able through the dreamy haze
of the cold wintry morning. He arrives at the beaver-lodges, and, I
warrant, will soon play havoc among the inmates.

His first proceeding is to cut down several stakes, which he points at
the ends. These are driven, after he has cut away a good deal of ice
from around the beaver-lodge, into the ground between it and the shore.
This is to prevent the beaver from running along the passage they always
have from their lodges to the shore, where their storehouse is kept,
which would make it necessary to excavate the whole passage. The
beaver, if there are any, being thus imprisoned in the lodge, the hunter
next stakes up the opening into the storehouse on shore, and so
imprisons those that may have fled there for shelter on hearing the
noise of his axe at the other house. Things being thus arranged to his
entire satisfaction, he takes an instrument called an ice-chisel--which
is a bit of steel about a foot long by one inch broad, fastened to the
end of a stout pole--wherewith he proceeds to dig through the lodge.
This is by no means an easy operation; and although he covers the snow
around him with great quantities of frozen mud and sticks, yet his work
is not half finished. At last, however, the interior of the hut is laid
bare; and the Indian, stooping down, gives a great pull, when out comes
a large, fat, sleepy beaver, which he flings sprawling on the snow.
Being thus unceremoniously awakened from its winter nap, the shivering
animal looks languidly around, and even goes the length of grinning at
Stemaw, by way of showing its teeth, for which it is rewarded with a
blow on the head from the pole of the ice-chisel, which puts an end to
it. In this way several more are killed, and packed on the sleigh.
Stemaw then turns his face towards his encampment, where he collects the
game left there; and away he goes at a tremendous pace, dashing the snow
in clouds from his snow-shoes, as he hurries over the trackless
wilderness to his forest home.

Near his tent, he makes a detour to visit a marten trap; where, however,
he finds nothing. This trap is of the simplest construction, being
composed of two logs, the one of which is supported over the other by
means of a small stick, in such a manner that when the marten creeps
between the two and pulls the bait, the support is removed, and the
upper log falls on and crushes it to death.

In half an hour the Indian arrives at his tent, where the dark