234 WAITING IN THE WILDERNESS 



Scratch himself. 



Brush flies off his nose. 



Comb his fur with a double claw. 



Whack the water with his tail. 

 These and other things seen in colonies the year 

 round, the work and play of Mrs. and Mr. 

 Beaver and the little beavers, gave me an excel- 

 lent knowledge of beaver life. 



While still a boy, a man came along and 

 wanted someone to show him a beaver colony. 

 I showed him three, and took all day for it. 

 He asked questions about beaver life I kept 

 track, and it was forty-seven all but three of 

 which I readily answered, and in addition told 

 him many things that I had seen of beaver life, 

 which he did not ask about. 



Two months later this man sent a whole party 

 men and women, and boys and girls to me. 

 All wanted to see a beaver colony. We spent 

 the entire day in the Mora'ne beaver colony. 

 Through the years I kept on going to this colony 

 and on each trip I learned something new con- 

 cerning it. During the years I have written six 

 magazine articles concerning this one beaver 

 colony. 



A little later a New York newspaper man en- 

 gaged me to guide him to Chasm Lake. This 

 wild lake is on the side of Long's Peak and is 

 about 12,000 feet above sea level. On the way 



