he
purchased goods from the trader. For
twelve sticks he could purchase a gun.
Two pieces of thio quaint "wooden
money" gave him one pound of pow-
der and a -single skin was good for
four pounds of abet. At that early
period :tobacco was free of trusts and
taxes, and so Nimrod was able to pro-
cure one pound of the fragrant weed
in returnfor one beaver skin. When
the ladies of our "first families" shop-
ped at the Bay there were 110 distract
symbol animal; will continue to exist
throughout the length and breadth of
.our Dominion for many a year to
COMB,
Burs for the Memory.
Believing that anything wilt stick
to a bur, Cherokee Indians gave their
children a concoction made' from burs
to strengthen their memory.
•
Put His Foot in It.
She—"I gave a lovely birthday party
and invited a guest for every year of
my life,"
He—"Quite a jolly crowd, I sup-
pose."
No government is safe unless but-
tressed by good will.
More have 'repented speech than
silence.
In a Position to Know.
Visitor—"I suppose. you're pretty well
up on who's who in this town?"
Citizen—"Well, I've been foreman
of the grand jury for nearly three
months,
ISSUE No.27—'24.
€r�TeS
"leftyIndr'4^
Refresh yourself!
Uncap this air-
tight package—'
As the spar.'
kling bubbles
rise to refresh
your thirsty,
lips, you are
assured of
goodness and
purity.
Drink.
Delicious and''1Zefreshin
The Coca-Cola company -of Canada, Ltd.
Head Office: Toronto
SCAPA FLOWAGAIN
• IN THE LIMELIGHT ,
Prevlous to the World War. the Orl
ney Islands remained in comparative
obscurity, and even some of the Scot-
tish peaplo bad only a vague: idea of
their position: After hostilities had
broken out the names Kirkwall and
Scapa Flow frequently appeared in
Canadian papers and, the place was
located on the map. Scapa Flow
creeps to within one and a half miles
of Kirkwall. It is an extensive sheet
of_ water and provided ample accom-
modations' for "Britannia's 'Wight" dur-
ing the war—the naval hub of the
world for the time being.
For some years previous to the war
the. British. Admiralty had foreseen
the advantages of the Flow as an eater-
cising area for.the fleet, with its Prob-
able development into a naval base.
In April,' 1909, the home and Atlantic
fleets arrived thero for the first time.
The ,flagship on that •occasion was the
Dreadnought, the firstof the class of
that naive, and she atracted- a good
deal of interest. Just before the out:
break of war great activity prevailed`
and hundreds of ships' boats were
piled on the beach as Well as articles
of furniture,- etc., which .would only be
In the way and a source of danger.
when the ships were in action.
It is surprising that enemy sub.
marines did not take advantage of the
open gateways, during the earlier
period, True, an attempt was made in
the early days and civilians were
startled to hear a promiscuous tiring
of guns in the early morning. 'It in-
dicated that something unusual was
happening. Just before the armistice
another atempt was made to find an •
entrance through the mined gateway
of Hoxa Sound; but alert watchers dis•
covered that 'a fish was in the net and
the'electric current did the'rest The
bravery shown by the victims in that
forlorn hope will cennnend itself to
all brave hien.
Late one evening in July the Van- '
guard was blown up from some unex•
plained cause, and practically the
}whole ship's company were killed by
the terrible explosion. Debris was
scattered vast distances from the
scene of the disaster, and a lurid glare
Illuminated the sky. So many things
had happened during the war that this
great catastrophe had only a passing
interest, aspeople were gating apo•
thatic to thrills which in other tithes
would have evoked other sentiments.
Kitchener's Fate Recalled.
It was from Scapa Flow that Lord
Kitchener embarked on the Hamp-
shire on' his mission to Russia. The
date was ,Tune 5, 191G, and a gale was
blowing from the northwest at fifty
miles an hour. Two destroyers ac-
companied
ocompanied the cruiser, but, owing to
their lighter construction, the batter-
ing of the seas was too severe and
they were signaled to return. Shortly
afterward the crliser ran into an
enemy mine field about two utiles off
Marwick Head, on the west coast of
the Orkneys. An explosion followed
and the vessel sank in deep water,
there being only twelve survivors out
of eight hundred. They cattle ashore on
rafts at a part of the coast about live
miles from the scene of the disaster,
and with them also came their dead
and dying comrades, The cold was in-
tense and most of tho_exhausted men
succumbed owing to there being no
one at hand to give them timely aid.
It has bean suggested that the strip
was lost through foul play, but this is
improbable. Enemy urines wore pick-
ed up in the vicinity' a day or two at -
ter and one trawler with its crew was
blown to bits, so it is reasonable to
assume that the ship was lest in the
hazards of war. The task of remov-
ing the bodies for interment at the
naval ,cemetery on the morning of the
following day was a trying ordeal.
Even the farmers' carts in the neigh-
borhood were "commandeered for the
5110508'
Plans for "The Day."
Many years previously to the war
Kirkwall Bay was visited by German
warships and no doubt plans were laid
long in advance for the "Day" which
finally dawned. Just prior to the war
two German exoursion steamers called
at Kirkwall twice in the summer on
Norwegian cruise, but the visit due
in' August, 1914, did not tape pace.
Onlya fow weeks before war broke
out a small German fishery cruiser
visited Scapa Fiow, doubtless to ob-
tain a few last minute details before
the curtain rose.
The. Orkney Islands kava many in-
terests, scenic historic and 'prehis
toric. They were referred to, during
the Boman ocdupation of Britain as
the breads, but there is no diflnite
story to rel-tite After the Norse vik-'
inga had taken •iiessession history of a.
kind has been hanittd-.down, Their
remoteness afforded afforded in tlissfi days a
safe retreat for the daring stns kings,
whose aim was plunder an a teY
spent the hinter in rest and ' ousel
after their strenuous eummp v'!utiogs.
Public attention'isagai ir•oeted to
Scapa now, famous in , 10 Great War
as the grave of 'tits German' fleet.
Seventy-four' proud '-sseia "surrender-
ed to the British and Fleet ten days
after the armislii-..'A firm of English.
shipwreckers save now made piens to
raise the w tins and cbspos.e of thein
as junk: • efose"the waves of Scapa
Flow washed over these ships they
were vallied.at nearly one-third of 0
billion dollars.
Regarded ns the largest and finest
in the world, a turquoise which for-
merly belonged to the Grand Viziers •
of Persia has been presented to an
American museum.