ual right.

At the junction of Cape Fear and Black Rivers in Bladen and Pender
counties, there is a section of low swampy country, which is a wild
country where there is deer and bear as well as furbearers such as
otter, mink, muskrats and coon. The latter are quite numerous. There
is also wild turkey, quail and ducks on the river. Now this section
of the country had a colony of mixed whites and colored people
(Mulatto) who lived in these swamps, other people rarely going into
that locality.

We were informed that there was a good deal of illicit or Blockade
Whiskey as the natives call it, made in these swamps. It is said that
it is not safe for strangers to be caught in their domain too often.
I found that one needs nearly double the number of traps to trap in
the swamps or bays, as these swamps are called by the natives. There
is so much ground that is covered with water so near alike that the
animal has no regular place to travel, as is the case along the open
streams. Instead the animals have vast areas of ground to travel over
that is partially covered with water, so that the mink or raccoon
travels anywhere and everywhere, as it is all alike to the mink and
coon. Consequently the trapper needs more traps in order to make the
same number of catches as would be possible in a locality where the
streams did not spread over such a large scope of land.

While the trapper in the South has but little snow or ice to contend
with, he will not find it all milk and honey, for the swamps are not
a paradise with the gall berry brush, the bamboo briers, saffron
sprouts and holly brush. As for game birds, they are not so
plentiful, but quail in places are found in good numbers. Wild
turkeys are found in small lots scattered all over the country, but
by no means plenty: doves are quite plentiful.

As for fur bearers there are quite a number of opossum. Coons are not
found late in the season to any great extent only in the swamps where
they are quite plentiful. Grey foxes are plenty. There are many
hunters in the South who hunt with dogs, and they do not take kindly
to any other way of taking the furbearers. Otter signs are seen on
nearly all of the streams but by no means are they plenty, and every
slide is closely watched by trappers living nearby. The ever present
razorback is an obstacle in the way of otter trapping, for the trap
must be set under the water, and this is not always practical in
otter trapping.

We must no