186 CANADIAN WILDS. 



aged my bark canoe over the divide into an- 

 other chain of lakes, with the object of ascer- 

 taining if there were any beaver in that section. 

 I came out to the shore of the lower lake of 

 the string, in a small grassy bay, and was just in 

 the act of taking the canoe off my head, when 

 out in the bay, an acre or two from shore, I saw 

 a beaver swimming on the surface at a high rate 

 of speed. Being yet early in the afternoon I 

 wondered at this and waited, with the canoe 

 still tilted on my shoulders. All at once a long, 

 shiny, snaky looking animal broke water in the 

 wake of the beaver and a short distance behind 

 the latter, evidently in pursuit. 



The beaver was no sooner aware of this than 

 he appeared actually to stand half out of the 

 water, the next instant he turned and faced his 

 pursuer. The distance between the two was so 

 short that in a moment they were fast to each 

 other's throat and then for some minutes neither 

 could be seen for the churning and splashing of 

 the water. I took the opportunity while they 

 were thus engaged to unload my canoe and slip 

 it half way into the lake ready to embark. 



After the first fierce fighting impact and 

 deadly grip, when they appeared pretty well ex- 

 hausted the fight going on at times on the sur- 

 face and again both would disappear beneath 

 the waters of the lake, still locked together with 



