It was nearly November now; the fur was prime; then why not begin?
Because the weather was too fine.

You must have frosty weather or the creatures taken in the deadfalls are spoiled before the trapper can get around.
Already a good, big pile of wood was cut; both shanty and storeroom were chinked, plugged, and banked for the winter.

It was not safe yet to shoot and store a number of deer, but there was something they could do.
Snowshoes would soon be a necessary of life; and the more of this finger work they did while the weather was warm, the better.
Birch and ash are used for frames; the former is less liable to split, but harder to work.

White ash was plentiful on the near flat, and a small ten-foot log was soon cut and split into a lot of long laths.
Quonab of course took charge; but Rolf followed in everything.

Each took a lath and shaved it down evenly until an inch wide and three quarters of an inch thick.