THE PERSISTENT BEAVER 49 
beavers probably were making the best of a bad 
situation. 
Two days after the attack from the lion the 
beavers commenced cutting trees about fifty 
yards north of their pond. The beavers took 
pains to clear a trail or log road over which to 
drag their felled trees to the pond. Two fallen 
tree trunks were gnawed into sections, and one 
section of each rolled out of the way. A two-foot 
opening was cleared through a tongue of wil- 
lows, and the cuttings dragged into the pond 
and placed on top of the food-pile. 
One morning a number of abandoned cut- 
tings along this cleared way told that the har- 
vesters had been put to flight. No work was 
done during the three following nights. Tracks 
in the mud showed that a lion was prowling 
about. 
Pioneer dangers and hardships are the lot of 
beaver colonists. The history of every old 
beaver house is full of stirring interest. The 
house and the dam must have constant care. 
Forest fires or other uncontrollable accidents 
may force the abandonment of the colony at a 
time when the conditions for travelling are 
deadly, or when travelling must be done across 
the country. A score may leave the old home, 
but only a few survive the journey to the new 
home site. 
