with the care of very young families, and the 
other members of the colony had been mak¬ 
ing some necessary repairs on the dam. Per¬ 
haps, the latter work might have been al¬ 
lowed to wait, but it is certain that neither 
Mother Beaver nor her friends would have 
left their little ones to shift for themselves for 
a moment. 
All reasons for delay were now out of the 
way. The dam was in perfect repair; the most- 
used canals had been cleared of all obstruc¬ 
tions; and a new spillway had been dug to 
take care of any sudden freshet. All these 
things were important. But there was one 
matter that was more so: O-Go, Ilg, and Ela, 
together with their young cousins, were al¬ 
most three months old. Therefore they were 
no longer dependent on the constant attention 
of their mothers. 
There must be some manner in which beav¬ 
ers can communicate their thoughts to one 
another, although what that manner is re¬ 
mains a mystery. Nevertheless, when the day 
for starting the new lodge arrived, every beaver 
on Patou was on hand, and seemed to know 
just what part he or she was to take in the 
task. 
If there was any foreman in charge of the 
work, it was probably Uncle Castor, as he 
was the oldest, and therefore presumably the 
62 
