There is always danger to a beaver in leav¬ 
ing a territory with which he is entirely famil¬ 
iar. In his own neighborhood, he knows all 
the hiding places in which an enemy may lurk; 
he also knows all the places in which he may 
seek shelter in time of danger. Therefore, he 
is less likely to make a wrong turning that may 
lead him into peril. Old beavers seem to know 
this; and they seldom wander far from the 
vicinity of their own lodges. 
O-Go, however, was still young, and as he 
was adventurous to a degree not common 
among his kind, the waters above Patou were 
a constant lure to him. Where O-Go went, 
Thwacker would go. Hence, a very few eve¬ 
nings after O-Go’s escape from the eagle, the 
two friends were swimming up that creek. 
The two young beavers found the current 
less swift than might have been expected; and 
so had plenty of opportunity to examine the 
bank, as they went along. They swam without 
any noise, as beavers always do; and, from time 
to time, they paused to listen for a moment. 
Once, O-Go and Thwacker looked up to 
see a doe, who came to the water's edge, ac¬ 
companied by two spotted fawns. O-Go and 
Thwacker knew that she was harmless to 
them; and she, in turn, realized that no evil 
menaced her or her little ones; for she regarded 
them calmly, as she and the fawns drank their 
133 
