88 CANADIAN WILDS. 



Describing the mode of killing beaver would 

 not be complete unless we explained that of 

 "trenching." This method of killing them is 

 largely practiced by the Indians after the lakes 

 and rivers are frozen over. I cannot do better 

 than to describe a small lake that \Va-sa-Kejic 

 and I went to trench in December. This beaver 

 lodge I had found the very last day of open 

 water, for that night the wind turned round 

 north and froze up everything! As it was close 

 to the post, and I had found it, I simply made 

 a bargain with Wa-sa-Kejic to do the trenching 

 for a pound of tea. In those days tea was tea 

 in the remote interior, and meant many a cheer- 

 ing cup to the Indian. 



Wa-sa-Kejic whistled his dogs after him 

 when we left camp in the morning. The lake 

 lay in the hollow of a mountain of considerable 

 height, and could be compared to an inch of 

 water in the bottom of a teacup. Before we 

 were half down the precipitous sides we saw the 

 dogs nosing around the shore, scenting for the 

 beavers in their "washes" or breathing holes. 

 Wa-sa-Kejic, when he cast his eye around the 

 small body of water, said, "This is an easy lake, 

 and the beaver will soon all be dead." 



He now produced an ordinary socket chisel 

 of 14 in. point, and in a few minutes had this 

 handled with a young tamarak about 6 ft. long. 



