y
what it meant, when the latter, divining his unrest, stealthily laid a
restraining hand upon his arm. He guessed that the beavers were on the
alert, hiding, and watching to see if any of their enemies should be
attracted by the noise.

[Illustration: "EVERY BEAVER NOW MADE A MAD RUSH FOR THE CANAL."]

Not five seconds later, however, he forgot his aches. Appearing with
uncanny and inexplicable suddenness, there was the big pioneer again,
sitting up by the edge of the canal. As before, he sat absolutely
motionless for a minute or two, sniffing and listening. Then,
satisfied once more that all was well, he moved lazily up the slope to
examine the tree; and in half a minute all were at work again, except
that there was no more tree-felling. The great business of the hour
was cutting brush.

For some time longer the watchers lay motionless, noting every detail
of the work, till at last the Boy began to think it was time to
release Jabe from his long and severe restraint and break up the
beaver "chopping-bee." Before he had quite made up his mind, however,
his eyes chanced to wander a little way up the slope, and to rest,
without any conscious purpose, on a short gray bit of log. Presently
he began to wonder what a piece of log so short and thick--not much
more than three feet long--would be doing there. No beavers would
waste time cutting up a twelve-inch log into lengths like that. And
there had been no lumberman in the neighbourhood. Then, in a flash,
his eyes cleared themselves of their illusion. The log had moved, ever
so slightly. It was no longer a log, but a big gray lynx, creeping
slowly, inexorably, down upon the unsuspecting people of the pond.

For perhaps ten seconds the Boy stared in uncertainty. Then he saw the
lynx gather his muscles for the final, fatal rush. Without a whisper
or a warning to the astonished Jabe, he whipped up his rifle, and
fired.

The sharp report seemed to shatter the whole scene. Its echoes were
mixed with the scattering of the horrified beavers as they rushed for
the water--with the short screech of the lynx, as it bounced into the
air and fell back on its side, dead--with an exclamation of
astonishment from Jabe--and with a crashing of branches just behind
the thicket. The Boy looked around, triumphant--to see that Jabe's
exclamation was not at all the result of his clever shot. The woodsman
was on his hands and knees, his back turned, and staring at the form
of a big black be