110 THE NORTH-WEST PASSAGE BY LAND. 



to preserve a straight course, and invariably began to 

 describe a circle, by bearing continually towards tlie 

 left ; and this weakness was quite incomprehensible to 

 La Eonde, who looked upon it as the most arrant 

 stupidity. 



Hitherto no wolverine had annoyed us, and we 

 succeeded in accumulating a nice collection of furs. 

 But at last, w^hen starting to visit our walk, we 

 observed the tracks of one of very large size, which 

 had followed our trail, and La Ronde at once declared, 

 "C'est fini, monsieur; il a casse toutes notres etrappes, 

 vous allez voir ;" and sure enough, as we came to each 

 in succession, w^e found it broken open at the back, 

 the bait taken, and, where an animal had been caught, 

 it was carried off. Throughout the whole line every 

 one had been demolished, and w^e discovered the tails 

 of no less than ten martens, the bodies of which had 

 apparently been devoured by the hungry and success- 

 ful carcajou. 



We had on a former occasion suspended small 

 poisoned baits, wrapped in old moccasins or other 

 covering, on the bushes at different points. One of 

 these the w^olverine had pulled down, unwTapped it, 

 and bitten the bait in two. Terrified at the discovery 

 that it was poisoned, he had rushed away at full speed 

 from the dangerous temptation. It was useless to set 

 the traps again, and we thereupon returned home dis- 

 consolate. La Eonde cursing, with all his might, " le 

 sacre carcajou." 



One day the crows, which always announced the 

 presence of any one on the lake by a tremendous 



