164 ROMANCE OF THE BEAVER 



those which surrounded this beaver, keep him from 

 personal intercourse with his fellow men. For ten 

 minutes he remained thus, motionless except when, 

 as though no longer able to contain his misery, he 

 would bite the hard, cold bars of iron, as he had 

 bitten them every evening for three, long, weary 

 months. Did he imagine that perhaps some day 

 he would find the bars had softened and would 

 yield to his chisel-edged teeth, teeth that, were the 

 animal in his native land, would work their way 

 through anything save the stones or the cruel metal 

 of the merciless steel traps? These alone would 

 defy them. 



Wishing to examine more closely the interesting 

 animal I approached quietly, hoping not to disturb 

 him, but he felt uncertain of my intentions, and 

 before I had lessened the distance between us by 

 more than a few steps, he dropped on all fours, and 

 after regarding me curiously for a minute or two 

 turned and made for the water. Once there he 

 felt more secure, for at the slightest sign of danger 

 he would, as he had done many times in his far-oft 

 Canadian wilds, dive in and loudly slap the water 

 with his tail to warn his friends and then 

 instantly disappear from view beneath the water 

 and make straight for his burrow. His curiosity, 

 however, soon got the better of his natural timidity, 

 and out he came with the usual quiet splash and 

 dive. This time I stood near his regular landing 

 place, which was as clearly marked as an otter's 



