the noise of some animal scrambling through the window into
their cabin and rummaging in the dark among the provisions. The
Frenchman sprang for a light and Sandy got hold of his gun.

"Losh, mon, it's a wee bit beastie a' strip't black and white wi' a tail
like a so'dier's cocade!"

That information brought the Englishman to his feet howling, "Don't
shoot it! Don't shoot it! Leave that thing alone, I tell you!"

But Sandy being a true son of Scotia with a Presbyterian love of
argument wished to debate the question.

"An' what for wu'd a leave it eating a' the oatmeal? I'll no leave it
rampagin' th' eatables--I wull be pokin' it oot!--shoo!--shoo!"

At that the Frenchman flung down the light and bolted for the door,
followed by the English trader cursing between set teeth that before
"that blundering blockhead had argued the matter" something would
happen.

Something did happen.

Sandy came through the door with such precipitate haste that the topmost
beam brought his head a mighty thwack, roaring out at the top of his
voice that the deil was after him for a' the sins that iver he had
committed since he was born.

III

_Wenusk the Badger_

Badger, too, is one of the furs taken by the trapper on idle days. East
of St. Paul and Winnipeg, the fur is comparatively unknown, or if known,
so badly prepared that it is scarcely recognisable for badger. This is
probably owing to differences in climate. Badger in its perfect state is
a long soft fur, resembling wood marten, with deep overhairs almost the
length of one's hand and as dark as marten, with underhairs as thick and
soft and yielding as swan's-down, shading in colour from fawn to grayish
white. East of the Mississippi, there is too much damp in the atmosphere
for such a long soft fur. Consequently specimens of badger seen in the
East must either be sheared of the long overhairs or left to mat and
tangle on the first rainy day. In New York, Quebec, Montreal, and
Toronto--places where the finest furs should be on sale if anywhere--I
have again and again asked for badger, only to be shown a dull matted
short fawnish fur not much superior to cheap dyed furs. It is not
surprising there is no demand for such a fur and Eastern dealers have
stopped ordering it. In the North-West the most common mist during the
winter is a frost mist that is more a snow than a rain, so there is
little injury to furs from moisture. Here the badger is prime, long,
thick, and silky,