236 RECENT HUNTING TRIPS. 



beaver made a loud slap with his tail on diving 

 down close to my canoe, there was another 

 beaver sitting on the bank within twenty yards, 

 which was apparently undisturbed by the sound, 

 as it remained where it was and did not run 

 into the water. 



During the time we had been away up the 

 North Fork the beavers had done an immense 

 amount of w^ork, and had laid up enormous 

 stores of food in the shape of the upper 

 branches of the cotton wood trees which they 

 had felled in great numbers. These branches 

 were now packed under water, and extended 

 for many yards below the houses they had 

 built along the banks of the river, for the most 

 part only just above the water level. 



Neither Mr. Sheldon nor I ever attempted to 

 kill one of these beavers, as we had not the 

 heart to destroy such wise and industrious 

 animals. Most of them will, however, I fear, be 

 trapped during the next few years. 



The mild weather which had set in on 

 September 2Ith lasted until the night of the 

 29th, when the sky again cleared and it became 



