“Well, what right have you here?” asked Beaver.
“This is my home,” said Turtle. “I have lived here a long time.”
“Ho! ho! ho!” laughed Beaver. “If this is your home, where is your house? Now I say this is my home, for there is my house.” He pointed to the thing that Turtle had thought an island.
“How did you get here?” asked Turtle.
“I came here and built a dam, made this lake, and now I have a house here.”
“I came here long ago,” said Turtle, “and built a fishing hole. My abiding place is in the swamp. You, Oh Beaver, have no right to spoil my home. It is my intention to break down your dam and restore my home.”
“Well,” said Beaver, “that would not do us any good for I would build another and others of my tribe would catch you and gnaw your head off.”
“How shall we settle this thing?” asked Turtle.
“We will see who can stay under water longest,” said Turtle.
“No, that would be too easy for me,” said Beaver. “I could sleep a year under water. I was going to ask that as a test myself. I propose that we run a race.”