"Yes," said Martin; "I have heard them at night working away so hard, and flapping and spattering with their tails, that I could imagine there were fifty men at work instead of a hundred of those small animals, but they work by day and by night, and never seem tired, till the dam is sound and their work is complete." "But the raising of the dam is only preparatory, is it not, to their building their own houses?" observed Mrs Campbell. "Nothing more, ma'am; and I think the rest of the work is quite as wonderful." "But it is time to go to bed," observed Mr Campbell, "and we must, therefore, leave the remainder of Malachi's story till another evening." "I am sure that there is not one of the party who is more anxious to hear it than I am," replied Mrs Campbell, rising, "but as you say, it is past ten o'clock, and Malachi and the Strawberry have to go home, so, good night." "Oh, dear! what a pity!" cried Percival, "I shall dream of beavers all night, I'm sure I shall." CHAPTER TWENTY THREE. MALACHI'S STORY OF A BEAR. For two or three days, Mr Campbell was very busy making out an inventory of the articles which he required. His funds at Quebec were rather low, but the communication which his agent had made to him of Mr D. Campbell's intention of paying for the green-house and hothouse plants, made him feel very easy on that score; and he now determined to procure a small flock of sheep, and one or two of the Canadian ponies or galloways, as they would soon be required for the farm, as well as two carts or light waggons used in the country. In the meantime, Alfred, Martin, and Henry were very busy putting the seed in between the stumps of the felled timber, merely hoeing up the earth and raking it in, which was all that was required. The quantity of land cleared was about twelve acres, half of which was sowed with oats, and the other with wheat; the piece cleared on the other side of the stream by Malachi Bone, and railed in, was sown with maize, or Indian corn. As soon as the seed was in, they all set to putting up a high fence round the cleared land, which was done with split rails made from the white cedar, which grew in a swamp about half a mile distant, and which, it may be remembered, had in a great measure been provided by the soldiers who had been lent to assist them on their arrival. The piece of prairie land, on the side of the stream next to the house, was put apart for an early crop of hay, and as soon as they could, they intended to turn the cows into the bush, that is, to feed in the forest, that they might obtain hay from the other side, which had belonged to Malachi; but the prairie required to be fenced in, and this was the job that they took in hand as soon as the seeds were sown.