SAMUEL HEARNE's ARTICLE ON THE BEAVER. 313 



plish, and is performed in the following manner: every maa being 

 furnished with an ice chisel, lashes it to the end of a small staff, 

 about four or five feet long; he then walks along the edge of the 

 banks, and keeps knocking his chisel against the ice. Those 

 who are acquainted with that kind of work will know by the 

 sound of the ice when they are opposite to any of the beaver 

 holes or vaults. As soon as they suspect any, they cut a hole 

 through the ice big enough to admit an old beaver, and in this 

 manner proceed until they have found out all their places of re- 

 treat, or at least as many of them as possible. While the prin- 

 cipal men are thus employed, some of the understrappers and the 

 women are busy in breaking open the house, which at times is 

 no easv task ; for I have frequently known these houses to be five 

 and six feet thick, and one in particular was more than eight feet 

 thick on the crown. When the beaver find that their habitations 

 are invaded, they fly to their holes in the banks for shelter ; and 

 on being perceived by the Indians, which is easily done by at- 

 tending to the motion of the water, they block up the entrance 

 with stakes of wood, and then haul the beaver out of his hole 

 either by hand if they can reach it, or with a large hook made 

 for that purpose, which is fastened to the end of a long stick. 



In this kind of hunting every man has the sole right to all the 

 beaver caught by him in the holes or vaults; and as this is a con- 

 stant rule, each person takes care to mark such as he discovers, 

 by sticking up the branch of a tree or some other distinguishing 

 post by which he may know them. All that are caught in the 

 house also are the property of the person who finds it. 



The same regulations are observed, and the same process used 

 in taking beaver that are found in lakes and other standing waters, 

 except it be that of staking the lakes across, which would be both, 

 unnecessary and impossible. Taking beaver houses in these situ- 

 ations is generally attended with less trouble and more success 

 than in the former. 



The beaver is an animal which cannot keep under water- long 

 at a time, so that when their houses are broken open, and all their 

 places of retreat discovered, they have but one choice left, as it 

 may be called, either to be taken in their houses or their vaults; 

 in general they prefer the latter, for where there is one beaver 

 caught in the house, many thousands are taken in their vaults in 

 the banks. Sometimes they arc caught in nets, and in the sum- 



