was not only to warm him but also to assist 
in supplying him with nourishment. 
O-Go was entirely contented with his life in 
those days, for food was plentiful, and he was 
well and strong. He also knew that, even when 
he was not hungry, there was satisfaction in 
gnawing on a poplar stick. Sometimes he would 
select a branch that was three or four feet long, 
and would cut it into short pieces; then, choos¬ 
ing the piece which had the most knots, he 
would worry away at it until it had been almost 
entirely reduced to chips. Thus his constantly- 
growing, orange-colored front teeth were kept 
always worn to a proper length and keenness. 
He knew all the sounds and odors common 
to the neighborhood of the pond, and could 
read their messages. He knew that the porcu¬ 
pine, like the beaver a night feeder, was, despite 
his forbidding appearance, harmless when let 
alone. He knew that the squirrels, who chat¬ 
tered in the tree tops, were his friends, and 
would warn him of the approach of any enemy 
who came by land, and in the daytime. 
O-Go knew that Mother Bear was fond of 
fruit, and that she liked privacy. Therefore, 
when her smell and that of her two cubs hung 
heavy over a berry patch, O-Go considered that 
patch as her property. It was not a safe place 
for little beavers. He knew that the resound¬ 
ing whirr of partridge wings carried no mes- 
103 
