148 .;. THE BEAVER. 



that it would take very well in England. Captain Sous- 

 ley informed me that beavers and otters were to be found 

 in all the tributaries to the Missouri, and I subsequently 

 heard that since the demand for their skins had decreased 

 those sagacious animals, the beavers, were becoming in 

 finitely more numerous than they had been of late years. 

 Captain Sousley also told me that on a still summer's 

 evening, by sinking the wind, he crept near enough to a 

 beaver dam to see the animals at work in cutting down 

 trees, and that it was perfectly astonishing to observe with 

 what rapidity they got through the substance of a good- 

 sized tree, and then, when it tottered to its fall, how they 

 congregated, just as men would do, on the safe side, and 

 reared themselves on their hinder legs to watch the effect 

 of their labours. 



On the last day of the voyage, one of the gentlemen 

 who had been very civil and attentive to me, instructing 

 me in the ways of the New World, and on all subjects 

 save that of a lottery, came out in a new light, displayed 

 a collection of tin and tinsel, and some very suspiciously 

 wilful dice which had a great inclination to rest on par 

 ticular sides, and with which the lucky caster was to win 

 u tremendous bargains." Of course I threw for nothing, 

 and while looking on I had to ask undoubtedly good 

 American gentlemen who did " put in" how they could be 

 such geese as to be so deceived ? They replied, laughing, 

 that they knew all about it ; but they were willing to lose 

 a little money for the purpose of passing the time. I said 

 then, I would have seen who could throw a dollar farthest 

 into the river, rather than let a lot of thieves think they 

 had "done" a gentleman. How I laughed in my sleeve ! 

 but nevertheless under a great inclination to stride up and 

 kick over the table, when I saw a fellow, whom I had 



