THE MUSKRAT AND ITS HOME 



the summer pulled well down over my ears 

 and had a string of steel traps over my shoulder. 

 It was with much suppressed excitement that 

 we walked noiselessly on tip-toe to a large hut, 

 Joe whispering to me under his breath that he 

 was looking for the frost-patch generally found 

 on the outside of the hut caused by the animals' 

 breathing. Ah ! there it was and he crept 

 closer with the handle of his spear held high 

 above his head. Crash went the fork into the 

 earth. And immediately after there was a 

 muffled splash! splash! splash! as three musk- 

 rats scampered into the water! I crept up to 

 Joe and whispered "didn't you catch him?" 

 Just then I noticed that he was pushing down on 

 the fork and as the handle swayed back and 

 forth I used the hatchet to chop away the top 

 of the hut and throw aside the earth. My eyes 

 met the gaze of a large muskrat with two very 

 small, wild eyes and his open mouth showing 

 four long protruding teeth and with excitement 

 and joy I fairly screamed, "Joe, Joe youVe 

 caught a rat." Then with one more chop the 

 back of a second one loomed up. I threw 

 down my hatchet saying " There are two, two 



