78 BEAVERS—THEIR WAYS. 
up the creek on a general tour of inspection. His im- 
pression seemed to be favorable for during the next 
summer two orthree small beaver families appeared and 
took possession of choice sites and builded themselves 
homes. This was too much for a lunkhead trapper 
who hearing of the new beaver colonies on Square 
Buttes Creek sallied out from the town of Mandan with 
asorry looking pony attached to a dog cart, followed 
by the usual give-away as to character—half dozen so- 
called wolf dogs. He madecamp onthe creek and 
and put himself down to business. The settlers had 
been advised of the man’s intention and before he had 
done much harm he was confronted by the sheriff of 
Morton County and landed in the Mandan jail. 
The vigilence of the citizens of Square Buttes Creek 
is to be commended for their interference on behalf of 
the beaver colony there, and also for their promptness 
in nipping the evil intent of a boasted transgressor of 
the law. Acclean cut contrast to the indifference so 
often displayed in many other neighborhoods in sustain- 
ing just laws from transgression, or even in pronounced 
sympathy with the acts of the transgressor. 
All honor to the leading citizens of Square Buttes 
Creek in their methods.of curbing and suppressing out- 
lawry in its incipiency and thereby holding the whip 
hand over the cowardly and heartless braggarts who so 
continually find some excuse to defy laws made to pro- 
tect the helpless and within the province of the humane. 
