A sea-otter may bring more, but I doubt it." "You've seen the pelts then ?" asked Eli, whose eyes were sticking out at this intelligence, for it seemed to him just then that a brisk trade in silver foxes was even more to be desired than a copper mine.
"Oh, yes, often, at a post where they were brought in.

Some are only seconds or thirds and worth far less than a first class article.

I remember one case that was pretty rough.

A trapper had a beautiful skin, that would have brought him a little fortune; but when the factor came to examine it he found it almost worthless on account of being torn by a charge of shot at close quarters." "That was a shame," declared Cuthbert, who was eagerly listening to all these remarks on the subject of trapping; "but if silver fox pelts are so very valuable I should think some enterprising fellow with an eye to business would start a farm and raise them for the market." "Just what I was going to say.

There would be big money in the deal if a fellow had the right ground, and bought a pair to begin with," exclaimed Eli.
"It's easy enough to get the ground.