TRAVELLING WITH A BEAVER 71 



stopped he rose up as high as he could and looked 

 around. Sometimes he protested. This was 

 when the horse strayed away from me and went 

 beneath low limbs or entangled willows. 



Each morning as soon as I brought the pony 

 he came close and watched the proceedings. 

 Long before I was ready to lift him on the pack 

 he rose on hind legs, stretched himself to full 

 height, clawed the air rapidly with uplifted 

 forepaws, grunted, whined, and begged to be 

 lifted up. 



Each evening we camped by a stream. The 

 little beaver amused himself by playing, swim- 

 ming, and diving in the water. In his playing 

 he did so much diving that I finally gave him the 

 name Diver. This name he quickly learned, 

 and never failed to come when I called or when I 

 whistled for him. His hind feet were webbed 

 like the feet of a duck, while his forepaws were 

 more like those of a monkey. He often combed 

 his hair carefully with his fore claws. 



When playing alone Diver spent minutes at a 

 stretch with imaginary playfellows. He raced 

 or wrestled with them and occasionally simply 

 annihilated an imaginary enemy. He engaged 

 in serious constructive work. He would cut a few 

 little twigs, gnaw these into sections, and build a 

 tiny dam. Sometimes the twigs were piled in 

 the water as though being stored for winter food. 





