THE MISSOURI RIVER JOURNALS 99 



about forty feet. This passed, we entered a pond formed 

 by the contraction of the mouth and the collection of mud 

 and sticks thereabouts, the pond so formed being six or 

 eight feet deep, and about fifty feet wide, extending about 

 a mile up the river, which is very crooked indeed. For 

 about half a mile from the Yellowstone the shore is 

 lined with willows, beyond which is a level prairie, and 

 on the shores of the stream just beyond the willows are 

 a few scattered trees. About a quarter of a inile from the 

 mouth of the river, we discovered what we were in search 

 of, the Beaver lodge. To measure it was impossible, as 

 it was not perfect, in the first place, in the next it was so 

 muddy that we could not get ashore, but as well as I can 

 I will describe it. The lodge is what is called the sum- 

 mer lodge; it was comprised wholly of brush, willow 

 chiefly, with a single hole for the entrance and exit of the 

 Beaver. The pile resembled, as much as anything to 

 which I can compare it, a brush heap about six feet high, 

 and about ten or fifteen feet base, and standing seven or 

 eight feet from the water. There were a few Beaver 

 tracks about, which gave us some encouragement. We 

 proceeded to our camping-ground on the edge of the 

 prairie; here we landed all our baggage; while Basil 

 made a fire, Provost an^ I started to set our traps — the 

 two extremes of hunters, the skilful old one, and the 

 ignorant pupil; but I was soon initiated in the art of 

 setting Beaver traps, and to the uninitiated let me say, 

 ' First, find your game, then catch it, ' if you can. The 

 first we did, the latter we tried to do. We proceeded to 

 the place where the greatest number of tracks were seen, 

 and commenced operations. At the place where the path 

 enters the water, and about four inches beneath the sur- 

 face, a level place is made in the mud, upon which the 

 trap is placed, the chain is then fastened to a stake which 

 is firmly driven in the ground under water. The end of 

 a willow twig is then chewed and dipped in the ' Medi- 



