CHAPTER VI
TOTO AND THE BURGLARS
Now, the tramps who had built the shack of bark in the woods knew nothing about beavers and their ways. The tramps did not know that when a beaver whacks his tail on the ground it means danger from a falling tree, or from something else.
But the tramps in the shack, toward which was falling the tree Toto and Sniffy had gnawed down—these tramps heard the queer whacking sounds, and they knew they had never heard them before. So some of them, who were not as lazy as the others, ran out to see what it meant.
One tramp looked up and saw the tall tree swaying down toward the bark shelter. The tramp did not know that two little beaver boys had, all alone, gnawed down the big tree. But the tramp could see it falling.
“Come on! Get out! Everybody out of the shack!” cried the tramp who saw the falling tree. “Everybody out! The whole woods are falling down on us!”
Of course that wasn’t exactly so. It was only one tree that was falling, and the same one which Toto and Sniffy had gnawed down. But the tramp who called out was so excited he hardly knew what he was saying.
And as soon as the other tramps, some of whom were sleeping in the bark shack, heard the calls, they came running out, some rubbing their eyes, for they were hardly awake. They had been asleep in the daytime, too—the daytime when all the beavers were busy.
“Come on! Come on! Get out! Everybody out!” yelled the tramp who had first caught sight of the falling tree.
As soon as the others knew what the danger was, out they rushed also, and then they all stood outside the shack and to one side and watched the tree crash down.
[Right on top of the bark cabin crashed the tree.] There was a splintering of wood, a breaking of branches, a big noise, and then it was all over.