it, what I read said that the beaver gnaws out parallel rings around the
trunk and wrenches out the wood between. It's like sawing two cuts in a
board and chiseling out the board between them."

"I see," said Lew. "But I should think they'd break their teeth all to
pieces."

"So should I. But they have very strong teeth that grow out as fast as
they wear away, and that are as sharp as a chisel. I wouldn't want a
beaver to bite me. I'll bet he could bite right through a bone."

"I suppose," said Lew, "they cut these trees to use in making their dam;
but what gets me is how they are going to get the trees over to the dam.
It would take a team of horses to drag this trunk. It's fifteen inches in
diameter."

"The article I read," said Charley, "stated that as the beaver dams became
higher, the land adjacent was flooded and that the beavers made little
canals through the flooded area and floated their logs where they wanted
them. You notice that they have gnawed the limbs off of a number of these
trees and cut several of the trunks into lengths. I was sure they were
sawlogs when I first saw them."

"Well, there isn't enough water here to float a log," said Lew, "though
it's mighty wet and it looks as though the water was several inches deep
a little farther on. Let's see if we can find a canal."

They stripped off their shoes and stockings, and, rolling up their
trousers, began to wade. Very soon they found the water nearly knee-deep.