NOTES ON TRAVEL 277 



In these islands the beavers have their homes and live 

 practically undisturbed. They have been such good 

 friends to the Ranche that, so long as they confine their 

 operations to the trees on their islands and do not 

 attack those in the garden, they are not interfered 

 with, and are consequently, if not tame, at least practi- 

 cally without fear. Ramsay used to lie for hours in 

 the late afternoon hidden among the bushes on the 

 bank, with his sketch-book and his devoted little com- 

 panion, his nephew George Buchanan, and watch the 

 beavers at their work. The melting snow had doubtless 

 injured the dam and they were specially busy. The 

 actual scene of operations was not visible, as it was 

 hidden by vegetation, but on the islands the beavers 

 could be heard breaking branches and soon would swim 

 out trailing large boughs, which they took to the builders 

 and returned against the current, empty handed, or 

 rather empty-mouthed, for more. 



Before leaving Montana, he was asked to give a lecture 

 m Great Falls, the large town of the district and the seat 

 of a great copper industry. He never addressed a more 

 attentive or enthusiastic audience. The stay at the 

 Ranche was prolonged till about a week before the 

 opening of the Rice Institute at Houston, Texas. When 

 he had spoken about this part of his plan the usual 

 answer had been " I never heard of the Rice Institute. 

 Has it anything to do with the Rice murder ? " As 

 Ramsay had never heard of that, the conversation on 

 the subject dropped. Ramsay indeed knew very little 



