6 ROMANCE OF THE BEAVER 
to leave the protection of his well-built house. A 
long swim under water brought him to the middle 
of the pond which he and his family had made. 
From this point he could inspect the encircling 
hillsides, and the friendly currents of air would 
perhaps carry to his keen nose the scent of any 
human enemy who might be lurking in the 
neighbourhood. Apparently the evening breeze 
was untainted by man-scent. But the beaver 
considered it wise to make still more sure, so he 
swam a short distance, and then disappeared 
beneath the water so softly that scarcely a ripple’ 
marked the place where he had dived. A few: 
minutes later, he quietly reappeared close to the 
shore on the lee side of the pond. Once more he 
remained as still as a floating log, his nose pointed 
toward the almost imperceptible breeze, his dark’ 
rounded ears raised to catch the slightest sound. 
Then slowly and silently he swam round the pond 
closely following the irregular shore line. No sign 
of danger could he find. Evidently no stranger 
had come near his home since he had entered his 
house that morning. So when he came to where 
the water was very shallow he cut off a small 
willow branch and proceeded to nibble the bark for 
his supper. 
In the stillness of the evening the grating sound 
of his sharp teeth cutting through the bark sounded’ 
loudly. His family in the lodge at the further end 
of the pond heard it and knew that they could 
