I ran forward, and just as I got up to the hut, out darted the thief,
almost knocking me over; before I could recover myself it had made its
way round to the back of the hut. I sprang to one side, hoping to get a
shot at him, but he had disappeared. We hurried in, when we found our
beaver-skins scattered about, most of them being so gnawed as to be
utterly valueless.

"This will be an annoyance to your uncle; but we may congratulate
ourselves on having secured a fine bear and deer-skin, which will make
some amends for our loss," he observed.

We had just made up our fire, and stuck the meat on spits to roast
before it, when Uncle Denis and his companion arrived, with a dozen more
beaver-skins.

As soon as the meat was cooked, we sat down and made a hearty meal,
during which we told Uncle Denis of our loss.

"We must take care that the cunning rogue does not play us such a trick
again," he observed; "should it find out your venison and hear's meat,
it will leave us but a small share by the morning."

"Then we shall be wise to bring both into the camp to-night," said the
Dominie; "if anyone will accompany me, I will go and get them."

Dan and I at once offered to go, and Dio begged that he might accompany
us. We were just in time to catch sight of a wolverine climbing up the
tree to which we had secured the bear-skin. Mr Tidey fired, but the
animal leaped off a bough from a considerable height, and scampered
away, as far as we could see, unwounded.

While Dio and Dan were packing up the meat Mr Tidey and I hastened on
to where we had left the venison.

On this occasion the wolverine had been too quick for us. He must have
gone direct to the spot, for we saw him busily engaged in devouring our
meat. On hearing us approach he decamped, carrying off a joint in his
jaws, so that scarcely one load remained. We secured this, and then
rejoined the black and my brother; and the former carrying the bear-skin
in addition to a huge ham, we returned to the camp. Uncle Denis had
been busily employed in forming a trap in which he hoped to catch the
depredator. He finished it off by the light of the fire. It consisted
of two heavy beams with holes in them, and so placed that the upper
would fall down on the bait being touched, and kill the animal. That
the wolverine, should he fail to be caught by the trap, might not
revenge himself by destroying our skins or carrying off our meat, we
constructed a strong framework