THE LIFE OF A BEAVER COLONY 127 
occurred, the remaining forty or fifty would have 
made great inroads into the food supply. The old 
dams would have to be enlarged and new ones built 
so that a larger area might be flooded. The canals 
would have to be extended and in every way great 
changes would be bound to take place. 
During the month of July, when the whole 
country was throbbing with life and activity, when 
everything presented such a marked contrast to the 
four sombre months of winter, the unwelcome sound 
of man’s voice broke the peacefulness of the little 
pond in the woods. A fisherman, anxious to 
explore the stream in hopes of finding a good place 
for trout, had come down from the lake above. 
With him was an old guide who lived, as so many 
of them do, by guiding fishermen during: the 
summer, and big game hunters in the autumn, while 
the winter, or at least the early part of it, is devoted 
to trapping, the other part being often spent in 
lumber camps. It was late in the afternoon when 
these two intruders arrived. The beavers, lulled 
into a dangerous security by the long period of 
absolute God-given peace, were playing about the 
pond, the young indulging in their games with all 
the joy of youth and inexperience. On one of the 
lodges lay the founders of the colony, basking in 
the warm yellow sun, when suddenly the sound of 
voices reached their ears, followed almost imme- 
diately by the tainted breeze. No second warning 
was necessary. Silently the two slid off the lodge, 
