CHAP. v. HABITS OF THE BEAVER. 71 



the little beaver ; but they generally wander in the sum- 

 mer. The old fellows are all away up and down the 

 river, hunting by themselves. About the end of August 

 they will gather together again, and work at their houses 

 and dams.' 



' What time of the year do you hunt beaver ? ' 



' I never go on purpose to hunt beaver, except to eat ; 

 their skins are not worth much only a shilling a pound. 

 In winter, when food is scarce, and we come on a beaver 

 dam, we sound it and find the beaver, and then cut them 

 out.' 



' What do you mean by sounding ? ' 



' Beaver,' Pierre replied, ' always make their winter 

 house on shore above the water-level, with a road leading 

 to it from the water ; perhaps the road under the ice and 

 in the earth is eighteen to thirty feet long. They keep 

 their food in the water above the dam, and live in a 

 warm house on shore. We hunters sound the ice close 

 in shore, and near the dam, to find the road to the house 

 where the beaver always run when alarmed. When we 

 have found the roads, or one of them - - for sometimes 

 there are many together we cut through the ice and 

 first stop the road. We then sound again, and find which 

 way the road runs, and then cut close to the house, and 

 pull out the beaver. But it is heavy work in winter, and 

 we only try to get them if nothing else is to be had.' 



' I suppose you always find the beaver on the small 

 rivers ? ' 



' No,' he said, ' not always ; sometimes on the lakes. 

 I once knew a beaver-house on a little lake between two 

 mountains, which had no outlet. I was sleeping in the 



