The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1930-07-18

quick WOfk WITH Lu6 6u6I1y, dl
flying from her attack.
MY mother had great difficulty
in forcing her way through the
marsh to the scene of action, but
reached me at last; and we col
lected all the slain to show you.
and for the sake of their skins
This account excited my Curl
osity, and l went to examine the
place Ernest described: where l
4, found, to my surprise, an arrange
ment much like a beaver dam,
though on a small scale, and less
complete.
"You have discovered a colony
OF beaver rats" said I to Ernest,
$50 called from their resemblance
in skill and manner Of life to that
wonderful creature.
"Muskrat, musquash, and ondat-
ra are other names given to them.
They have, you see, webbed feet
and flattened tails, and we shall
find that they carry two small
glands containing the scented
substance called musk. The soon
err we strip off the skins the bet
ter; they will be useful for max
ing caps"
We went back to the house,
and met Fritz and Jack just re-
turned from their excursion, re-
porting that no trace of serpents,
great or small, had been met
with.
Jack carried in his hat about
a dozen eggs; and Fritz had shot
a couple Of heath fowls, a cock
and hen.
We sat down to supper, Franz
eager to partake of his capybara.
Even he himself made a face at
the peculiar flavor of the meat.
sit is the musk which you
TASTE" said I; and l described
to them the various animals in
which this strange liquid is found,
the musk deer, musk OK, croco-
die, muskrat of India (also called
soudeli, which taints a corked
bottle of wine, if it only runs
it,, concluding with an &c
count of the civet, called also
civet-cat.
"The civet," said l, lis a hand
some black and white animal,
and the perfume obtained from it
was formerly considered a valu-
able medicine; in the present day
it is used chiefly as a scent. This
odcriferous substance is %secreted,
e., formed, in a double gland
pouch near the tail, and the
Dutch keep the creature in cap
so that it shall afford them
continual supply.
THE method of removing the
civet perfume is Ingenious. The
animal is very quick and elastic
in it's movements, and having
sharp teeth it is not pleasant to
handle. So it is put into a long,
narrow cage in which it cannot
turn round, a horn spoon is then
introduced, and the perfume, a
thick, oily stuff something like
butter, is cody scraped from the
pounch, the plundered civit being
hen released from strait durance,
the supply is reformed"
Presently Jack ran for mis- game
bag, producing some fruit which
he had forgotten. Several pale
green apples, quite new to us, ex-
cited general attention.
why, what are those? Are they
l asked.
Il hope so, for we sadly want
something to take away the taste
If Franz's beast" said Jack: "but
and l were afraid of eat
ing some awful poison or other,
ike the manchineel, so we brought
them for the inspection of the
earned master Knips."
l took one and cut it in two,
'emarking that it contained a
circle of seeds or pips, instead
If the stone of the manchineel.
At that moment Knips slyly came
me. and %snatching up one
lalf, began to MUNICH it with the
iveliest satisfaction, an example
which the boys were so eager to
ollow that a general scramble en-
iued, and l had some trouble in
securing a couple Of the apples
or myself and their mother.
l imagined this to be the Gin
apple OF the Antilles.
Everyone seeming wearied by
he fatigue of the day, our mat
resses and pillows were arrang-
ID, and the inmates Of Woodlands
themselves to repose.
With early light we commenc-
d the next days journey, direct
ng our course to a point between
he sugar-brake and the Gap, I
there We had once made a sort
f arbor OF the branches of trees; {
S this remained in pretty good &
onditjon, we spread a sailcloth s
yer the top of it, instead of /
a tent, and made it very c
quarters for the short /
| proposed to stay there.
Our object being to search the c
eiehbOrhOOd for traces of the ic
'oa constructor. OF any OF his '
inbred, Fritz. Jack, and Franz i