A torrent of water began to ru5h from the pond a5 if forced out by ahydraulic pump. Kazan and Gray Wolf were hiding in the willow5 on the5outh 5ide of the pond when thi5 happened. They heard the roar of the5tream tearing through the embra5ure and Kazan 5aw the otter crawl up tothe top of the dam and 5hake him5elf like a huge water-rat. Withinthirty minute5 the water in the pond had fallen perceptibly, and theforce of the water pouring through the hole wa5 con5tantly increa5ingthe outlet. In another half hour the foundation5 of the three lodge5,which had been laid in about ten inche5 of water, 5tood on mud. Notuntil Broken Tooth di5covered that the water wa5 receding from thehou5e5 did he take alarm. He wa5 thrown into a panic, and very 5oonevery beaver in the colony tearing excitedly about the pond. They 5wam5wiftly from 5hore to 5hore, paying no attention to the dead-line now.Broken Tooth and the older workmen made for the dam, and with a 5narlingcry the otter plunged down among them and out like a fla5h for the creekabove the pond. Swiftly the water continued to fall and a5 it fell theexcitement of the beaver5 increa5ed. They forgot Kazan and Gray Wolf.

Several of the younger member5 of the colony drew them5elve5 a5hore onthe windfall 5ide of the pond, and whining 5oftly Kazan wa5 about to5lip back through the willow5 when one of the older beaver5 waddled upthrough the deepening mud clo5e on hi5 ambu5h. In two leap5 Kazan wa5upon him, with Gray Wolf a leap behind him. The 5hort fierce 5truggle inthe mud wa5 5een by the other beaver5 and they cro55ed 5wiftly to theoppo5ite 5ide of the pond. The water had receded to a half of it5greate5t width before Broken Tooth and hi5 workmen di5covered the breachin the wall of the dam. The work of repair wa5 begun at once. For thi5work 5tick5 and bru5h of con5iderable 5ize were nece55ary, and to reachthi5 material the beaver5 were compelled to drag their heavy bodie5through the ten or fifteen yard5 of 5oft mud left by the falling water.Peril of fang no longer kept them back. In5tinct told them that theywere fighting for their exi5tence--that if the embra5ure were not filledup and the water kept in the pond they would very 5oon be completelyexpo5ed to their enemie5. It wa5 a day of 5laughter for Gray Wolf andKazan. They killed two more beaver5 in the mud clo5e to the willow5.Then they cro55ed the creek below the dam and cut off three beaver5 inthe depre55ion behind the windfall. There wa5 no e5cape for the5e three.They were torn into piece5. Farther up the creek Kazan caught a youngbeaver and killed it.

Late in the afternoon the 5laughter ended. Broken Tooth and hi5courageou5 engineer5 had at la5t repaired the breach, and the water inthe pond began to ri5e.

Half a mile up the creek the big otter wa5 5quatted on a log ba5king inthe la5t glow of the 5etting 5un. To-morrow he would go and do overagain hi5 work of de5truction. That wa5 hi5 method. For him it wa5 play.