THE MEPHITIS-MEPHITICA 289 



writer spent the most of the time in penning some 

 notes. On account of the quiet in the cabin, Mrs. Me- 

 phitis thought it was empty, and she therefore loped 

 around the front, but always kept a weather eye on 

 the front door. 



" Now," says I to myself, " I'll get my rifle, lay it on 

 the table cocked and ready for use, and the first time 

 she crosses the dead line of five yards from the cabin 

 I'll blow her head off ! " 



All of that afternoon we played a duel you'll ob- 

 serve we didn't fight one, but just played one for 

 she kept such a sharp eye upon my movements that 

 whenever she appeared near the dead line, and the 

 slightest move on my part was made to elevate the 

 rifle, like a flash she was in her burrow under the 

 cabin; and unto the end of our stay at that par- 

 ticular cabin she was really " monarch of all she sur- 

 veyed." 



We removed from the Bear Eiver cabin to one at 

 Swan Lake. We arrived there in a drenching rain- 

 storm, after fighting a head wind for several miles. 

 We built a fire, ate our supper, and, being very tired, 

 we went to bed early. It might be well to say right 

 here that this cabin in one respect was like most of the 

 others, in that everything was in dire confusion. 



It seems to be a universal practice among trappers 

 to leave their dishes unwashed, the frying-pans, buckets 

 and kettles in like condition and everything at sixes 



