But would they accept it in a grateful spirit, and utilize it? One cannot always tell what a wild animal will do.
With loose earth a low island with a flat top was built to carry the house. Its top was six inches above high-water mark, and (that would, if accepted) be the floor of the permanent house. A good, practicable tunnel was built to an underwater entrance.
Upon that our men set a square, bottomless house of wood, with walls two feet high, and a low roof sloping four ways. Over all this the men piled in a neat mound a lot of tree branches of kinds suitable for beaver food; and with that we left the situation up to the beavers. The finish of our work was made on October 28.
For a week there were no developments. The beavers made no sign of approval or disapproval. And then things began to happen. On November 5 we saw a beaver carrying a small green branch into the house for bedding! That meant that our offering was going to be accepted.
The subsequent chronology of that beaver house is as follows:
Nov. 10. The beavers pulled all our brush away from the house, back to a distance of six or seven feet. The house stood fully exposed.
Nov. 11. They began to pile up mud and sticks against the base of the south wall.
Nov. 15. Mud-building to cover the house was in full progress.
Nov. 17. Much of our brush had been placed in the stock of food wood being stored for winter use in the pond west of the house.
Nov. 29. The outside of the house was completely covered up to the edges of the roof. The beavers were working fast and hard. No freezing weather yet.