Poor Binney! He begged and prayed, but the wood-beavers only laughed at him, and abused him, so that at last he dared say no more, but made up his mind, though with a heavy heart, to spend the night away from home. He could not help crying bitterly as he thought of his dear kind father and mother waiting and looking for him; of the nice warm house, the good supper, and frolics in the pond by moonlight with the good little beavers of the town.
"O, if I had only minded my father, and gone straight home," said he; "but if I once get back, I will never be so naughty again." He did not know that he was never to see his pleasant home nor his kind father any more.
The next day was spent by the wood-beavers in eating, sleeping, and fighting among themselves. Binney found himself a perfect slave. It was, "Binney do this," "Binney do that," "Binney come here this minute, or I'll bite your head off!" till the poor little beaver was tired off his feet. He could not get the least chance to put his fur in order, which added to his discomfort, for he had been brought up to very neat habits. Once he began to comb out his fur a little, but the other beavers found him out, and laughed at him so much that he did not try it again.
Things went on in this way for two or three weeks and Binney grew more and more homesick every day, but he could not run away. The wood-beavers thought it a fine thing to have a slave to wait upon them, and they kept a close watch upon all his motions. One day, however, as he was sitting in a very sorrowful mood behind an old stump, where he had crept for a little rest, his first acquaintance, who had several times taken his part, came and sat down by his side.
"Binney," said he, "do you want to go home?"
"O, don't I though?" cried Binney.
"Come along then," said his friend; "I am going into the woods again, and will show you the way; but we must set out this minute, before they miss us. I do think they abuse you, that is the truth."
"O, I am so glad," said Binney, giving a great skip. "Now I shall see my dear father and mother once more."
"Well, do not make such a great noise about it," said the wood-beaver so gruffly that Binney was scared, and walked along quite meekly and silently for a while, till his friend said in a milder tone, "So you like the thought of going home, hey!"
"Yes, indeed," said Binney.