traits of
animals after only having forty days experience for that covers our
trapping and hunting in South America. I did learn considerable about
that much discussed animal Monkey. I was taught by a native how to trap
him, the simple remedy I'll give my reader without any extra cost,
although I gave a mexican hat for that recipe. To catch a monky take a
ripe cocoa-nut dig out the three eyes and the meat Fill up the unbroken
shell with almost any kind of edibles; then tie a cord through the two
holes and tie the nut fast to a tree or a stake. The monk sees the nut
puts his hand in the tight hole gets a handful of food shuts up his hand
this forms a lump so big that it cannot be drawn back, the monk could at
any time get away by simply letting go the food, but he never will, and
hence is easily taken prisoner--how like man is the monky.

I cut my stay short one day when I came nearly having to shoot the pass
of a mammoth Boa constrictor--I concluded I was a fair trapper a common
hunter, but no snake charmer--I enjoyed the fruits and foliage of that
summer land, but was glad to get back to Galveston, Texas.

Back Among the Rockies

After we arrived from South America we planned on trapping one winter
for Bob-cat Civit Cat and Mountain Lion. Providing no catastrophes
happened bigger than a cat. We trapped the Arkansa, Big Sandy, Bayou
creek and on to poverty flats. Then we crossed over to the Black Hills
landing at Buffalo Gap.

Here a Ranchman hired us to kill Black bear which were killing his
colts. The Black bear of North America is the most harmless of all
bears. His average weight is about four hundred pounds. He lives on
honey, grass, berries, weeds, roots, ants, and insects of all kinds. He
is the hardest specie to hunt. When a hunter is on his trail he
invariably is next to it, and will climb upon all the high roots, and
logs and peep back on his track to discern the hunter. It is hard to get
a shot at him unless the wind is blowing so you may circle him and shoot
from the windward side. He will stuff a bullet hole with moss to prevent
the flow of blood and many other cute sagacious tricks. He dens up about
the 15teenth of Dec. and comes out about the middle of March, as is
usually supposed he comes out poor. But this is a bit of
missinformation. On the other hand he usually crawls out after his long
snooze fat as mud.

Well as usual we had a lot of work, accompanied with our usual success.
we were