ill

1932

CANADIAN Horn-: JOURNAL fiiin page 11

chamber to the under vi] The walls were three 9;; r ‘ the interstices filled WW ' stones. The floor of the ‘H “_ ‘ wits covered with dri<=dwH i iushes. Leading by ,1 W through the roof was an M‘. i ‘was the escape of the war; .‘ by the inmates that had or f‘ V ’ frost to form outside, and [HT .‘ I bhat the lodge was inlmlrivvfi 1‘ )n the floor of the ClEll(l—'V itacked lengths of poplar alder, cut and piled hy um" ‘ zhe previous autumn. ‘ ‘

For several days Ke'»vlImm nate kept the beavers rrynrm, , 1. little apart from them ‘1,‘,] mite as loudly. But now Q .‘ he beavers gave any Sign ,‘ visitors were not Welcome r., initely, but because Kewmvr. lesired privacy, the two 0171 he lodge for one of the hu he bank. The entrance w Lnder water, gradually lomh . lry chamber with leaves an r ‘ Iere the female remained 1... ime, Kewinnick catching h» nd showing her other m, H . . fiection. When night crim part from her at the mu.‘ unnel. Only once, when .. - ntered the burrow, were Lhr _. Rut it never lived to go lmwl r Eewinnick sprang forward, i :was so small, the little mm pward, its teeth barell lv ‘he fight was hardly such; 2: Id otter’s teeth through ' xrred neck, then the little 1 ad doubtless thought to fiml ‘ npty——was carried outsirln Llly washed before laid at is mistress.

HE days passed. April \\ in with heavy rains that '» low-covered lake to a sari ‘ velled the dead water until w air spaces beneath tho 1'‘ self a week later craclm: aces. Then the sun Simh‘ ith numberless holes lilco lnslly, another rain, Wllil hat remained crashing (hm ll ‘ '00}: to the big river 1min)’ ' The cntkins came out on ‘1 Id dogwood. The crows rl~l_w lB air with mucous (‘rie.<4, win rds whistled from the In ‘ “ 1; trees. And day nfter rln, inked their wny nvcr tho lw Id come to the northluml. One morning, reLurnim:_ l" lth a fat trout, Kewinnh-I: 7 s mistress hnd company ‘ vered little pups to wlm l ven birth during his nlisaiw ready cut the navel card, it y, and was busily cnlwli‘ em. Kewinniek wns I10 I‘ an she. He laid his trout l‘ »r, sat down on his lnnd-ll" oudly surveyed them 21 l"" ien he deported to catch uni r his own breakfast. The days that followed WY“ g and sometimes noisy. 1 ten waking to be fed, ““‘1"‘ other not quickly ]"(‘1~l]"HlllK‘} e burrow with wlrimP0'}"" 1“ h auwnkened. Throug1‘””'] .r is good-natured, only “’“““‘|‘ ng enough to learn thf‘ “')"‘ nnour and then renewfllll W nrlng the day he srgflnt ‘" W 119 fishing, or searching rm‘ I, nich, now that the hike “'1”. id come out of their lu>u9l** ltroling the wnterwny5~ (Cnmlinuad cm I"'U‘

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