it was fit to be swallowed, for it was pulp 
already. All that O-Go had to do was to pick 
it up in his front paws, cram it into his mouth, 
and crush it with his tongue. Then, when the 
fullness of that wonderful flavor had been ex¬ 
hausted, he had only to swallow, and to hunt 
for a fresh mouthful. There were no potatoes 
for O-Go that evening; but he dined on mush¬ 
rooms and lay down at the water’s edge, at 
peace with himself and with his world. 
Suddenly, O-Go caught a whiff of man- 
scent, coming down wind to him from a point 
some fifty yards distant. The place was not that 
to which Wallace usually came, and the scent 
itself was somehow different. Just wherein that 
difference lay, O-Go did not know; but he 
was conscious of it, and was therefore sus¬ 
picious. It was true that, at Wallace’s cabin, 
he had met a number of the ranger’s friends 
and had allowed them to pet him. That, how¬ 
ever, had been some months ago, and since 
his return to Patou he had met no human 
being except the ranger. Therefore, O-Go hes¬ 
itated, standing at full height, in order to test 
the queer scent to its utmost. 
Then happened a most terrifying thing. A 
light that was absolutely blinding shone 
squarely into O-Go’s eyes. At that very in¬ 
stant, Uncle Castor, who was on guard duty, 
sounded the alarm. All the beavers, who were 
in 
