JAKE AND THE CARCAJOU. 195 



At the distance of some sixty yards, a dark-brown 

 animal was busily engaged in dragging from the water 

 the body of another animal, not much inferior to himself 

 in size. It was the wolverine, busied in his customary 

 practice of counter-working the trapper's ingenuity. 



Old Jake slowly brought Plumcentre to his shoulder, 

 and at the crack the nefarious beast sprang from the 

 ground and turned over dead. The report of the rifle 

 awoke both Pierre and Gaultier ; and seeing their 

 veteran companion standing on the beach, they soon 

 rejoined him, and congratulated him on his morning's 

 work. After stripping the wolverine of his shaggy 

 hide, the party returned to the camp, and prepared 

 breakfast, during which old Jake recounted the details of 

 his approach upon the carcajou in his own peculiar style. 



This was a busy day with the trappers. A visit to 

 their traps entailed the circuit of both lakes, which 

 occupied them until mid-day, by which time they had 

 secured a large number of beavers ; and the skinning of 

 these gave them ample occupation until evening. 



After setting their traps afresh, they set out on their 

 return to their camp by the Athabasca, intending to 

 revisit the lakes on the following morning. It was 

 late when they left the silvan lake and plunged among 

 the forest shades on their way to the Athabasca. 



The prolonged twilight of these northern regions 

 rendered objects sufficiently visible, even at some dis- 

 tance, in the open glades; but within the woods the 

 heavy shadows of the spruces eclipsed whatever re- 



(786) 13 



