^4 Some New Foyages 



on in the World, both for Pleafure and Profit, and 

 that afforded great plenty of Otters, of the Skins of 

 which they mean'd to make a great Cargoe. Ac- 

 cordingly we puird down our Hutts, and having 

 imbarqu'd in our Canows, faiPd up the River, til! 

 we came to a little Lake of two Leagues in Circum- 

 ference, at the end of which we faw another grea^ 

 6r Lake* divided from this byanlfthmus of iyo 

 Paces in length. We pitched our Hutts at the di- 

 ftauce of a League from that Ifthmus ; and fome 

 of the Savages filh'd for Trouts, while the reft were 

 imploy'd in laying Traps for the Otters upon the 

 brinks of the Lake. Thefe Traps are made of five 

 Stakes plac'd in the form of an oblong Quadrangle^ 

 fo as to make a little Chamber, the Door of which 

 is kept up, and fupported by a Stake. To the mid- 

 dle of this Stake they tye a firing which paffes thro* 

 a little fork, and has a Trout well faften'd to the 

 end of it. Now, when the Otter comes on fhoar, 

 and fees this bait, he puts above half his Body in- 

 to that fatal Cage, in order to fwallow the Fifh $ 

 but he no fooner touches, than the firing to which 

 'tis made faft pulls away the Stake that fupports the 

 Door, upon which an heavy and loaded Door falls 

 upon his Reins and quafhes him. During our Pil- 

 grimage in that part of the Country, the Savages 

 took above two hundred and fifty Canada Otters ; 

 the Skins of which are infinitely prittier than thofe 

 of Mufcovy or Sweden. The beft of J em which are 

 not worth two Crowns in this place, are fold in 

 France for four or five, and fometimes for ten, if 

 they are black and very rough, As foon as the Sa- 

 vages had fet their Traps, they gave orders to their 

 Slaves to go round the Lake every Morning, in or- 

 der to take out the amphibious Animals. After 

 that they conduced me to the above-mention'd Ifth- 

 mus, where I was furpriz'd to lee a fort of a Park 

 ©r Fence made of Trees, one upon another^ 



