A Beaver Hunt.
The next morning, as soon as they had eaten their breakfast, the
trapper went to the door, and, after listening, and looking at the sky
a few moments, said:
"Youngsters, if we intend to ketch any of them beaver, we had better
do it to-day. We are goin' to have a storm as is a storm, an' afore
two days the woods will be blocked up so that we can't do no huntin'
at all."
Frank and George were eager to accompany the trapper, for
beaver-hunting was something entirely new to them; but Archie and
Harry concluded to make another attempt to capture the black fox; for
the trapper's description of his swiftness and cunning had rendered
him an object worthy of attention, and made the young hunters more
anxious than ever to catch him.
Frank and George drew on their overcoats, strapped their blankets fast
to their belts, and filled their haversacks. When all was ready, each
shouldered his gun and an ax, and followed the trapper from the cabin.
About noon they came to a halt on the banks of a large pond that lay
hemmed in on all sides by the trees. Near the center of this pond were
several objects of a conical shape, looking like drifts of snow. These
were the beavers' houses.
The boys were entirely at a loss to conceive how they were to go to
work to capture the beaver. If they began to cut through the houses,
the animals would take the alarm in a moment, and dive under the ice,
where they would be safe from all pursuit.
"I'll show you how it is done," said the trapper, who perceived that
they did not understand it. "In the first place, take your axes and go
and pound on every house you can see."
"Why, that will frighten out all the beaver," said Frank.
"That's jest what I want to do," said Dick; "but you must know that a
beaver can't live under the ice any longer than me or you."
He then went on to explain that the banks on each side of the pond
were supplied with "breathing-holes," which were dug into the bank,
and extended upward above the level of the water, and that the beaver,
when frightened out of their houses, would seek refuge in these holes,
where they could be easily captured.
"But how do we know where these holes are?" asked George.
"Easy enough," answered Dick. "All you have got to do is to go along
the bank an' strike the ice with an ax, an' you can tell by the sound
where they are. But I fixed all that when I first diskivered this
pond. I know jest where the holes are. Now, you go an' pound on them
houses, an' drive out the beaver."
The boys accordingly laid down their guns, and commenced an attack on
the dwellings of the beaver, when the animals at once plunged into the
water under the ice. After every house had been visited, and the boys
were satisfied that they had made noise sufficient to drive out all
the beaver, they returned to the place where they had left the
trapper, and found him engaged in cutting a hole in the ice close to
the bank. As the boys came up, he directed one of them to fasten his
hunting-knife to a long sapling for a spear, and the other to chop a
hole in the bank directly opposite to the one he had cut in the ice.
By the time the spear was finished, an opening had been cut down into
the "breathing-hole," and the hunters discovered three beaver
crouching in the furthest corner. Useless thrust his head into the
hole, and contented himself with barking at the game; but Brave
squeezed himself down into the opening among the beavers, and attacked
them furiously. The animals made a desperate resistance, and in a few
moments Brave backed out of the hole, with his ears and nose bleeding
from several wounds, which showed that the long teeth of the beaver
had been used to a good advantage. Frank gazed in surprise at the
dog's lacerated head, and exclaimed:
"There's something besides a beaver in there."
"No, I reckon not," replied the trapper. "Your dog is jest about as
keerless as you be, an' hasn't got no more sense than to pitch into
every wild varmint he comes acrost. You must understand that a beaver
can get up a tarnal good fight if he onct makes up his mind to it. An'
when you get one of 'em cornered up, it takes somethin' besides a
'coon dog to whip him."
Frank made no reply, and the trapper reached down with his long spear,
when one after the other of the beavers were killed and pulled out on
the bank. The attack on the houses was then renewed, to drive out any
of the animals which might have returned. In the next breathing-hole
two beavers were found, but only one was secured, the other making his
escape by plunging back under the ice. While they were cutting into
the next hole, a large mink suddenly popped out from under the roots
of a tree into which the trapper was chopping; and although George
made a frantic blow at him with the handle of his ax, he succeeded in
getting past him, and started across the pond toward the opposite
shore. The boys immediately went in pursuit, George leading the way,
and Frank following close behind him, brandishing his spear, and
shouting to the dogs, which were close upon the mink's heels. The
little animal made headway through the snow with a rapidity that was
surprising; but the long bounds of the dogs were rapidly diminishing
the distance between them, and when about half way across the pond,
Useless overtook and seized him. The boys increased their speed,
fearful that the dog might spoil the skin, which was one of the finest
they had ever seen.
"Useless!" shouted George, "get out! Drop that"----
He did not finish the sentence; for suddenly there was a loud crack,
and the ice opened beneath him, and he sank out of sight in the cold
water. Frank, as we have said, was following close behind him, and at
the rate of speed at which he was running, it was impossible to stop;
and the trapper, who had been watching the race, and had witnessed the
accident with an expression of great concern depicted on his
weather-beaten countenance, expected to see Frank disappear also. But
the young naturalist always had his wits about him, and summoning all
his strength, he sprang into the air, and cleared the hole into which
George had fallen, by an extraordinary leap, and landed on the firm
ice on the opposite side. George rose almost instantly, for he was an
expert swimmer; but his sudden immersion into the cold water seemed
to have paralyzed his limbs, and rendered him incapable of action.
Frank turned immediately and made a desperate clutch at George's long
hair; but he was too late, for the unfortunate young hunter again sank
slowly out of sight. Frank's mind was made up in an instant, and
hastily pulling off his fur cap and comforter, he unbuckled his belt
and began to divest himself of his overcoat.
"Take care now, youngster," exclaimed the trapper, who at this moment
came up. "Don't let George get a hold of you, or you'll both go down
together;" and Dick threw himself on his knees, and stretched his long
arm out over the water ready to catch George if he should come up
within his reach, while Frank stood upon the edge of the ice, ready to
plunge into the water the moment his companion should rise again.
But his intentions were anticipated; for at this moment Brave came
bounding to the spot, carrying the mink in his mouth. Understanding,
in an instant, that something was wrong, he dropped his game and
sprang into the water. At this moment George's head appeared at the
surface, and the dog seized him, when, to the horror of the hunters,
both disappeared together. But they arose a moment afterward, and
Brave, holding the rescued hunter by the collar of his coat, swam
toward his master, and George was drawn out on the ice, in a state of
insensibility.
"Here! here!" exclaimed Dick, running around to the place where Frank
was kneeling, holding George in his arms; "give him to me, an' you run
back an' get the axes."
The trapper raised his young companion in his arms as easily as though
he had been an infant, and started toward the bank at the top of his
speed; while Frank, after pulling Brave out of the water, ran back
after the axes, as Dick had directed. When he again found the trapper,
he was on the bank, kneeling beside George, and engaged in chafing his
hands and temples.
"Now, youngster!" he exclaimed, hurriedly, "if you ever worked in your
life, work now. Build a fire and throw up a shantee. We must get his
wet clothes off him to onct."
Frank, as may be supposed, worked with a will, knowing that the life
of his companion depended on his exertions. In a short time a roaring
fire was started, and a rude shelter erected, when George's wet and
frozen clothes were pulled off and hung up to dry, and he was warmly
wrapped up in blankets. The rubbing was continued a few moments
longer, when they had the satisfaction of seeing him open his eyes and
gaze about him. Dick now left the hut. In a short time he returned,
with a bunch of herbs in his hand, and soon afterward a cup of strong,
nauseating tea was pressed to George's lips, and he was compelled to
swallow the whole of it. He was then enveloped in more blankets, and
ordered to "go to sleep."
While Frank and the trapper were seated beside the fire, talking over
the accident, they heard the noise of approaching footsteps on the
crust, and presently Archie and Harry hurried up to the hut.
"What's the matter with George?" inquired the latter, hurriedly, for
he saw that Dick and Frank were the only ones at the fire.
"O, he got a duckin' in the pond, that's all," replied the trapper.
"Don't be alarmed. He's sleepin' nicely now."
"We thought somebody was drowned, sure," said Archie, "for we saw the
hole in the ice, and your guns and overcoats scattered about, as
though they had been thrown down in a great hurry."
In about an hour George awoke, and, of course, was immediately
assailed with innumerable questions. Among others, his brother asked
him why he didn't swim when he fell into the water.
"Why didn't I swim!" repeated George; "I couldn't move. It seemed as
though every drop of blood in my body was frozen solid as soon as I
touched the water. But where's the black fox you were going to bring
back with you? Did you catch him?"
Archie replied in the negative; and then went on to tell how they had
found the trail in the gully, followed it for a mile, then suddenly
lost it again, all efforts to recover it proving unsuccessful.
About the middle of the afternoon, George, declaring that he was able
to travel, was allowed to put on his clothes, and the hunters
shouldered their guns and started for home.
The sight of their snug little cabin was a pleasant thing to the eyes
of the trappers that evening, for the day's hunt had been a hard as
well as a profitable one. A fire was quickly started, and, while
their supper was cooking, George changed his wet clothes; and a strong
cup of coffee, as the trapper remarked, "set _him_ all right again."
After supper, how soft and comfortable their blankets felt! They lay
for a long time in silence, watching the sparks as they arose slowly
toward the opening in the roof that served as a chimney, and listening
to the whistling of the wind and the sifting of the snow against the
walls of the cabin; for the storm that the trapper had predicted had
already set in.