Wolverine 953 



absent Carcajou, ' I have outwitted you for once.' I lighted my 

 pipe, and proceeded leisurely to dig up the skin to place in my 

 muskimoot. I went clear down to the ground on this side and 

 on that, but no Lynx skin was there. The Carcajou had been 

 before me and had carried it off along with the carcase; but he 

 had taken the pains to fill up the hole again and make every 

 thing as smooth as before. 



"At Peel's River, on one occasion, a very old Carcajou 

 discovered my Marten road, on which I had nearly a hundred 

 and fifty traps. I was in the habit of visiting the line about 

 once a fortnight; but the beast fell into the way of coming 

 oftener than I did, to my great annoyance and vexation. I 

 determined to put a stop to this thieving and his life together, 

 cost what it might. So I made six strong traps at as many 

 different points, and also set three steel traps. For three 

 weeks I tried my best to catch the beast without success; and 

 my worst enemy would allow that I am no green hand in these 

 matters. The animal carefully avoided the traps set for his 

 own benefit, and seemed to be taking more delight than ever in 

 demolishing my Marten traps and eating the Martens, scatter- 

 ing the poles in every direction, and caching what baits or 

 Martens he did not devour on the spot. As we had no poison 

 in those days, I next set a gun on the bank of a little lake. 

 The gun was concealed in some low bushes, but the bait was 

 so placed that the Carcajou must see it on his way up the bank. 

 I blockaded my path to the gun with a small pine tree which 

 completely hid it. On my first visit afterwards I found the 

 beast had gone up to the bait and smelled it, but had left it 

 untouched. He had next pulled up the pine tree that blocked 

 the path, and gone around the gun and cut the line which 

 connected the bait with the trigger, just behind the muzzle. 

 Then he had gone back and pulled the bait away, and carried 

 it out on the lake, where he lay down and devoured it at his 

 leisure. There I found my string. I could scarcely believe 

 that all this had been done designedly, for it seemed that facul- 

 ties fully on a par with human reason would be required for 

 such an exploit, if done intentionally. I therefore rearranged 



