20 MOOSWA 



under the ice nearly all Winter, and would be of 

 no more service to us than Muskwa that s the 

 real objection.&quot; 



&quot; My ! &quot; cried Beaver, patting the ground 

 irritably with his trowel-tail, &quot; one really never 

 knows just how vile he is till he gets running for 

 office. Besides, I don t want to be King I m 

 too busy. Perhaps sometime when I was here 

 governing the Council, Fra^ois, or another 

 enemy, would break my dam and murder the 

 whole family ; besides, it s too dusty out here 

 I like the nice, clean water. My feet get sore 

 walking on the land.&quot; 



&quot; Oh, he does n t want to be King ! &quot; declared 

 Jay, ironically. &quot; Next ! next ! Who else is there, 

 Frog-legged Carcajou ? &quot; 



&quot; Well, there s Muskrat,&quot; suggested Lynx ; 

 I like him.&quot; 



&quot; Yes, to eat ! &quot; interrupted Whisky-Jack. 

 &quot; If Wuchusk were King, we d come home some 

 day and find that he d been eaten by one of his 

 own subjects by the sneaking Lynx f Slink 

 it should be.&quot; 



&quot; You should n t say that,&quot; declared Black Fox ; 

 &quot; because you re our Mail Carrier you should n t 

 take so many liberties.&quot; 



&quot; I m only telling the truth. It has always 

 been the custom at these meetings for each one 



