y were
now reduced to a scanty ration of jerked venison.

At last they halted one day by the side of a brook and pitched their
wigwam. Then leaving the women to cut wood and put the camp in order,
the two Indians shouldered their guns and axes, and made signs to Bob
to follow them, which he gladly did.

They ascended the frozen stream for several miles, when suddenly they
came upon a beaver dam and the dome-shaped house of the animals
themselves, nearly hidden under the deep covering of snow. The house
had apparently been located earlier in the season, for now the Indians
went directly to it as a place they were familiar with.

Here they began at once to clear away the snow from the ice at one
side of the house, using their snow-shoes as shovels. When this was
done, a pole was cut, and to the end of the pole a long iron spike was
fastened. With this improvised implement Sishetakushin began to pick
away the ice where the snow had been cleared from it, while Mookoomahn
cut more poles.

[Illustration: "It was dangerous work"]

Though the ice was fully four feet thick Sishetakushin soon reached
the water. Then the other poles that Mookoomahn had cut were driven in
close to the house.

Bob understood that this was done to prevent the escape of the
animals, and that they were closing the door, which was situated so
far down that it would always be below the point where ice would form,
so that the beavers could go in and out at will.

After these preparations were completed the Indians cleared the snow
from the top of the beaver house, and then broke an opening into the
house itself. Into this aperture Sishetakushin peered for a moment,
then his hand shot down, and like a flash reappeared holding a beaver
by the hind legs, and before the animal had recovered sufficiently
from its surprise to bring its sharp teeth into action in
self-defense, the Indian struck it a stinging blow over the head and
killed it. Then in like manner another animal was captured and killed.
It was dangerous work and called for agility and self-possession, for
had the Indian made a miscalculation or been one second too slow the
beaver's teeth, which crush as well as cut, would have severed his
wrist or arm.

There were two more beavers--a male and a female--in the house, but
these were left undisturbed to raise a new family, and the stakes that
had closed the door were removed.

This method of catching beavers was quite new to Bob, who had a