TJie Home of the IVolvci-ciie and Beaver. 243 



chisel, and the stakes driven in close to the apertures 

 by which the animals communicated with their 

 holes in the bank. Thus it will be seen that the 

 beavers were fairly pent in wherever they might 

 be : if they were in the bank, stout stakes prevented 

 their return to the lodges ; and if in the latter, 

 similar obstacles cut off their escape to the shore. 



" Now, Monsieur Paul^ we shall have bemuoiip de 

 travaille, plenty of work to keep us warm ; " and 

 thus saying, the Canadian seized his ice chisel — an 

 iron instrument resembling, but stouter than an 

 ordinary chisel, fitted to a long wooden handle — 

 and commenced a vigorous attack upon the summit 

 of the nearest lodge. It is perhaps difficult to 

 imagine that a powerful man, expert in the use of 

 his tools, should find it hard work to break through 

 the wood and plaster fabric erected by a few little 

 animals no bigger than an ordinary terrier, but 

 after half an hour of chipping and digging Pierre 

 was glad to relinquish the chisel for a few minutes 

 to his companion, the perspiration standing on his 

 brow in beads, which in a few seconds became little 

 studs of ice. An hour and a half elapsed before 

 the interior of the lodge was laid open, for it was 

 over six feet in thickness and frozen as solid as 

 granite; but at last the mterior was reached, and the 

 poor sleepy beavers dragged ruthlessly from theii 

 Q 2 



