myself took the one axe that we carried with us and
began clearing a site to build the camp on. Mr. Goodsil and Mr.
Vanater went back after more of the supplies, which included another
good axe and a crosscut saw. They cut out a road as they returned so
that we could drive to camp when it became necessary. At the end of a
week we had up a good log cabin, and all was ready to begin to slay
the deer and skin the fur bearers. Two of the boys now went down to
Alpena to get the mail and send letters home. On the boys' return
next day they brought word that we would not be allowed to ship any
deer out of the state. This put a wry face on Goodsil and Jones, for
deer hunting was their delight. It was not so bad with Vanater and
myself, for we could find plenty of sport with the traps and tanning
a few deer skins. Vanater was an expert at it, graining the skins in
the water and using the brains of the deer and coon oil for tanning
and then smoking the skins.

We did not kill many deer though they were plentiful, but venison was
so cheap in Detroit and other Michigan cities that it did not pay one
for the trouble. By the last of October there was quite a fall of
snow and Mr. Goodsil, who was a gunsmith, suddenly came to the
conclusion that he was neglecting his business at home and we could
not persuade him to stay any longer. It was only a few days later
when Mr. Jones also concluded that he was neglecting his business and
left us. Now I began to wonder if Mr. Vanater or myself would be the
next to get the home fever, but knowing the metal Charley was made
of, I expected that I would be attacked first.

Charley and I being now left alone began building deadfalls for mink,
marten, fisher and lowdowns for bear. I will explain that a lowdown
is one of those affairs, half pen, half deadfall, which are built by
first making a bed of small poles, then placing on this bed notched
together the same as for a log house. The logs should be about twelve
inches in diameter, and two tiers will make the pen high enough. The
space inside the pen is usually made about seven feet long, two feet
high and twenty inches wide. The roof is made of poles or small logs
pinned to cross logs, the one at the back end of the pen forming a
roller hinge. The cover is raised up and fastened with the usual
lever and hook trigger, which the bait is fastened to. The bear in
order to get the bait goes over the logs into the pen. I wish to say
that while this so