May 23, 1896.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
411 
While he Blept I vainly asked myself what motive 
could have impelled him to come through forty or fifty 
miles of bush to join me in suoh weather. The storm had 
lasted for three days. He must have slept out with- 
out shelter or protection against the cold, which was 
sufficient to freeze a polar bear, but a watch-fire — and I 
know what watch-fires are like: you freeze on one side 
and roast on the other. He must have walked for nearly 
three days, beating a road through the heavily falling 
snow, a heavy and fatiguing work, which when two or 
more hunters are together they take turns in doing with 
their snowshoes, to relieve each other. 
He had risked his life — a valuable life — and for what? 
A sprain, a broken limb, the loss of his match-box, any 
of these meant death. He was not the first priest I had 
seen facing death. I had seen them on the field of bat- 
tle. I had seen them return from China and Africa all 
broken up and bearing the glorious scars of martyrdom. 
But this one seemed above the others. No one saw him; 
no one would have understood his death; perhaps they 
would have blamed him or laughed at him and called 
him mad. I myself had thought so and, as I watched 
him, I felt ashamed of myself, for I knew him. But 
why had he come out to me? 
Meanwhile the partridge was roasted and I put the trout 
in the frying pan with some slices of pork, which sizzled 
cheerfully, while the tea gave out a pleasant aroma. I 
hesitated some time before awaking ray companion, but 
at last I decided to do so, for he required food more than 
sleep. 
In spite of his fatigue he awoke at once and ate a 
hearty meal. He then lit his pipe, while I rolled a cigar- 
BEAVER CATCHING FOR THE ZOO. 
[Concluded from page 89%.] 
Next day we cleaned out several dams below the main 
dam, took some of the support away from the base of 
that, and had everything in shape for an early start the 
next day. In the morning we had most of the work to 
do over again, but it did not take so long. As soon as the 
main dam was cut, we left one man there, while the 
other two put out the netting. Where it crossed the old 
channel we had to put in extra pieces, and had to stake 
some runways and also put in pieces of netting. We 
wanted to be sure that none would escape. I cut a chan- 
nel from the dam as deep as possible, but could not get 
the water next to the house less than 3ft. deep. Here 
too was where the cache was located. The main part of 
it was a little below the house and connected with it. 
Before we drew the water off it showed above the surface 
over 3ft. We had to move it out of our way. There was 
a great mass of it ; willows and quaking aep. Some of the 
aspen sticks were very heavy, weighing at least lOOlbs. 
All through the upper part of the cache were little 
bunches of willow and aspen twigs similar to those I had 
seen the Bmall beaver gather; they were wedged in here 
and there to hold them from floating. That romance 
about beaver sucking the air out of sticks they wish to 
sink will do to tell to the marines. We found the parts 
of the cache under water held together so that no stick 
Soon after getting the hole large enough, I crawled 
through into the room, and with a long willow drove a 
small beaver out to our net. This made two so far, and 
that was all we could find without cutting the house to 
pieces, I could not discover any more rooms, neither 
could we attempt to finish the house that day, it was so 
strongly made; so we searched some of the runways and 
holes above, up to the open meadow. It was late and our 
work had been hard; we were at it. from early in the 
morning, were hungry, wet, tired, and a bit discouraged 
with our poor success. We thought that possibly the 
other beaver had escaped. 
Next morning we went baek, and found some animal 
had gone up the creek over our nets, as they were benf 
down. We commenced to search all the holes carefully 
even getting down to look through after cutting holes 
through from the top. 
Jump and Hague were on the opposite side from me. 
I noticed a bit of discolored water running from one hole 
and called Hague's attention. He got down, looked up 
as far as he could, and then ran a willow up, and report- 
ed nothing there and the passages short. Jump called 
out from above that he had found a new dam. We left 
everything and went above. Sure enough, the beaver 
had put in a new dam in the night, raising the water so 
that the crpek was bank full above. The dam filled the 
creek, which here was 5ft. wide. 
Our tools, cages and dip net were brought up, and a 
short piece of netting put in above. We soon had the 
dam out, and commenced searching out all hiding places, 
but could find nothing. We were very much disappoint- 
ed with our want of success, and filled with a growing 
f 
OBSIDIAN CLIFFS AND BEAVER LAKE. YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, 
From Report United States Fish Commission, 
'ette and asked him the object of his visit. He would not 
answer, but turned the conversation to hunting and trap- 
ping, of which, like me, he was very fond. 
He expressed his regret at being unable to remain with 
me, but pleaded the necessity of returning at once, as one 
of his flock was dangerously ill and his services were re- 
quired at her bedside. 
He set out on the following day after breakfast. The 
wind had fallen, but the snow was soft and at each step 
our snowshoes sank 6 or 8in. in it. I left him at the end 
Of my line and came back to my tent, overhauling all my 
traps, which were buried in the snow. 
A month later a trapper, whose line was some miles 
above mine, passed by my tent and brought me a letter 
from my wife, whom I had left in the settlements. I then 
found out why my pastor had paid me a visit. 
I am one of those who are born to ill luck, and that is 
doubtless the reason why every year, at pretty nearly the 
same date, I am always reported to be dead or in danger 
of death. As a rul*, I am killed in summer during the 
season of navigation. This year, after having reported me 
drowned near English Point, a little below Natashquan, 
Dame Rumor, dissatisfied no doubt with her want of suc- 
cess in the warm weather, reported that I had hurt my 
foot, was without provisions and dying in the woods. 
My pastor heard of it and alone— for no one would accom- 
pany him in the storm — he had set out in the midst of 
the frightful blizzard and had risked his life to save mine. 
He had found me all right andjhad returned, without even 
hinting at the devotedness and spirit of self-sacrifice 
which had brought him to my side. 
I often think of him when the snow falls and the wind 
shakes the trees, and ever with a feeling of grateful af- 
fection. H. DB PUYJALOY. 
[Written for the Forest and Stream by Count de Puy- 
jaioy, and translated from the French by Crawford Lind- 
say.] 
The Forest and Stream is put to press each week on Tuesday 
Correspondent* intended for publication should reach us at IK 
test by Aft • »f*fl aftdat much earlier as practicable. 
could float unless it raised one lower down, until, where 
possible, the beaver had shoved the ends of the sticks 
under the banks and edge of the house. Some of the long 
and large sticks of aspen were placed against the pile, 
one end projecting above the surface of the water, and 
some very large but short ones were on top, high and dry. 
The cache was a very large one and would measure at 
least two cords, It had to be handled a stick at a 
time. 
When all bad been removed to the water level we 
started in getting the house ready for our hand net. All 
holes were closed except one next to the water, and part 
of the house cut away, with stake driven so that there 
was a runway to the net. A very large beaver had come 
out in sight when we first went to the house, and tried to 
drive us off, as it had the horses the day before, but it 
soon gave it up, going out of sight under water. 
Soon after starting to remove the top of the house we 
had a large beaver. This one showed considerable fight, 
chewing away at the wires of the netting, and diving at 
us when it thought it could reach us through the wires. 
Even after it was in the cage it would growl at us, 
and dash against the cage until it had hurt its nose so 
that it was quite bloody. This was the only beaver hurt, 
but not by our handling; we could not help its bumping 
itself if it wanted to. 
Soon Hague gave a yell and said, "Here's another little 
one!" When I got a look at it, it proved to be a muskrat. 
There were two of them. One went through one of the 
meshes, the other we let go. Several times we got these 
rats in our nets. I found them in all the large houses; 
they had independent runways and passages in the walls 
of the houses. I do not think they assisted at all in the 
work of construction, but let the beaver do it for them. 
I think they are careful to keep out of the beaver's way, 
and as they are small they can easily do so. In the shal- 
low parts of this same pond we Baw some muskrat houses, 
but did not examine them. 
It was a long time before we got into the living room 
of this house. AH the material was new and very long, 
well bound together, and plastered with mud ana moss, 
admiration for the cunning animal we were after. Jump 
felt sure the beaver must be still in the house; Hague 
thought they had gone out of the country; I had hopes of 
finding them, as they had spent part of the night putting 
in the dam. So we divided our work. One took tools to 
the house; I with the shovel and a willow hunted out 
holes on one side, and Hague on the other. 
We looked into every possible hiding place until I came 
to the hole where I had seen the discolored water. The 
entrance was wide and low. I cut part of it away with 
the shovel, got down in the mud, so that I could feel 
around with a short stick and use a long one too. I found 
the end of one hole — the one Hague said there was noth- 
ing in — and could whip around with the stick and hear it 
strike the ground. Feeling in with a short stick, I found 
another passage leading off to the right, and running my 
long willow up that I found it was crooked, bending 
more to the right; but I could feel something soft at the 
end, either mud or an animal. I twisted the stick a bit. 
and then looking at the end found two fine hairs. I 
called to Hague to bring the net and Jump to bring an 
axe. Hague could not believe there was anything in the 
hole until he had felt in with a willow. Then he con- 
cluded there was a beaver or muskrat. 
By measuring the length of the hole, and getting the 
end located, I found its end under a bunch of willows. I 
cut the roots so that I could use the shovel, and com- 
menced to dig, surface water filling the hole as fast as I 
took out the peat-like soil. Getting down to where I 
thought the hole ought to be, I commenced to shave off 
the sides with the shovel, when suddenly all the water 
disappeared, showing me a bit of fur for an instant. We 
now had to enlarge the front end, so that we could prop- 
erly place our net. When all was ready I carefully 
pushed my shovel in and very slowly a small beaver 
walked into the net. We waited until it got to the end, 
then raised it. Hague said, "Halloo, Pete! what do you 
think of this?" The little fellow sat up just as the first 
one bad done, its little hands closed and held as though it 
was going to raise them to beg of us not to hurt it — to 
spare its life, It was not sure which one of the three of 
