28 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 



geese in the vicinity of this lake, but none 

 of the migratory birds appeared near the 

 houses before the 15th, when some swans 

 flew over. These are generally the first 

 that arrive ; the weather had been very 

 stormy for the four preceding days, and this 

 in all probability kept the birds from ven- 

 turing farther north than where the Indians 

 had first seen them. 



In the middle of the month the snow 

 began to waste daily, and by degrees it dis- 

 appeared from the hills and the surface of 

 the lake. On the 17th and 19th the Au- 

 rora appeared very brilliant in patches of 

 light, bearing N. W. An old Cree Indian 

 having found a beaver-lodge near to the 

 fort, Mr. Keith, Back, and I, accompanied 

 him to see the method of breaking into it, 

 and their mode of taking those interesting 

 animals. The lodge was constructed on 

 the side of a rock in a small lake, having 

 the entrance into it beneath the ice. The 

 frames were formed of layers of sticks, the 

 interstices being filled with mud, and the 

 outside was plastered with earth and stones, 



