cted to laughing, almost split his sides.

We agreed to have a long ramble into the forest next day, my uncle
giving me leave of absence. He could not spare Mike, but he allowed
Quambo to accompany us.

"We can cook our dinner without him," I said; "though, to be sure, we
cannot expect to dress it as well as he would."

"Ah! Massa Mark, poor black fellow do one t'ing well; you do ebery
t'ing well," observed Quambo, with a grimace, by which he intended to
show that he was paying a deserved compliment.

We carried our guns, with provisions in our knapsacks to last us for a
day, although we expected to kill more game than we should want. As we
wished to make a long excursion, we started at daybreak; that is to say,
Reuben, Quambo, and I, with the dogs. Reuben had a great desire to see
a beaver settlement which I had once visited when we first came into
that part of the country; and I thought that I could find my way to it.
Quambo amused us, as we walked along, with all sorts of tales about
beavers, raccoons, opossums, bears, and other animals, with the habits
of which he was well acquainted.

The beaver is a good-sized animal, being two and a half feet long
exclusive of the tail, which is one foot more. It is of a deep chestnut
colour; the hair very fine, smooth, and glossy. The Indians use its
incisor teeth, which are very large and hard, to cut the bone or horn
with which they tip their spears. It is a rodent, or gnawing animal.
It has a broad, horizontal, flattened tail, nearly of an oval form,
which is covered with scales. The hind feet are webbed, and, with the
aid of the tail, which acts as a rudder, enable it to swim through the
water with ease and rapidity. Except in one respect, I do not know that
it can be considered a sagacious animal; but it is a marvellous
engineer, its faculties being employed in building houses, and in
forming dams for the protection of its village.

One of its chief characteristics is the power it possesses of producing
a substance termed "castor,"--which is contained in two bags, each about
the size of a hen's egg. This castor is peculiarly attractive to
beavers. They scent it at a distance, and invariably make their way
towards it. No sooner does the beaver discover the delicious odour than
he sits upright, sniffs about in every direction, and squeals with
excitement until he can get up to it. The trapper, knowing this, always
carries a supply of castor, or bark-stone;