File:The house in the water- a book of animal stories (1908) (14578703099).jpg

Identifier: houseinwaterbook00robe (find matches)
Title: The house in the water: a book of animal stories
Year: 1908 (1900s)
Authors: Roberts, Charles George Douglas, Sir, 1860-1943
Subjects: Animals
Publisher: Boston, L. C. Page & company
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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ht be, it was evident that thebrown traveller was a newcomer, an outsider. Hehad none of the confident, businesslike mannerwhich a wild animal wears in moving about hisown range. When he had stolen softly along the whole baseof the dam, and back again, nosing each little riv-ulet of overflow, the otter seemed satisfied that thiswas much like all other beaver dams. Then hemounted to the crest and took a prolonged surveyof the stretch of water beyond. Nothing unusualappearing, he dived cleanly into the pond, aboutthe point where, as the Boy guessed, there wouldbe the greatest depth of water against the dam.He was apparently heading straight up for theinlet of the pond, on a path which would take himwithin about twenty-five or thirty yards of the mainbeaver-house on the island. As soon as he hadvanished under the water the Boy ran forward,mounted the crest of the dam, and peered withshaded eyes to see if he could mark the swimmersprogress. For a couple of minutes, perhaps, the surface of
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XTfoe Battle in tbe fconb 21 the pond gave no indication of the otters where-abouts. Then, just opposite the main beaver-house,there was a commotion in the water, the surfacecurled and eddied, and the otter appeared in greatexcitement. He dived again immediately; andjust as he did so the head of a huge beaver pokedup and snatched a breath. Where the two had goneunder, the surface of the pond now fairly boiled;and the Boy, in his excitement over this novel andmysterious contest, nearly lost his balance on thefrail crest of the dam. A few moments more andboth adversaries again came to the surface, now atclose grips and fighting furiously. They were fol-lowed almost at once by a second beaver, smallerthan the first, who fell upon the otter with insanefury. It was plain that the beavers were the aggres-sors. The Boys sympathies were all with the otter,who from time to time tried vainly to escape fromthe battle; and once he raised his rifle. But he be-thought him that the otter, after all,

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