st impassable tangle. These had a knack of catching a fellow's feet,
and causing him to sprawl forward on his face and hands, whereupon his
knapsack would hit him an astounding thwack on the back.

After three-quarters of an hour of this fun, very muddy, clammy with
perspiration, and thoroughly winded, the party reached firmer ground,
and the guides called a halt.

"Guess we'd better rest a bit," said Joe, "afore we go farther. There's
nothing in forest travelling that'll take the breath out of a man like
crossing a swamp," eying compassionately the city folk; for he himself
was as "fit" as when he started. "Then we'd better follow that stream
till we strike a good place for a camping-ground. What say, Doc?"

Dr. Phil, as captain, signified his assent. After a short
breathing-spell he again gave the command, "Forward!" And his company
pushed on into the woods, following the course of a dark stream which
had gurgled through the swamp.

"There used to be an old beaver-dam somewheres about here," broke forth
Joe presently, when they had made about a quarter of a mile, the younger
guide taking the lead, for he was evidently more at home in this part of
the forest land than his senior, Uncle Eb. "Hullo, now! there it is.
Look, gentlemen!"

He pointed to a curved bank of brushwood, mostly alder branches, piled
together in curious topsyturvy fashion, which formed a dam across the
stream. It bristled with sticks, poking out and up in every direction;
for the bushy ends of the boughs had been heavily plastered with mud and
stones, to keep them down.

"That a beaver-dam!" gasped Neal in amazement. "Why, I always had an
idea that beavers were half human in intelligence, and wove their
branches in and out in a sort of neat basketwork when making dams.
That's a funny rough-and-tumble looking old pile."

"It's a good water-tight dam, for all that," answered Cyrus. "And don't
you begin to underrate Mr. Beaver's intelligence until you see more of
his works. I've torn the bottom out of a dam like this on a cold, rainy
night,--beavers like rainy nights for work,--and then hidden myself in
some bushes to watch the result. It was a trial of strength and
patience, I assure you, to remain there for six mortal hours,--though I
had rubber overalls on,--with wet twigs and leaves slapping my face. But
the sight I saw was more wonderful than anything I could have imagined.
There was a cloudy, watery moon; and shortly after it rose, five be