Show I I R r tiSON OF KAZAN ZAN z A by JAMES DAMES S OLIVER LIVER O t C UR COPYRIGHT YA Gf Cv G S Service Benle THE BEAVER Synopsis Part Synopsis Part wolf part dog doff when two months old Baree Daree has haa his first meeting with an enemy y young o 0 u n g gowl gowl owl Fighting hard the antagonists antagonists are suddenly plunged Into a swollen creek Badly buffeted and half drowned Baree Is finally finally final final- ly 11 flung nung on the bank but the water has destroyed his sense of direction and ho Is lost lonely and hungry For many days his hla life lire Is one of ot fear and distress He meets various creatures of ot the wild and goes gocs through a thunderstorm He lie is learning more and more moro Ile 11 e strays Into the trapping gro grounds of ot Pierrot and wounds Baree with a rifle but he es escapes escapes es- es capes Baree and learns natures nature's s secrets crets rapidly Is determined to catch Baree Barco and tal tame le him and tries Barce Baree is strongly drawn to the girl but still fears man Chapter V 9 9 Impelled b by the wild alarm of or the Willows Willow's terrible cries OLd aid the sight of or Pierrot dashing madly toward him from the dead bod body of ot linree did not stop running until It seemed as ns though his lungs could not draw another breath When he lle stopped he heleas was leas well out of ot the can canyon on and headed for tor the beaver er pond Exactly whereIn lay Baree's fears It would be difficult to say but say but surely It was not because of The Willow had chased him hard She had flung hers herself lf upon him lIe He had felt the clutch dutch of her han hands s and und the smother er of her soft hair and yet jet et of or her h hris he lit was ris not afraid If It he stopped now and then In n his flight and looked back It was to see ee If It was following He would not have run hard from 1 her el ell l lone alone Her Iler e eyes es and voice olce and 1 hands had something stirring In him hull 1 lie Ite e was yas awed with a yearning and a greater loneliness now now and and that night Ight lie he dr dreamed amed troubled dr dreams ams Baree was glad when the dawn He did not seek for food but went down to the thc pond There was little hope and anticipation In his manner manner man man- ner now He remembered that as plainly as animal ways wars could talk tall and his Ills pla playmates mates had told him they wanted nothing to do with him Aud And yet et the fact that they were there took awa away some of his loneliness It was more than loneliness The wolf In him was submerged The d dog g was wa master And in these passing moments mo mo- moments ments when the blood of ot the wild was almost dormant In him he was depressed depressed de press pressed d ti by the Instinctive and growing feeling that he was not of that wild but a fugitive In It menaced on all sides Bides by strange strang dangers Deep In the northern forests the bea beaver ver does docs not Dot work and und play In darkness dark ness only put but jIt uses day even more mote than night grid and a d many of Beaver tooth's Bea tooth's er-tooth's people people peo peo- pl were awake when Baree began disconsolately dis to investigate the shores of the peril Ii He a dW himself now and and at at least half halt a dozen doren beavers ers had a good look at him before he came to the point where the pond narrowed down to the width of ot the tire stream almost half halt a mile from the dam Then he wandered wan back It A that morning he IC hovered about th the pond s showing himself openly In their big stick mull and stick strongholds strongholds strongholds strong strong- holds the beavers held a n council of war They were distinctly puzzled There were wel four enemies which the they dreaded above e all others The otter who destroyed their dams darns In the winter winter win win- ter time and brought death to them from hom cold and b by lowering the water so they could not not get to their food supplies the lynx who preyed ed on them all young oung and Ol oR old alike aUke and the fox and wolf who would lie He In ambush f for l' l hours hours In order to to pounce on the very young oung like and his play mates If It Barce Baree had been een any anyone one of or these four nur wll wily tooth Beaver and his people would have known what to do But Dare Barce was surely not an otter and If It he was a fox or a wolf or a lynx his actions were very cry strange to fo say the least Half a dozen times he had the opportunity to pounce on his prey Ithe If It he had been 8 seeking prey But at no notime notime notime time had he shown the desire to harm harm- them It ma may be that the beavers discussed tho the matter full fully among themselves It ItIs ItIs Itis Is possible that on and his Ills playmates playmates play play- mates told their parents of their adventure adventure ad ad- venture and of how Baree Buree made no move to harm them when he c could uld quite easily nave have caught them However However However How How- ever this may be courageous old tooth Beaver-tooth took It upon himself to end the suspense It was early In the afternoon that for the third or fourth time Baree Barce walked out on the dam This dam was fully two hundred feet In length but at no point the water run over It t the nc overflow o finding Its way through narrow snares S. S A week or two ngu roald have crossed to the I eI I 19 f fir J the tho pond on this his dam but bUC now now now-at at the far end end tooth tooth Beaver and his engineers were adding a new section section section sec sec- tion of dam lam and In order to accomplish accomplish accomplish their work more easily they had flooded fully fifty yards of ot the low lowground lowground lowground ground on which they were working The dam held a n fascination for Barce Daree The top of ot It was high and dry and there were dozens of ot smoothly worn little hollows in which the beavers had taken their sun baths In one of these hollows Baree stretched himself out with his eyes on the pond Not a q ripple stirred Its velvety smoothness Not a n sound broke the drowsy stillness ss of ot the afternoon The Tile beavers might have been dead or asleep t for r all the stir they made And yet they knew that Baree was on the dam Where he la lay the sun fell In a warm flood and It was so comfortable that after arfer a time he had difficulty In keeping his eyes open to watch the pond Then he fell asleep Just how tooth Beaver sensed this this fact is a mystery I hive Five minutes later he came up quietly without a splash or a n sound within fifty yards of or Baree Barce For a few moments he scarcely moved In the water Then he swam very slowly parallel with the dam across the pond At the other 2 side bide he d drew ew himself ashore and for another minute sat as motionless as a stone with his hise e eyes es on that part of or the dam where Baree was 1 lying Not another beaver benver was moving mo and It was very soon apparent apparent ap ap- parent that tooth Beaver tooth r-tooth had but one object In mind mimI n a a closer observation observation of Bar Baree e. e W When he entered the water again he swam along close to the dam Ten feet beyond Baree he began to climb out He lIe did this with great slowness and caution At lathe lat last larthe he ire reached the top of ot the dam A few tew yards awa away Baree was almost al almost al most hidden In his ills hollow only the top of his shiny black bol body y appearing to Be Beaver tooth's scrutiny To get a n better l look ok the old beaver benver spread his bis bisIn r If 1 In an Instant His Feet Shot Out From Under Him flat fiat tall tail out beyond him hint and rose t to a n sitting posture on his hind quart quarters rs his two front paws held squirrel like over his breast In this Jiose pose 11 lie be was fully tully three feet tall He probably weighed f forty rt pounds and In some wa ways was s he lie resembled one of those fat good good no natured good natured silly looking dogs that go largely largel to stomach But nut his br brain lil was w working 01 king with aI amazing celerity Suddenly he the hard mud of ot g gave ge e the dam single a slap with his tail tall and and Baree Daree sat sat up Instantly he saw taw Beaver Beaver- tooth and find stared Beav tooth Beaver tooth r-tooth stared For a full minute half neither moved the thousandth part of ot nn an Inch Then Baree stood up and wa wagged led his tall That wa was enough h. h Dropping to to his forefeet Ben tooth Beaver toOth er Mk i surely sure sure- ly to the edge of the dam and o di o over He lie was neither c nor norin in very great haste now tie lie le m made a great commotion in the water ater and sW swam lIn boldly back bick and forth under When he had done lone this several raf limes times he lIe cut straight up tip tb tut tb pond to the largest of ot the three houses bosses and disappeared Five rive minutes S after tooth's Beaver-tooth's exploit word was as passing passing pass pass- ing quickly among the colony The stranger was stranger was ec was not a ly lynx 13 ix He lie was not a fox He was not a wolf Moreover Moreo he was very young young and and harmless harmless' Work could be resumed Play could be resumed There was no danger clanger Such was tooth's Beaver-tooth's er ver- diet dict If It some some someone someone one had bad shouted these facts In beaver eF language th through ough a n megaphone megaphone megaphone mega mega- phone the tIle response could not have been quicker quicker- All at once It seemed to Bane Barte who was still standing on one the ed cd edge e c of If the dam darn that the pond was was alive with Ith beavers He lIe had never seen so 10 many at t one time limo before They were ere t popping up everywhere every whore and d some of them swam am up within a dozen feet teet of ot him and looked him over oYer In la a leI and curious way For perhaps five fl minutes they seemed to have haye no particular object In view Then Bear Beav- tooth er-tooth himself struck straight for the shore and climbed out Others followed followed fol fol- fol lowed ed him Half a dozen workers disappeared dis dis- disappeared appeared In the canals As many more mora waddled out among the alders and willows Eagerly Baree watched for tor and his chums At last he saw them swimming forth from one of tho the smaller houses They climbed out on their playground the playground the smooth bar above the shore of ot mud Baree wagged his tall tail so hard that his whole body shook and hurried along the dam When he en came camo mo out on the level strip of at shore was there alone nib- nib Wing hang supper from a long freshly cut willow The other little beavers had gone gont into a n thick clump of young al al- ders This time did not run He looked up from his stick Baree squatted himself wiggling in a most friendly and ingratiating manner For Fora a few seconds regarded him Then very coolly be he resumed his supper Just as ns In the life of every man there Is one big controlling Influence either lor tor good or for bad so In iii the life of f r Df Baree e the beaver pond was largely an arbiter of destiny Where he might have gone If It he had not discovered discovered dis dis- covered ered It and what ml might ht have na happened happened happened hap hap- to him are matters matters of or ture But It held him It began to take the tole t place of the old windfall and andIn andIn andin In the beavers themselves he found a companionship which made up In a awa away away wa way for the loss of ot the protection and friendship of Kazan and Gray Wolf This Tills companionship If It it could be called that went Just so far and no farther With each day that passed the fhe e older beavers became more more accustomed accustomed tomed to seeing Baree Daree At the end endot of ot two weeks If It Baree had gone awa away they wo would ld have missed him him but but not In the same way that Baree Barce would l have missed the the beavers beaters It was a matter of ot natured good-natured toleration on their part With Baree It was different differ differ- r. r ent He lIe was still as would ha have e said he sun stilt wanted mothering mothering moth moth- ering he was still moved by the puppyish pup pup- yearnings which he had not yet I had the time to outgrow an and when night cn canle lo to speak that yearning I quite plainly ire plainly he had the desire to go Into the big beaver house with and his churls chums and sleep During the thc fortnight that followed tooth's Beaver exploit lt on the d dam Baree Baree Ba Ba- ree ate his meals a mlle mile up the creek where there there were plenty of ot crawfish But nut pond l was was home Night always found halm Im there and n a large part athis of at his day He lie slept at the end nd of the tho dam or or-on or top of or It on particularly the beavers beavers' acc accepted him as as fi p permanent guest They worked In In his presence as ns If It he he did not exist lIe He still could Induce and the other young young beavers to Join him In play ploy and niter after r the first week or so he he gave up his efforts In fact their play pIny puzzled him almost as much as ns the tine dam-building dam operations of ot the older alder beavers for Instance was fond of ot playing In the mud raud at the edge of the pond He lIe ivas was vas like Ilke a n iery very sery small bo boy Where his his his' elders floated timbers from three Inches to a foot foor In diame diameter ter to the big d dam m brought small sticks and an twigs no larger around than a lead pe pencil to to his playground playground play play- ground and built a a make believe dam darn of ot his own would wor work an hour hoar at nt a time on this pla play dam dam as ns Industriously as his father and mother were working I on the big dam and Baree would He lie fiat flat on his belly a few feet teet a away ay watching him and wondering m mightily j i He lie could see some reason for nibbling i nt at sticks stick stick-he he he liked to sha sharpen pen l his ls teeth tb j on on sticks ks him hta f b h hir ir ls to why so painstakingly stripped the fhe bark from th the sticks a and 1 swallowed It Another method of ot play still furt further er discouraged Baree's advances ances A t distance from the spot where he ire b Chad had first seen there was a n shelving ban bani that rose ten or twelve f feet et from the water and this tills bank was used sed byth by bythe bythe th the young beavers as a slide It was worn smooth and hard would climb up the bank banI at a point where wh where te it was not so steep At the top of ot the the slide he lie would put his iris tall out flat fiat behind be I hind him nn and give himself a sho shove et i f shooting down the toboggan and landIng land Ing lag in the water with a big splash 1 One afternoon when the toboggan was particularly wet and und slippery from recent use Baree a e went wont up up p the path beaver-path to to th the top of ot the bank and began investigating in Nowhere had he found the so strong lg as on th the slide I He e began and Incautiously went too farIK far In IK Nl an Instant t hl big hi feet shot out from under under lino h Ul 1 wU ff a single RIngle wild yelp he lie went shooting aown the gan 1 F For 01 or the second time tiiu In his life lite he found himself struggling under underwater underwriter I water writer and when a minute minute- or r two later he drat dragged ed himself up through the tho I soft sort mud mud to to the firmer footing tooting of ot the I shore he had at lost last a aery very ery well de fined opinion of beaver pla play I Baree's stay with the beaver beavor shows that at bottom he Is more dog than wolf and s so fitted for human companionship 1 TO MB DB CONTINUED |