ich is always open
in the warm house, and dive out under the outer edge and away they go
under the thick ice to the kitchens, which are so cunningly hid away.
There they quietly remain and breathe the air, which is necessary as it
comes through the light snow, and through the rushes and reeds, from
which they keep the ice. When the noise is over and the beavers think
that their enemies have gone, they go back to the house. If the
invaders have much destroyed the house, the beavers desert it entirely
and live in these kitchens until the spring freshets come and melt and
carry away the ice.

Sometimes a large colony of beavers with a big house will have twenty
kitchens. If one is discovered they swim to another. We must remember
that the beaver, although an amphibious animal and able to remain quite
a time under water, requires fresh air, and so must go where he can get
it, or he will die. The length of time that a beaver can live under the
ice without air is a matter of dispute, even among the experienced
hunters themselves. They all, however, agree in saying that, when
beavers find all of their retreats cut off, as a last resort they come
up to the ice and breathe out the air in their lungs against the ice,
and then, when it is good, they breathe it in again. But the trouble is
that they lose some air bubbles each time, and so they soon become
exhausted and die.

In the meantime, while these interesting explanations were being made to
the boys the Indians had commenced their operations. They had cut down
a couple of small green birch trees which were eight or ten inches in
diameter. Then they cut off lengths of about eight feet each. On these
they vigorously set to work with their axes, and so cut or trimmed these
down, except a foot or fifteen inches at one end, so that when finished
they were like gigantic pounders.

With these made and thrown over their shoulders they took their way to
the pond, only carrying in addition the two little dogs. When the pond
was reached the little dogs were set down in the snow near the edge. At
first they only moaned and shivered and begged to be again taken up by
their masters. These, however, had no intention of doing anything of
the kind.

"Umisk! Umisk!" they excitedly cried, and soon this Indian word for
"beaver" began to have its effect upon the dogs. Pricking up their
ears, they began running about, until at length, with a couple of yelps
of triumph, they wer