THE BEAVER 
109 
barks that are juicy and tender, such as poplar, cot¬ 
tonwood, aspen, elm, birch, and willow. They won't 
eat hickory and oak, I know." 
“That's right," Uncle Ely agreed. 
“Well, I want to see a beaver," Ginger said. 
“So do I," said Buck. 
The four waited for a long time, but when Mother 
finally tooted the car horn for them they still hadn't 
seen a beaver. They went back to the camp and ate 
lunch, still talking about Chief Gnawer. 
“We will have to wait until nearly sundown to see 
them, I suppose," Uncle Ely told the family. “Bea¬ 
vers are night animals. I mean, they do most of their 
work in the dark, and do not appear until late after¬ 
noon. This is a good place to camp, so let's spend 
the day here and watch for them. Maybe I can catch 
a few fish for our supper." 
The family agreed. During the afternoon Buck 
caught three fish himself, while Mother showed Gin¬ 
ger how to make a fairy dress, using large leaves 
pinned together with thorns. About five o'clock Un¬ 
cle Ely said that he had slipped some poles out of the 
beavers' dam earlier, and that they probably would 
be at work repairing the dam about nightfall. 
At twilight all five of the travelers were close to 
