ers patch up the damaged places," laughed Raven Wing.

"I wouldn't care to be a beaver," said Hawk Eye. "It must be tiresome to
live under the ice roof of a pond. I've noticed how the beavers sport
and play when the ice breaks up."

Raven Wing turned on his heel and pointed to a beaver lodge. It stood
not far from the bank, its roof above the water line. Both boys were
well aware that the beaver builds the doorway to his lodge well below
the freezing line. As they both stood looking at the deserted lodge,
Raven Wing said; "Beaver often has two openings down deep in the water.
Through these hidden entrances he drags branches and pieces of bark up
to his dining room, which being above the water line, is dry and
comfortable."

"Come," said Hawk Eye. "Let us go back to our canoes now. We have seen
enough for today."

As they strode toward the Minnesota River, Raven Wing said; "I shall
trade some of my pelts for steel traps. With these we can catch the
beaver more easily than by spears."

"I will, too," said Hawk Eye.

"We will not have to bait the traps," went on Raven Wing. "Fearless Bear
tells me to merely rub them with some odor or essence of which the
animals are fond."

"That will be easy," grinned Hawk Eye.

Presently they rounded a bend in the little stream and came to the spot
where they had beached their canoes. To their dismay they found that
they had disappeared.

[Illustration: {Moccasins and headdress.}]

CHAPTER XI

TOEPRINTS IN THE SAND

For a moment the boys stood silent and uncertain. Hawk Eye was the first
to speak. "Follow me," he cried, and ran down the bank of the little
stream. He soon came to a sandy point where its waters mingled with
those of the Minnesota.

"Look," he said. "One of our heavy loaded canoes went aground here," and
he pointed to deep marks in the sand. "And here are the toeprints of the
thief who pushed them off."

"He has gone downstream with them," said Raven Wing. "His canoe was
probably caught in the swift current as it rounded the point and was
carried downstream before he could tow the canoes into the big river,
and his towline tightened across the point and grounded our first canoe
here. Then he came back and pushed it off and around the point."

"We must follow," said Hawk Eye. Keeping as close to the river as was
possible, the boys set off at an easy lope. Presently they were forced
to change their course, for the willows, cottonwoods, elms and sof