“Farther off into the woods,” answered Toto. “I know where there is a nice, smooth, straight tree that we can cut down. It stands all by itself, and when it falls it won’t lodge in among other trees, so it will be easy to get out for the dam. Come, and we’ll cut it down together.”
“All right, I will,” said Sniffy.
Now Toto did not tell his brother that the tree he intended gnawing down was close to the camp of the tramps. Toto thought if he told his brother that, Sniffy might be afraid to go.
“But we can keep hidden from the tramps,” thought Toto, “and our teeth do not make much noise when we gnaw. The tramps will not hear us. Besides, I want to see if they are still there. Maybe Don has barked at them and driven them away.”
But when Toto and Sniffy reached the place in the woods where the tall tree grew, there was the bark shack in the same place, and some of the ragged men were still in and about it.
“Oh, look!” exclaimed Sniffy, catching sight of the tramps. “Who are the ragged men, Toto? Are they hunters?”
“No,” answered Toto. And then he told his brother who the men were. “But don’t be afraid,” went on Toto. “We’ll gnaw very silently, and the tramps won’t know we are here. These are the ragged men I told about at the meeting. But don’t be afraid, Sniffy.”
“All right. I won’t be afraid if you’ll stay with me,” said Sniffy. “Now which tree are we going to cut, Toto?”
The other beaver showed his brother the tree he meant, and Sniffy said it was a fine one.