trap line and trail, as every trapper and hunter
likes to know what other trappers and hunters are doing, I will tell
of some of my last season's (1908) doings. Having been somewhat
relieved from my old enemy--rheumatism--I concluded to take a trip
south and see if I could not find a place suitable to my liking where
I might escape some of the rigorous cold of the Northern Pennsylvania
winters.

I went first into Southeastern Missouri. Here I found land cheap,
unimproved lands ranging from $3.00 to $15.00 per acre; also plenty
of timber for fuel and building purposes; plenty of fish of various
kinds, some deer, a few wild turkeys, no bear, some mink, plenty of
raccoon, a few otter and fox; with minor other fur-bearers, which was
all quite satisfactory to me, but I did not like the water.

From Poplar Bluff, Missouri, I went to Kenset, Arkansas, where I
found the conditions as to the price of lands satisfactory, although
the country was much less broken than Southern Missouri. As to water,
well, there was water almost anywhere; in fact, you could hardly
cross the streets without wading in water. The people who were
natives of that country informed me that the water in the streets was
not always so plenty, as they said that there had been very heavy
rains of late. Here I found game of all kinds quite scarce, although
I was told that southeast of Kenset game was quite plenty, including
bear, deer, turkeys, quail, etc., and that mink, otter, coon,
opossum, also a few wolves, were to be found. The water gave me the
chills in three days, so I concluded to move to other parts of the
lower St. Francis River, in Lee County. There appeared to be quite a
plenty of mink, otter, coon and some bear, but the cane brakes were
pretty thick in the bottoms.

I think that if one was well prepared for trapping, they could do
fairly well in either St. Francis or Lee County. I went from Hanes in
Lee County, Arkansas, to Memphis, Tennessee. From Memphis I went to a
town by the name of Shepard, on the Hatchie River, in Haywood County,
Tennessee. Along the Hatchie River there were signs of otter, mink
and coon quite plenty, and in some places the cane brakes were quite
open. I liked the lay of the land here very well. It was just rolling
enough to suit my fancy, but again I failed to find our cold,
Pennsylvania spring water. From Shepard I went to Pickens, in Pickens
County, South Carolina. Here I found fairly good water, but other
condition