226 TJie Home of tJie Wolverene and Beaver. 



pressed onward eagerly when a trap was sighted, 

 the Canadian following more leisurely with the 

 sleigh. To the young man's great delight the 

 " fall " was down, and sure enough under it lay a 

 few scattered flecks of fur, but the animal from 

 whence they came was absent. 



" Some other animal must have eaten the marten 

 after it was caught ; a wolf, I dare say. No, that 

 is never a wolf," he muttered, noticing a large foot- 

 print in the snow, " it must be a bear. Pierre," he 

 shouted, " come along quickly. A bear has robbed 

 the trap. Here arc his tracks." 



The Canadian hurried fonvard, and soon saw the 

 state of the case. 



" Ce n'est pas un ours, c'cst tin carcajou, et tout 

 est perdul' he said in a tone of extreme vexa- 

 tion. "We can go back to camp now. Monsieur 

 Paul for the carcajou he rob every trap," and, 

 irritated beyond measure, honest Pierre gave vent 

 to some rather unparliamentary language in the 

 various tongues of which he was master. 



"What is a carcajou}" asked Paul, "I never 

 heard the name before." 



" C'est un voleur, a thief," replied the exasperated 

 trapper; "you English call him the wolverene." 



" Oh, a wolverene. But perhaps it is caught in 

 one of the ' falls.' " 



