NATURE'S REALM. 31 
he goes straight as a line, and will on his next 
visit follow the same route; also, where he 
slides down a bank or over a rock into the 
water, he is sure to do so again in the same 
.place when he returns, although it may be 
months before he does return. He dearly loves 
to get at a beaver and will watch a beaver 
family for days, but he cannot conquer unless 
he gets the beaver at a disadvantage. The 
beaver’s scent is so much superior that he 
knows when Mr. Otter is near and Mr. Otter 
dare not attack if Mr. Beaver is in his house, 
or gets himself protected from a rear attack. I 
believe no animal except man has the knowl- 
edge or instinct of the beaver. Even to say 
that an animal can tell how a tree will fall, 
shows something more than instinct. In dam 
building why will they select one and leave 
others standing alongside just. as suitable, only 
doubtful if they would fall across the stream ? 
No doubt the wind may deceive them some- 
times, but they do not go wood-cutting on 
' windy days. 
Owing to the delay met by Joe he was over- 
taken by Fred when a couple of miles toward 
home. About noon they reached the barren, 
having a fisher and four marten. On sighting 
the barren a small-sized Bruin was seen busy: 
unearthing the remains of the caribou, and so 
busily was he employed that he knew nothing 
until Killdeer spoke, when he cleared across the 
barren on-the run, the Winchester speaking 
twice again. 
‘‘He won't go far,” says Fred. ‘Every ball is 
either in or through him.” 
Upon following the trail the blood was seen 
on both sides of the track, and one hundred 
yards in the woods Mr. Bruin lay dead. 
‘‘Hurry up” was now the word, and in fitteen 
minutes the hide was off and the carcass 
hoisted whole away up a spruce, the kettle 
was boiling and Fred was ripping the skins 
from the fisher and another lynx who got in a 
trap here. Leaving all but the light skins they 
again started for the home camp, and by the 
time they reached it they were pretty well 
loaded, having noless than twenty-two marten. 
Another council of war was now held, as the 
first line of traps must he looked over. Three 
days for one of them, sure. The water fur 
traps required to be taken up and the skins trom 
the barren and meat must come home. Finally 
it was decided that Joe should go on the first 
line and Fredshould finish a toboggan, bush out 
the track and bring a load from the barren. 
Although tired out it was agreed that the mar- 
ten skinning should be performed before day 
and the rest of it devoted to preparations ab- 
solutely necessa y. Johnny-cakes, toboggans, 
wood-cutting, preparing and bending bows for 
snow-shoes, cleaning any dirty skins, making 
an axe handle and lots of jobs kept them busy. 
I may here describe the food while traveling : 
Some hunters carry two kettles—one to make 
their pancakes in carrying a bag of flour and fat 
of some sort, or pork ; the other kettle for the 
tea. These boys always had sufficient cakes 
baked hard with fat in them ; also a piece ot 
fat, clear salt pork, from which a slice was cut 
and held to the fire on a wooden skiver or 
branch. If grouse happened to be killed they 
were generally kept for breakfast and roasted 
in the hot ashes from the over-night’s fire. 
Of course in camp, stews, steaks, hearts, beaver 
tails, along with fried trout, was the menu, and 
not at alla bad one. 
The next morning good-bye was said by Joe 
for three days, Fred giving himself two to the 
barren and return. His toboggan having two 
long, flexible shafts attached with thongs com- 
ing under his arms, with a strap across his 
breast, the rifle, blanket and cakes all rolled to- 
gether and tied on left his arms free to use the 
axe on any bush necessary to cut in his way. 
If a trap needed fixing or a martin was to be 
taken out and hung up no time was lost, and 
Fred strode his six or seven miles, clearing his 
track by noon. Loading up with two quarters 
of the young cow, two bear hams and the three 
skins, he turned for home. Another lynx and 
five marten paid his wages for the day. Next 
day he haired the caribou skins, cutting them 
into thongs and placing them in steep to weave 
into the snow-shoes, which would soon be. re- 
quired. The following day, as it was soft and 
fine, Fred manned the canoe and lifted all the 
water fur traps on the lower line of the river, 
getting two beaver, one otter,. five minks -and 
a dozen muskrats. Upon getting home he 
found Joe had just got in after a hard siege, 
