The Red Cloud chief., 1901-05-24
The Wise Beaver.

panthers skin in front of the fire,
will you please tell that story you
promised me about a gang of beavers
you once saw building u dam, you
know?'
YES" Uncle Ned replied slowly af-
ter he had finished the paragraph he
was reading. You see, that was the
time l was engineering the construc-
ton OF a levee on some islands in the
San Joaquin River.
All that summer We lived right on
the water in a %trapper's ARK and
as the adjoining sloughs furnished
pretty good accommodations for these
crafty animals. | had plenty of oppor-
tunity to study their ways.
We'll, on this particular day to
which you refer. the Boss Beaver
called his workmen together very
early; and as they came padding out
of their muddy holes, he set them to
work cutting down timber; not the
largest trees, Of course. but yet some
that would make you wonder how on
earth they managed to gnaw through
them even with their sharp teeth.
Just as soon as the trees were down,
the orderly foreman. or boss, put OF
another force Of helpers to remove
the logs to a creek not very far away.
The clearing hat bordered on this
stream was level and somewhat low
err; so, after a little investigation, 1t
seemed evident to me that my neigh
bors intended to build a dam across
the creek and food the fiat. This
conjecture proved correct, for before
night the lowland had been converted
into a fair sized pond, and several
beaver families had already taken up
their abode there, apparently quite
pleased with their new quarters.
However, their satisfaction was
destined to be short lived; for, as the
water above the dam became deeper
the pressure also became greater; so
after another appeared, until finally
the entire obstruction gave way, and
the usua swift current rushed on
again with much haste and seeming
impatience for the unwonted inter-
ruption. That certainly was very dis
couraging, and Boss Beaver became
quite angry, as he say their roomy
habitation diminish down to a few
shallow puddles.
He looked at the floating timbers
and shook his head; then, as he looked
at his companions with disgust plain
ly stamped on his ugly face, he
seemed to say, You are to blame for
this misfortune.
, AT this rather abrupt reproof, the
tired, hungry tOilers tapped their
trowel shaped tails over and sighed.
Then one, a little holder than the rest,
threw back his head and made a
noise which sounded strangely like
this, There's a fellow l know would
never had this luck II he'd been boss
In the job Anyway, the remark,
whatever 1t was, angered Boss still
more; for. without deigning a reply,
he picked up some soft mud on his
flexible tail and threw 1t, not very
gently either, straight at the offenders
face.
} "Of course, this scene, with the de-
feat OF their hard earned plans, rather
put the patient little animals out; but
without wasting any thought or re-
grets. at a signal from their undaunted
Boss. they all started to work replac-
ing the dam, which by this time was
floating on and on to the river.
Might was coming on, too, and,
though the beavers had apparently
eaten nothing at all that long day
they did not seem to mind 1t very
much. At any rate, personal incon-
venience was cheerfully overlooked for
the time being, as all of them began
to gnaw down more trees and convey
them with no end of bother to the
bank, when they would carefully
shove them off into the creek. AS
soon as it was in the water, several OF
the gang whose work 1t was to put
the timber in place, pushed it along
TO the spot where it was to be lowered
and fastened; for you will observe
Harry, that a certain number were
detailed for each section of work un.
der construction. That Is the reason
nc doubt, that 1t does not REQUIRE
much time for them to perform rather
large undertakings.
We'll, as l was about to say. the,
swan along guiding the timber unit
Vt was just where they wished It; ther
they fixed its ends firmly in the aper.
lures they had dug in both banks, anC
filled them up with sod and rocks.
80 they worked IN for quite 6
while; and for the second time they
had quite a pile of logs interlacet
with willows projecting out of tn,
water; but just them my pine wen
out. and as 1t was getting quite darn
/ hurried off to bed.
The next morning when l went GU
the dam was finished, and 1t c~ertainl,