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animal took on too much speed the Major whipped the log-chain around a tree and brought the beast to a halt.

The crippled elk grew weak from the excitement and painful exertion, so Brassfield succeeded in getting him into line and bringing the critter to the river's bank opposite the hunter's home where the victim laid down and would not budge. The chain hook was thrown over a limb. The Major mudded the wounds of the elk and proceeded to dress his own hands which were torn and bleeding from contact with the slipping and looping log chain and end hook.

He had done what he had undertaken, however; he had brought home the living elk. The animal was confined in an enclosure and kept for several years.

Home-Made Gun.

Perhaps the children of the Lyon family remember the old home-made gun which Uncle Peter assembled from the parts of several broken and dismembered shooting-irons.

For several weeks there had been signs of an immense sized deer near the Lyon home-now the Dave Sketchley place-but the animal had kept clear of the hunters.

After the week's supply of wood was chopped, Roll was given permission to visit at die Lyon homestead. During his stay he was told about the deer and the boys regretfully related that they were unable to take him. Roll said: "I would like to try tracking that stag." He was handed the home-made gun, and a roar of laughter followed. The chances for killing anything with the weapon looked very dubious but he proceeded to reconnoiter.

On a point of the hill north of town the track of the deer was discovered and followed to near where the. River street wagon-bridge now is located. Down the valley a short distance the hunter. saw the deer browsing. Taking careful aim he fired but missed the mark. The bullet ranged to the right, and the report of the gun did not seem even to alarm the animal; for after listening a moment he resumed feeding.

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Crawling on all fours Roll made a detour which brought him directly in front of the beast. It always is difficult to approach a wild animal from windward but it was done by making an angle at the desired distance. This time the hunter took aim at a spot that he estimated would be six inches to the left of the deer's' breast, pulled the trigger, and the stag fell with a bullet in his heart.

My brother related this exploit with great pride; for, with approved brands of weapons all the community's members unsuccessfully had hunted this stag. He was the largest deer ever killed in this vicinity and was described as being the size of a two year old colt.

The same afternoon, after several failures, Roll shot a small deer wearing only brow-tines; but he decided that Uncle Peter Lyon, although he had but one good eye, was a success as a gunsmith.

Members of our family and the Lyon children became very proficient with bows and arrows. Many squirrels and wood-fowl were bagged in that way.

The archer was painfully fastidious in the work of weapon making, as well as in the careful method of stringing his bow. The slender, smooth-grained pieces of hickory were whittled into shape for the bow and the finishing touches given by filing, and scraping with a bowie-knife. Many of the arrows were tipped with steel-pieces of sharpened knitting needles-and adjustment was secured by trying out at a target.
The outstanding characteristic of pioneers must be patience. I have known our youngsters to work hard all day at the archer field and if they made but one good hit they were encouraged for the next day's effort, and the practice was kept up throughout the season.

Wild Turkeys.

There was, in our family, an old gun which had belonged to our grandfather Brewer and had been given to his son Wilson. The gun was an ancient model and use

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had reduced its efficiency to the vanishing point. The lock was loose, the stock shattered and splintered. The implement of destruction was considered to be more dangerous to the marksman than to the game target. Occasionally, however, when all other firearms were being utilized this gun was pounded into line and strapped into adjustment for use.

The gobble, gobble, gobble of a flock of wild turkeys feeding through the Funk bottom, one day arrested the attention of our boys. Father and the neighbors were hunting with the regular firearms, so Roll thonged the revolutionary blunderbus and shot sixteen of the birds after the dogs had driven them to shelter in the trees. Many more could have been taken but for the delay of re-tying and re-pounding the gun's parts after the shattering effect of each discharge.

Wild turkey meat was in greater favor with us than that of the strong-flavored wild water-fowl. The roasted poults or the year old hens were firm but juicy and delicately flavored. Wild turkey eggs, also, were more palatable than wild goose or wild duck eggs.

Shooting turkeys on the wing was not usually successful. If the birds were not dropped instantly the wounded victims, after falling, would run to cover and hide. With out a good retriever losses were inevitable.

Three Deer Killed Before Breakfast.

A young brother who only was permitted to use the poorest guns when they were not in use by the older hunters, struck out early one morning toward the Bill Funk woods south of town. He scanned the hillside and bottom clearing and was surprised to see three deer lying close together near where the Chicago and Northwestern railway outlines the field of my son, Frank.

He fired and killed one of them. The other two jumped to their feet and seemed to be bewildered but they did not run. John Thomas re-loaded and shot another one. The

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remaining animal leaped about in a circle, evidently at a loss what to do. The delay gave the boy ample opportunity to re-load and shoot the third deer.

The young hunter hurried home and related the exploit. His story was not credited at first, but members of the family finally accompanied him to the spot and helped to dress and bring home the carcasses.

Another morning before breakfast this brother shot seven geese. These early morning achievements with firearms may give the impression that women were not especially energetic in preparing a meal. It should be stated, however, that there was an abundant supply of game almost at our doors. It must be remembered likewise, that corn dodger was baked fresh for each meal, and fish or venison was fried at the fireplace for every morning repast.

John Thomas was the fisher of the family; with hook or spear he kept the table supplied when the trap was not in use.

The Skunk.

The family introduction to the pioneer polecat occurred one warm spring evening on the Eyer place. The little animal on a visit to the ox-stable presumably was stepped upon by one of the oxen. Such careless treatment evidently enraged the injured varmint for he liberally poured the vials of his wrath upon the unsuspecting ox and contiguous surroundings.

The critters were panic-stricken; and bellowing with fear they rushed wildly from shelter and sought immunity in the deep water of the creek.

The defense had been so well directed and so generously applied that it finally was decided to burn the stable. We considered ourselves very fortunate that the attack had not been made on a member of the family or the cabin.

The fire insurance agent had not invaded "these parts" at that time, consequently we were not prosecuted for arson.

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The field of action was cleared and the injured polecat located near his burrow. He was killed and the skunk-house dug open. Fortunately for the diggers the mother skunk was not at home, but the eight pretty kittens did not grow to the size to commit barn-yard depredations.

We did not sell skunk-skins during the early days, perhaps because we did not understand the art of capturing the fearless little varmint without arousing his wrath.

The Iowa Polecat.

A hunting tour to the vicinity of Bach grove was planned by "Hez" V an Dorn and Roll Brewer. One of the incidents of the trip was an experience with the Iowa polecat.

Preparations for short distance hunting trips usually were made to remain several days. Shelter was prepared with brush, wagon-box and quilts. After rising in the morning the boys rolled their bedding into a bundle and laid it aside to facilitate the work of cooking and gun-cleaning. As game was brought to camp during the day it was dressed and hung up to await the home-coming.

One evening when the boys returned to camp an uninvited guest with a delicately shaped head and a black and white fur coat occupied a seat of honor on top of the roll of bedding. Like the real aristocrat the little creature seemed quite undisturbed at the appearance of the hunters, and although they made frantic but gentle efforts to dislodge him the skunk maintained his position.

Finally, in desperation, Hez declared that the little visitor would have to make a trip by the rifle route, but which man should be the executioner? Neither one wanted to assume the responsibility of missing or wounding the polecat. They drew cuts for the chance. Roll won; seized his gun and with the warning caution from Hez: "For God's sake don't miss him!" he fired and the skunk instantly was killed. The accurate shot probably relieved the boys from the necessity of burying bedding, sacrificing the game already taken and the extra work of re-locating camp.

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Hunting and Trapping Record.

The young pioneer hunters seemed more enthusiastic in trailing game than their elders. Roll Brewer's highest record for one day's hunt was: five deer, a wolf and a fox. His highest record for one day's trapping was: four beavers, one otter, one mink, three polecats, two wolves and fifteen muskrats. The mink, otter and beavers were caught within a radius of about two rods square, at a point near the Illinois Central railway bridge.

Trapping work was much more tedious and tiresome than hunting. A greater degree of caution was required in tracking, and more patience was necessary in studying the haunts and habits of fur-bearing animals. To successfully locate, arrange and set traps, a natural skill is indispensable.

A good trapper could attend from thirty to fifty traps. They usually ranged over a trail of from fifteen to twenty-five miles a day. If catches were heavy the animals were skinned at once to relieve the trapper of the weight; otherwise they were hauled to camp on a hand-sled and taken care of after supper. Trapping camps were located in the fall and changed as often as fur-bearers thinned out. Trappers often remained from home several weeks, but I do not remember that we felt alarm at their extended absence.

Muskrats, Mink, Otter, Beaver.

Muskrats, like house-rats, seemed to follow settlement. They were not numerous when we arrived but within a few years a hundred muskrats a day were brought in from trapping and spearing.

The first muskrat house seen by us was a burrow of grass and dirt at a point near the Edward's Hole on the south bend of the river. Gradually thereafter their numbers increased. Later when beaver, otter and mink had been trapped off, muskrats were sought quite as industriously as the more aristocratic members of the fur-bearing family had been.

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Full grown muskrat hides, during the early years, brought but five cents apiece. The skins of kittens were sold for two or three cents and they had to be in prime condition to bring that price.

It was four or five years before the first house-rat appeared. He was tracked across the prairie for miles before he was caught and his identity revealed. The numbers of this branch of the rodent family increased almost with phenominal [phenomenal] rapidity, for they were not a commercial asset and were not trapped.

Our trappers made the mistake, the first season, of carelessly stepping in the runs of the fur-bearers along the banks of the creeks and through the grass, thereby delaying their success in trapping. Experience soon taught them that scrupulous care was necessary to mask trap-setting work and reduce to a minimum the man-smell about beaver, otter or mink haunts by wading in the water when practicable, instead of stepping on the bank.

Traps set under water at the foot of an otter slide were reasonably sure to catch the web-footed carnivore. The same tactics usually would secure the wary beaver. Mink, also, were peculiarly cunning in avoiding traps, and when caught would fight fearlessly for life. Many times the creatures gnawed away parts of the body to escape from a trap. Our first mink was caught a few rods north of the Chase mill site where there was a large sulphur spring.

The best hunting-grounds for beaver and otter were on the White-Fox, Beaver and Otter creeks. The large number of these animals did not indicate that they had been very sedulously trapped by the Indians, but they were quite as shy of the first trap set for them as at the hundredth attempt at capture.

Perhaps the three last beavers caught on Beaver creek were taken by Roll Brewer. The traps were set in the evening, as indicated above, at a point where the casteroids entered the water in the pond formed by their dam after leaving the burrow in the bank. In the morning the mother beaver and two kittens were captives.

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Mink skins sold in Des Moines for fifty cents each. Beaver skins brought two dollars, and up per pound according to the season and primeness of the pelts. The skin of a medium-sized beaver weighed a pound, or perhaps a little more. Otter skins were sold for seventy-five cents to a dollar a foot; and the trapper, accordingly, stretched the skin to its lineal capacity. The longest otter-skin sold by our boys measured a little over seven feet from tip to tip-the end of the nose to the end of the tail.

Hides for Market.

The drying of flat hides for market was accomplished in this way. A square pole frame was used. Small holes were bored or burned through the poles at intervals of a few inches apart, and a skin was laced to the frame with basswood bark or buckskin thongs. The poles were spread apart and the hides stretched taut. They then were left to dry. When the number of hides outnumbered the poleframe supply they were nailed to the logs on the outside of the cabin and on the door. The hides from animals killed only a few days before a marketing trip were salted and bundled instead of being stretched and dried.

The uncut skins of smaller fur-producers such as beaver, otter, mink and coon, usually were stretched tightly over shakes which were trimmed to a point at one end where a hole was bored to facilitate hanging or carrying. Stretchers were removed when the skins were dry and used throughout the season. Occasionally the skins were pulled over a hickory withe which was bent into V-shape. The withe stretcher possessed the merit of being light and easily carried when suspended by a rope over the trapper's shoulder.

When special marketing trips were made, several teams were necessary. A number of the neighbors co-operated and a procession of loads were put into line say, two or three loads of venison, a load of green hides, a load of flat hides and a load of furs. The return trip from Des Moines

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or Dubuque meant almost as heavy a consignment of home supplies. There never were any "one-way" empty wagons for pioneers.

Tanning.

Tanning was a little out of our line although we were compelled to do some of it. When Mam happened to have an inferior kettle of soft-soap it was turned over to the men folk for use in tanning. Hides were immersed in the soapy solution to remain until the fur or hair could be slipped off together with the very thin outer skin. Occasionally the young boys slipped a squirrel or small varmint's skin into the regular soap barrel. If removed before the hair slipped the women folk were none the wiser, but if left a trifle too long and hair was discovered in the soap there was something doing in the jacket-dusting line.

The regular tanning work was a long process of fermentations and soaking in ash, alum or lime water after the brains of the animal to which the hide belonged had been pounded into its inner surface. There was the interminable washing and cleansing process and the bath in an oak-bark brew as a finisher. The "brains" treatment was said to firm and full the skin, and packing in dried fowl manure or dog dung was the method of softening the leather.

Finishing the skins after the wet process was no small undertaking. They were pounded, pulled, scraped, stretched, rubbed and twisted to insure pliability. This work was done by men, women or children, at any time or place and by any means or method which promised the greatest speed and excellence. The Indian color and smell were imparted by means of a huge smudge set in the smoke house. Deer hides were our most satisfactory tanning material.

Scraping Horse.

Fresh skins, or those in the process of tanning, were taken to a "scraping-horse" when it was necessary to

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remove flesh or fat from the raw surface. The "horse" was made from a piece of puncheon. Two holes were bored in the flat surface of the slab and pole-legs were inserted in them. This raised one end of the "scraping-horse" about three feet high while the other end rested on the ground. The hide was placed on the smoothed, rounded upper surface of the puncheon with hair or fur side down. The operator, with a dull draw-shave scraped from, instead of toward himself, until the skin-surface was cleared of fat or meaty adhesions.

A wolf-pelt apron, skin side out, was worn for hide cleaning. The apron prevented some damage to clothing from grease or the tanning solution. It was used all the year round -- or until it disintegrated.
I have made hundreds of pairs of beaver, otter, coonskin, sheepskin, calfskin, dogskin and buckskin mittens and gloves by hand. The work was continued until machine made hand-wear and the scarcity of home produced skins necessitated its discontinuance.

Glove and mitten sewing were done with the hand backstitch-one at a time, each stitch ahead overlapping the one behind it. The seams were welted which made three thicknesses of skin to be sewed through. Waxed linen thread and a three-cornered needle were used, and if the needle slipped while pulling the stitch through, a deep cut across the thumb and forefinger was the result. When finished these articles did not rip. Glove turning was a long and tedious work. Beaver, coon, or otter backs with home-tanned buckskin palms sold for $10 a pair. Later the dogskin backs and calfskin fronts were much cheaper.

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Chapter 7