Original - North Central Michigan College Library

preparatory step. During this operation thefamily make their escape to one or more oftheir washes. These are to be discovered bystriking the ice along the bank, and where theholes are a hollow sound is returned. Afterof these indiscovering and searching manyvam we often found the whole family togetherin the same wash. I was taught occasionallyto distinguish a full wash from an empty oneby the motion of the water above its entranceoccasioned by the breathing of the animalsconcealed in it. From the washes they mustbe taken out with the hands; and in doing thisthe hunter sometimes receives severe woundsfrom their teeth. While a hunter I thoughtwith the Indians that the beaver flesh wasvery good; but after that of the ox was againwithin my reach I could not relish it. The tailis accounted a luxurious morsel.Beavers, say the Indians, were formerly apeople endowed with speech, not less than withthe other noble faculties they possess; but theGreat Spirit has taken this away from themlest they should grow superior in understandingto mankind.The raccoon was another object of our chase.It was my practice to go out in the eveningwith dogs, accompanied by the youngest sonof my guardian, to hunt this animal. Theraccoon never leaves its hiding placetill aftersunset.As soon as a dog falls on a fresh track of the128