172 ROMANCE OF THE BEAVER 
understood the meaning of those splashes, for he 
instantly made for the water, utterly regardless of 
his newly dried jacket about which he had taken 
so much trouble, and seizing one of the loaves of 
bread in his hands swam to a shallow part of the 
pond to eat it. He held the bread in his hands, 
much after the manner in which a squirrel holds a 
nut, but the bread being wet began to fall apart 
so he made a bowl of his hands and lapped the soft 
bread out of it; in this way not a particle was lost. 
Piece after piece of bread was eaten, after which 
he came ashore and made short work of the carrots 
and potatoes. It was quite dark by this time, and 
as it was impossible to see anything more I was 
forced to leave him, with the hope that in the near 
future I might continue the acquaintance so plea- 
santly begun. When that day comes let us hope 
he will no longer be solitary but will have taken to 
himself a mate whose disposition will be as good 
as his own. 
From what has been said in the preceding pages, 
it will be seen that the beaver is a gentle creature, 
free from desire to harm anybody. As pets they 
become extremely affectionate and dependent on 
their masters. Mills* describes an interesting 
experience with a pet beaver to which he became 
deeply attached. ‘Atop the pack on the horse’s 
back he travelled,—a ride which he evidently 
* “Tn Beaver World.” 
