DO ANIMALS REASON? 113 



in the right position in the stream. Here the force of the run- 

 ning waters acting upon it soon carried the whole net do\vTi into 

 the open place as far as the two ropes fastened on the shores would 

 admit. Paj)anekis, after placing the best fish in his basket for 

 consumption in the mission house and for his own family, divided 

 what was left among the eager dogs that had accompanied him. 

 This work went on for several days, and the supply of fish con- 

 tinued to increase, much to our satisfaction. 



One day Papanekis came into my study in a state of great per- 

 turbation. He was generally such a quiet, stoical sort of an In- 

 dian that I was at once attracted by his mental disquietude. On 

 asking the reason why he was so troubled, he at once blurted out, 

 "Master, there is some strange animal visiting our net! " 



In answer to my request for particulars, he replied that for some 

 mornings past when he went to visit it he found, entangled in the 

 meshes, several heads of whitefish. Yet the net was always in 

 its right position in the water. On my suggesting that perhaps 

 otters, fishers, minks, or other fish-eating animals might have done 

 the work, he most emphatically declared that he knew the habits 

 of all these and all other animals living on fish, and it was utterly 

 impossible for any of them to have thus done this work. The 

 mystery continuing for several following mornings, Papanekis 

 became frightened and asked me to get some other fisherman in 

 his place, as he was afraid longer to visit the net. He had talked 

 the matter over with some other Indians, and they had come to the 

 conclusion that either a ivindegoo was at the bottom of it or the 

 meechee munedoo (the devil). I laughed at his fears, and told him 

 I would help him to try and find out who or what it was that was 

 giving us this trouble. I went with him to the place, where we 

 carefully examined both sides of the stream for evidences of the 

 clever thief. There was nothing suspicious, and the only tracks 

 visible were those of his own and of the many dogs that followed 

 him to be fed each morning. About two or three hundred yards 

 north of the spot where he overhauled the net there rose a small 

 abru}:)t hill, densely covered with spruce and balsam trees. On 

 visiting it we found that a person there securely hid from obser- 

 vation could with care easily overlook the Avliole locality. 



At my suggestion, Papanekis with his axe there arranged a 

 sort of a nest or lookout spot. Orders were then given that he 

 and another Indian man should, before daybreak on the next morn- 

 ing, make a long detour and cautiously reach that spot from the 

 rear, and there carefully conceal themselves. This they succeeded 

 in doing, and there, in perfect stillness, they waited for the morn- 

 ing. As soon as it was possible to see anything they were on 

 TOL. Lvi — 10 



