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diff --git a/old/60659.txt b/old/60659.txt deleted file mode 100644 index c96fa3c..0000000 --- a/old/60659.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,4143 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Wild Kindred, by Jean M. Thompson - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Wild Kindred - -Author: Jean M. Thompson - -Illustrator: Warwick Reynolds - Charles Copeland - -Release Date: November 9, 2019 [EBook #60659] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WILD KINDRED *** - - - - -Produced by Al Haines - - - - - - - - - -Wild Kindred - -[Illustration: (snowy egret chick)] - - - - -[Frontispiece: THIS WAS A LUCKY NIGHT FOR PETER, AND HE MANAGED TO -SAVE HIS GREY PELT. (_Frontispiece_)] - - - - -[Illustration: Title page] - - - - - Wild Kindred - - Jean M. Thompson - - - - The Illustrations - by Warwick Reynolds - & Charles Copeland - - - - Jonathan Cape - Eleven Gower Street, London - - - - - First Published, 1922 - All Rights Reserved - - - - -Contents - -CHAP. - -I. The Narrow Escape of Velvet Wings - -II. How Lhoks went back to the Forest - -III. The Trials of Peter Possum - -IV. The Minnow Twins - -V. How Porcupine Ridge was Settled - -VI. Methuselah, the Tyrant of Black Pond - -VII. Mahug, the Champion Diver - -VIII. Fierce Star Nose, and Burrower - -IX. The Loyalty of Silver Wing, the Gull - -X. How Kos-Ko-Menos, the Kingfisher, won his Belt - -XI. The Wit of Clown-face, the Badger - -XII. The Sugar Camp on Lone Mountain - -XIII. The Peril of the Snowy Egrets - -XIV. Mogul, last Buffalo of the Herd - -XV. The Last Panther on Cushman Range - -XVI. Nemox, the Crafty Robber of the Marshes - - - - -List of Illustrations - - -"This was a lucky night for Peter, and he managed to save his grey -pelt" (_Frontispiece_) - -"Suddenly the ball unrolled itself, and an ugly blunt snout appeared" - -"Spitting, snarling, yelling ... it charged upon the porcupines" - -"Down like an avalanche he came, snatching the mink in his beak" - -"He rose from the great wave, bearing aloft a glistening herring" - -"Out popped the funny painted face of the badger" - -"On his way to the nest, with a pouch full of fish" - -"The panther crouched at the foot of the ladder ... making up its -mind to climb" - - - - -Wild Kindred - - -CHAPTER I - -THE NARROW ESCAPE OF VELVET WINGS - -"Whir, whir, whir," sounded the swish of many silken wings. The -swallows had arrived from the South; thousands of them there were, -long winged and dusky brown, with faintly russet breasts. So full of -joyous bustle they were over their arrival, "cheep, cheep, cheeping," -making a great clamour as they separated into colonies, seeking a -home for the summer. The old red barn seemed to invite them; in -fact, two colonies had a regular pitched battle over its possession, -until at last the stronger band drove away the weaker, and took -possession of the coveted spot. They swarmed into the old barn -through small windows high in its peak, chattering together as they -selected building sites. So great a clamour did the swallows make in -the silence of the dim, old barn that they disturbed and finally -awakened many who had not aroused themselves from their winter's -torpor and sleep. - -Far up in a distant peak of the barn, in a certain dim corner where a -great rafter lapped, forming a secluded sort of shelf, there hung, -stretched across the corner, an unusually large cobweb curtain. The -old grey spider who had spun the web had abandoned it when cold -weather came, and crawled down into the warm hay. Gradually thick -dust collected upon the web curtain, and well it did, because behind -it, upon the wide, dusty beam it covered, lay two torpid things, -resembling nothing so much as two round balls of brown fur. - -The strident chatter of the swallows had penetrated the small round -ears of the two fur balls, perhaps, or it might have been the light -from a stray yellow sunbeam, which at a certain hour of each day had -a way of filtering through a crack and warming their retreat. At any -rate, one of the torpid things began slowly to undo itself; a small, -mouse-like head appeared, having round, delicate ears of membrane, -which seemed rather too large for its head. Its eyes, when it opened -them, were exactly like two jet-black beads, and its rather wide, -pink mouth was liberally armed with tiny, saw-like teeth, which the -fur ball showed as it yawned sleepily, stretching itself and -spreading out its wings, to which were attached by a thin membrane -its forearms and legs. Then, fully awake, it plunged straight -through the cobweb curtain, tearing it apart from end to end, and -sending back a sharp, encouraging squeak to the smaller fur ball to -follow. - -Of course the two ridiculous fur balls were just the bat family. The -smaller, more timorous bat, soon followed her mate from behind the -web curtain and joined him upon the broad beam. But so clumsy and -half awake was she that the very first thing she did was to make a -misstep and go pitching off the high beam into space. She landed -upon the hay, fortunately, and then began the funniest sight. Did -you ever chance to see a bat when it attempted to walk? They seldom -use their feet, and when they do it is a droll sight. - -As soon as Mrs. Bat recovered from her dizzy fall, she put forth one -wing and a hind leg and began to walk toward a beam, for strangely -enough she could not fly from so low an elevation, but must climb -some distance in order to launch herself properly into the air. -Hitching and tumbling along she finally reached a beam, and clutching -it she began to climb it head downward, exactly as a woodpecker does. -Then, having reached the desired height, she whirled away, and landed -finally beside her mate. - -The barn was a very silent place. The rasping of its rusty latch -always gave ample time for all its little wild tenants to get under -cover, so usually all you heard when you entered would be the hidden, -lonely trill of a cricket or a faint, stealthy rustle in the hay. - -Upon a broad beam far up over the loft where the oat straw was -stored, lived rather an exclusive family, that of the barn owl. You -would never have dreamed they were there, so well did the brown -feathers of the owls blend with the dimness of the shadows. Under -the grain bins, far down below, lived a large colony of fat rats, -while in among the dried clover raced and romped shoals of field-mice -who wintered there. But there was another, a new tenant, feared and -shunned by all the others. He came from no one knew where exactly; -still the farmer's boy might have explained, for he had lost a pet -ferret. - -The ferret was an ugly creature to look upon, its body long and -snaky, and covered with yellowish-white, rather dirty-looking fur; -its movements were sly and furtive, and somehow always struck terror -to every tenant of the barn whenever they saw him steal forth. All -winter the ferret had been there, and the hay was literally -honeycombed with its secret tunnels, and woe to anything which -happened to cross its evil trail. - -Each evening soon after twilight the swallows would return to the -barn from their raids, and when the shadows grew quite dusky far down -beneath them, then the bats and the barn owl family would launch -themselves out into the night. - -"Squeak, squeak," ordered the big male bat; then like two shadows -they would flit silently off upon their velvety wings. All during -the early part of the night they chased gnats and moths, because they -invariably got their best pickings before midnight. Before the dim -shadows began to lift, the bats and owls had returned usually, but -the bat family did not retire again behind their cobweb curtain; -instead they hung themselves by their wing-claws head downward from -the beam, folding their wings closely over their beady eyes, and thus -they would sleep all day. - -Warmer days came, and livelier times were stirring among the tenants -of the barn. Far up on her own beam Mrs. Barn Owl tended and fed two -young downy owlets faithfully. Of course the owl mother knew the -beam to be quite a safe spot for baby owls, but somehow she -distrusted the skulking old ferret, whom she occasionally caught -sight of; besides, rats sometimes climb beams, and once, before the -owl eggs had hatched, something had stolen one egg; so that is really -why there were but _two_ owlets instead of three. - -The swallows were the busiest tenants, for each nest now held a -circle of gaping, hungry mouths to feed. All day long, and far into -twilight, the swallows were whirring incessantly, in and out. But up -in the secret corner, partially hidden by the torn cobweb curtain, -clung Mrs. Bat herself, and if you could only have peeped beneath one -of her wings you might have seen the dearest little mite of a bat, -with eyes of jet, clinging close to its mother's breast as she folded -it tenderly beneath her wing. There the helpless little creature -stayed, close to its mother, until it became older and stronger, for -among all the tiny, fur-bearing animals there is no little mother -more considerate of her young than the bat. And rather than leave -the furry thing all alone upon the great beam when she had to go off -for food, as she could not carry it _beneath_ her wing in flight, she -would make a kind of little basket cradle by spreading out her wing, -and thus the baby bat would ride with its mother, clinging close to -her back with its wing hooks and tiny teeth, and he never fell from -the wing basket nor was he afraid. - -When the young owlets were out of the pin-feather stage they began to -go out with the old ones. But once when they were left behind, -sitting huddled together upon their beam, when the mother owl came -back only one small, chuckle-faced owlet remained. Hunt as she -might, the robber had left no clue behind. However, her suspicions -centred upon the sly old ferret and she took to watching his -movements more than ever. There she would sit, sullen and -revengeful, far up among the shadows and beams, with her one owlet. -She frequently saw the sinuous, snake like body of the ferret creep -forth, and even caught the sound of his peculiarly hateful hiss when -he encountered anything in his path. Once, in a great fury she -swooped clear down to the barn floor after her enemy, but she got -there a second too late. The sly creature had heard the swish of the -owl's wings when she left the beam, and caught a fleeting glimpse of -her blazing yellow eyes, so he hastily slid into the nearest runway, -and the owl flew back to her beam defeated; but she never forgot, she -simply waited. - -More and more bold became the raids of the hateful old ferret. He -robbed the swallows' nests; frequently you might see his dirty-white, -sinuous body stealing across some high beam, creeping, creeping -warily, arching his back, holding his snaky head high, one foot -gathered up, looking for an unguarded nest; then if he found one, he -would arch his snaky neck over the edge of the nest and suck every -egg. - -Velvet Wings, the young bat, grew very fast. He foraged for himself -now, for his wings were as broad and fleet as his mother's. -Sometimes, however, he made a clumsy start and so got many a fall. -So one night as he started forth he fell fluttering and squeaking and -protesting, until with a soft thud he landed far below upon the barn -floor. Completely stunned Velvet Wings lay there, his wings -outspread and helpless, his little heart beating so hard it shook his -whole body. Of course he saw nothing, so did not notice the peaked -snout of the sly old ferret as he peered inquisitively forth from his -lair in the hay to see what the soft thud might be. The next instant -the ferret had Velvet Wings in his cruel mouth, but instead of -devouring him at once he began to have some fun with the poor bat, -tossing it in the air, then pouncing upon it as it fell, mauling it -as a cat does a mouse, pinning its wings down with both fore feet. A -second more and Velvet Wings would have been lost, but that second -was not allowed the ferret; for far up among the brown rafters a pair -of great, blazing yellow eyes had been watching, and like a rocket -from above fell the old mother owl, clear to the barn floor. "Swish, -swish," went her great wings, as she buried her talons in the back of -the dirty-white fur coat. With a twist of his snaky, supple body, -the ferret managed to free himself a second from that awful clutch, -and, arching its back, it began to slip away. But the owl was too -quick; landing upon the ferret's back, she took another, firmer hold -and bore him, struggling and snarling, aloft. - -Down through the centre of the old barn a broad sunbeam entered. It -left a long bar of light through the dimness of the dusky place. The -barn was strangely silent, hushed, but many bright eyes had witnessed -the tragedy and were watching to see the end, but all that they -finally saw was just a few wisps of white fur, which came floating -lazily down through the bar of light. It appeared not unlike -floating thistle-down, but it had come from the owl's nest, and was -the last they ever saw of their enemy, the sly old ferret. - -Up there in the dim shadows of the old red barn you'll find them all, -and should the yellow beam of sunlight happen to dance across their -dark hiding-place, you may plainly see the bat family. There they -all hang through the day, looking for all the world like a row of -small velvet bags, their bright eyes shrouded by their soft wings as -they sleep, head downward; while off in quite another corner, perched -upon her own dusty beam drowses the brave barn owl and her one -chuckle-headed owlet. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -HOW LHOKS WENT BACK TO THE FOREST - -Lhoks, the panther, peered sullenly and discontentedly forth from -behind bars of his cage at the curious crowd of people who stared in -at him, and baring his sharp white teeth angrily, snarled at them -crossly. Again he resumed his uneasy pad, pad, padding walk, up and -down the narrow floor of his prison, which, with six other similar -gaily painted cages occupied by other unfortunate wild animals, -belonged to a small travelling menagerie. - -Lhoks was a handsome animal, and the boys and girls who gathered in -crowds around his cage gazed at him with round eyes of admiring awe. -He happened to be a very large specimen of his kind, measuring about -eleven feet in length. His coat was reddish-brown, now grown -somewhat shabby, owing to his long confinement in the narrow cage. A -small patch of white fur marked either side of his muzzle. His -snarling lips showed jet black, also the tip of his tail, which he -lashed angrily. His eyes, which Lhoks half closed when angry or -cross, were of gleaming greenish yellow, showing golden lights. Over -his cage door one might read: "Panther, or American Lion." - -It happened three years before, that Lhoks and two other small -panther cubs had been left alone by the old panthers, who went off to -hunt; feeling lonely, but full of mischief and play, they came out of -their safe den, to frolic upon a wide flat ledge. There upon the -rock they all played together happily, rolling over each other and -cuffing with their clumsy kitten-like paws. And there the hunter -came across them, and so young and unafraid were the small panthers -that they allowed the man to carry them off. When the old panthers -returned to the den it was quite empty; their babies were gone. For -days and days they followed vainly the long trail of the robber, with -red, revengeful eyes, but they never caught up with him. - -Two of the cubs died in captivity, but Lhoks, stronger and more lusty -than the others, lived. For three years he had travelled with the -menagerie, but he hated the life, and with all the longing in his -heart he would dream, in his wild way, of the dark, sweet scented -woods, the safe retreats where he might hide in secret, silent places -of his forest. Most of all did he hate the blare of the loud music, -which made him howl, and deeply too did he resent the staring eyes of -the curious crowds. Sullenly he would glower back at them. Often he -felt weak and sick in the close confining quarters of his hated cage; -so much so, that he would stretch out his tawny body miserably upon -the floor and lie there for hours. But alas for poor Lhoks during -show hours, should he chance to appear stupid and sleepy and ill when -the people came to stare at him! Then someone was sure to reach into -his cage with a long red pole, to the end of which was attached a -cruel, sharp spike, and then they would poke and prod the poor animal -until he got upon his feet. Just one sharp prod of the spike was -usually enough to make Lhoks jump up and snarl and begin once more -his endless pacing back and forth, from end to end of his prison. - -Then the delighted crowd would shiver and exclaim at his dreadful -fierceness, and often poke him playfully with canes or umbrellas, -just to make him yell loudly. The howls of Lhoks the panther were -terrifying, and when he screamed out it usually stirred up all the -other animals of the menagerie. - -If Lhoks hated the crowds, he soon learned to dread most of all the -long, overland journeys by rail. Then the cages would all be loaded -upon goods trucks, and for days they would rumble and jolt and sway -dizzily in their close, ill-smelling quarters; if water was not -handy, sometimes the attendants neglected them, and forgot that the -poor caged things were very thirsty. Often at the end of a trip they -arrived faint, car-sick, and so exhausted they were barely able to -stagger to their cramped legs. - -The season for the menagerie was drawing to its close, and they were -about to go East for the winter. The glittering cages had been -opened to the public for the last time in a small Western town, where -the wondering boys and girls had taken their last look at Lhoks, the -panther, and his wild companions. The last cage had been loaded upon -the truck, and the long, heavy train started out upon its journey. -Old King, the lion, had died, and most of the other animals showed -only too plainly the effects of their long confinement and hard life. -The tawny coat of poor Lhoks was shabbiest of all. It actually -looked moth-eaten in places, and his sides showed plainly enough the -scars which the sharp spike had made. His ribs were seen through his -lean hide, for he had almost lost his appetite; he felt weak and -discouraged. So he just lay stretched listlessly upon the floor of -his cage, while the long train jolted and screamed its way across the -flat country of the West. Fortunately, the cage of the panther had -been placed in such a position that Lhoks soon discovered that by -standing upon his hind legs he could actually peer out through his -small, grated window at the country through which they journeyed. In -this respect, he was more lucky than the others, for the gazelle and -hyena cages had been placed with their small, ventilating windows -pushed up against the other cages, so they could not look out. - -For many days, whenever Lhoks chanced to look forth from his small -window, they appeared to be passing over the same flat, uninteresting -plain, although occasionally he caught a fleeting glimpse of forest -and hills in the distance. At night he would lie flat gazing up -longingly, managing to catch a peep at the little winking stars, and -sometimes, when it was bright moonlight, he would grow very restless -and unhappy, pacing up and down, howling dismally. How he hated the -commotion and loud noises about the goods yards, when their train was -shunted back and forth over points, creaking and squealing, with much -loose rattling of rusty iron couplings, and yells from the -railwaymen, who swung red-eyed lanterns, and ran swiftly and lightly -over the tops of the cages. - -Finally, after many weary days, for their train was a very slow one, -Lhoks began to brighten up, for the air which now found its way into -his close cage had begun to change and freshen; now he would stand at -his small, barred window and sniff in long drafts of it with keen -delight. Also, Lhoks saw that they had now left the disagreeable, -flat country, and were speeding through wild forests, where giant -spruce and pines grew dense and tall. Off in the distance there were -glimpses of purple chains of mountains, and rolling, peaceful hills. -From that time on, Lhoks became a changed animal; as by magic all his -weariness appeared to vanish; he was once more himself, wild and -alert. All night he would stand now at the window just breathing in -the tonic of this fine, new air, the bracing odours which came from -thousands of fragrant balsams and pines. For, although Lhoks did not -suspect it, he happened to be passing, at that time, right through -the very heart of his own home country, the land where perhaps even -then his parents were still roving wild and free through the hidden -jungles of the great North woods. - -The long, snake-like train rumbled and screeched its way through the -night, hooting and echoing through the deep mountain cuts, then -gliding out over long moonlit stretches, where moist odours from the -woods came in waves to poor Lhoks in his prison cage. - -"Chuck, chuck, chuck-chuck, chuck," repeated the iron truck wheels, -over and over again, almost like the rhythm of some tiresome song. -Then, suddenly, on ahead, the great engine began to send forth hoot -after hoot, strange alarm cries, whistlings and screechings which -echoed through the silent forest. Lhoks instinctively knew something -had happened, and leaped to his feet. The next moment the heavy -truck, cages and all, had been tossed from the rails and lay a -splintered mass at the foot of a deep cutting. - -Something wonderful happened to Lhoks, the panther, for his cage had -chanced to fall right side up, and one wall of it had actually fallen -out; he was free--free at last. It took a few seconds for the poor -wild thing to discover that he was a prisoner no longer, after -spending so many long, hateful years in his close cage. But very -soon all his old, wild nature asserted itself, and he made out that -there were tall waving pines all about him, instead of walls and iron -bars, and beneath a dense, black jungle of spruce--fine places to -hide. Gathering up all his strength, with one long leap Lhoks, the -captive, bounded off to his freedom and the shelter of the woods. - -Of course, in the excitement which followed the wreck, no one thought -of looking for the panther; for, as it happened, he was the only -animal which had managed to escape alive. Lhoks could not travel so -very fast at first, for he had a touch of rheumatism, and his legs -were almost stiff from long confinement, while his usually sharp -claws were quite worn off and dulled. So he skulked along the -ground, hiding himself in some deep, wooded retreat far away from the -shouts of the railwaymen. Having rested he finally began to take -some interest in his appearance, groomed his roughened coat and -sharpened his dull claws upon a log. Suddenly he realized that he -was hungry. Oh, how delightedly did he quench his thirst at a -beautiful, fern-grown pool. Then one day he discovered the trail of -a lone wood-cutter and followed it for hours, because he began to -feel lonely, and also was hungry. Perhaps he imagined that the man -would feed him, as had his keeper. It was lucky for poor, trusting -Lhoks that the man did not spy him, or he might have been shot, for -the man would surely have supposed the panther was trailing _him_ for -its prey. - -Lhoks forsook the man's trail finally, and that day he managed to -catch a rabbit, which served him very well. For weeks so wandered -the poor, solitary panther all alone over the wild forest trails. -Each day fresh strength and courage came to him; already his tawny -coat had lost its roughness; the new hair was coming in, filling the -deep scars upon his sides with soft, fine fur. Suddenly he began to -feel so very happy that for sheer playfulness, and because of his -loneliness, he would play kittenishly, rolling and pawing about a -round stone which he found; springing high in the air he would often -chase his own shadow down the moonlit trails; occasionally, he would -strive to gain some almost forgotten scent, then he would lift his -black muzzle and utter a long, lonely yell--a cry in the night, once -heard, never forgotten, this yell of a panther--just a pleading cry -for his lost companions for whom he yearned. - -Once Lhoks met with an encounter which he never forgot. He happened -upon a round ball of curious appearance which lay right in his path, -and feeling in a playful mood, he boldly jumped at the thing, tossing -it about. Then suddenly the bundle unrolled itself, an ugly blunt -snout appeared, and two sullen angry eyes glared at him insolently. -Before he could back away, a prickly tail slapped him smartly right -across his soft, black muzzle, and it was filled with quills. After -that, Lhoks, the panther, never forgot how Unk-Wunk, the porcupine, -looked when he rolled himself into a ball and went to sleep upon the -trail. It became harder to find food down in the lowlands, so Lhoks -took to the mountain passes, and thus it happened, one memorable day, -he chanced upon a strangely familiar, alluring scent. For a day he -trailed it, drawing gradually nearer and nearer, and as he found the -scent keener, Lhoks began to feel greatly excited, filled with -courage and hope, for he had stumbled across an old trail of one of -his own kindred. - -[Illustration: SUDDENLY THE BALL UNROLLED ITSELF, AND AN UGLY BLUNT -SNOUT APPEARED.] - -With his wild senses all alert, Lhoks now continued to follow -patiently the trail. It brought him at last out upon a plateau, or -clearing. Closer and closer to the edge of the ledgy plateau crept -Lhoks, now crawling low upon his stomach, exactly like a cat. Then, -having gained the edge, hanging his great tawny head over the rock, -he peered with curious, wistful eyes at the strangely beautiful sight -spread just beneath him. Upon a jutting rock frolicked five panther -cubs; little furry creatures they were, barred with dark tiger-like -stripes, as are all young panthers. There in the sunshine they were -playing innocently, while Lhoks watched them wistfully and anxiously, -with half-shut, curious yellow eyes, his whole body shaking and -trembling with nervous longing to be with them. Even the tip of his -tail lashed the rock frantically, so interested had he become in the -kitten cubs. They were quite alone, for the mother panther, having -lost her mate, was even now away seeking food for them. - -At last, unable to withstand the cunning ways of the cubs an instant -longer, Lhoks leaped lightly down among them, and so trusting were -they that he became acquainted with them at once. When the mother -panther returned, she found a stranger with her babies, playing with -them, letting them roll over him and tease him roughly, mauling him -about as they would, while Lhoks, the lonely one, lay stretched out -contentedly purring for sheer happiness. Strangely enough the mother -panther did not resent the appearance of Lhoks; perhaps she imagined -he would be useful in helping her forage for food for her family. At -any rate, she welcomed him with peaceful purrs, and so all was well. -Thus did Lhoks, the panther, come back to his kindred once again in -the heart of the great forest. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -THE TRIALS OF PETER POSSUM - -Peter Possum was in great trouble, for he had lost his mate. No -wonder that he felt strangely lonely and sad. Most of the opossum -tribe are noted for their love of family and companionship. Peter -had been born and reared in the South, right in the heart of a great -cypress swamp, an ideal spot for the home of any possum. Dark and -lonely was the swamp jungle, with its tall pines and giant gum and -cypress trees, beneath which lay trackless thickets of thorn and -holly, while trailing in long, snaky lengths over all, grew matted -bamboo vines and hanging mosses which looked like long grey beards. - -Months before, Peter and his mate had built for themselves a deep, -new nest down in the hollow heart of a giant cypress tree. And now -what worried Peter most of all was that, wherever Mrs. Possum now -might be, she had carried away their eleven little possum babies with -her in her velvet-lined pouch or pocket which she wore for that -especial purpose in her side. - -Not until all the little possums were large enough to be trusted -outside alone would their fond mother allow them to leave this -velvet-lined pouch. The little possums, when she went away, were -just about the size of mice, with sharp, pink noses, tiny wriggling -tails, bits of beady, black eyes, and the softest, mole-like fur -coats. Little helpless things they were. No wonder, then, that -Peter was full of anxiety and almost dazed over the mysterious -disappearance of all his family. Vainly he searched for them all -through the swamp in their usual haunts, but no trace could he -discover of Mrs. Possum and her pocketful of little possums. - -It had been two whole nights now since Mrs. Possum had been away from -the home nest. As Mrs. Possum had a habit of going off alone -occasionally, Peter had not thought much about it the first night she -was away, for, to tell the truth, that same night he had taken a -secret trip into the far end of the swamp, just to see if a certain -gnarled, old persimmon tree which he happened to remember was going -to bear fruit that year. - -So off Peter had started, all by himself. It was very pleasant to -stroll through the swamp on a moonlight night, and really Peter -travelled much farther than he had intended. Suddenly, right in the -direction of his home tree, he heard a horrible din which actually -made his long, wavy grey fur rise right up from his fat back. - -"Wow-wow-ooo-oo-o!" It was the hounds, they were out in full cry; -they were scouring the swamp for possums or racoons. Peter was -thankful now that he was not at home. Surely, he thought, Mrs. -Possum, whom he had left at home with the eleven little possums, -would have tact enough not to show even the tip of her sharp snout -outside the nest while the hounds were about. But in spite of all -this, Peter was uneasy about his family; so, without even finding out -if the old persimmon tree would bear fruit that season, he made a -bee-line for home. - -"Wow-oow, ow, ow, ooo!" Again the hounds bayed, and close at hand -this time. Peter laid his small black ears tight to his head, as he -streaked in and out of the tangled jungles, looking like a glint of -something silvery when the moonbeams struck against his grey fur -coat. Suddenly the hounds leaped right out in plain sight of Peter. -Instantly he had spied them--three yellow terrors with their long -flappy ears, eager, dribbling jaws, and red, bleary eyes, which could -spy out a coon or possum, no matter how tall a tree he had climbed -into to hide. - -This happened to be a lucky night for Peter, and he managed to save -his grey pelt, reaching his home tree before the moon went down. - -He began to hitch and claw his way up the tree, not too hurriedly, -because Peter was very fat. A fat possum cannot climb a large tree -trunk very fast; that is why a possum, if he is big and fat, will -usually select a small tree when he wishes to climb out of danger -very quickly. When Peter got up to the entrance of the nest, the -grey, furry face of Mrs. Possum, with its round gentle eyes, was not -there to greet him as usual. When he climbed down deep into the -nest, no soft warm body was there to break his fall, and no gentle -welcoming growl did he hear; the nest was cold and empty. - -At first, Peter fancied that she had simply gone out of the nest to -get a breath of fresh air, and perhaps allow the little possums to -get a view of the swamp by moonlight, so he didn't worry so very much -about her absence. Instead, he just rolled himself up and took a -nap, expecting any minute to be awakened by the coming of his mate, -when she rolled heavily down into the nest. At daybreak Peter awoke -and still Mrs. Possum had not returned. Now Peter, in his funny -possum way, was fond of his family, so instead of sleeping all that -day, as he usually did, he started out to look for them. First, he -took a peep away down below from the edge of the nest; everything was -already beginning to wake up for the day. Peter watched his hated -neighbours, two old black buzzards, start off, and actually dodged -quickly back into the nest as their great shabby, rag-like wings -swept close to his grey coat. Once, when the buzzard family were -away, and there were eggs in their nest, Peter and his mate were -foolish enough to visit their untidy home, to which the old birds -returned before Peter and his mate could get away, and then one -horrid old buzzard, with a twist of its ugly, skinny neck had -"unswallowed" its breakfast upon Peter's fine fur coat. Such is the -disgusting habit of all the buzzard tribe, and one such experience -was enough for Peter; he never went near the buzzards again. - -After the scavenger birds had disappeared from sight, Peter climbed -high up into the top of his tree, where he could look far across the -swamp. He saw away off beyond the swamp, the plantations, stretching -as far as the eye could reach, and criss-crossing them in all -directions the deep irrigation ditches, where one might wander for -miles, and become lost as in a city of many streets. - -Finally Peter went back into the nest again; there he slept all day, -expecting to hear the welcome scratching of Mrs. Possum's claws upon -the tree trunk any moment. But in vain; she did not come. Had she -been caught by the hounds? - -At sunset Peter watched the buzzards come sailing back home for the -night and settle themselves in their soiled feathers, looking just -like two black bundles of rags clinging among the tufted pines. Then -the whip-poor-wills away down close to the ground, hidden among the -thorn tangles, began their lonely calls. And at last, unable to bear -the loneliness a minute longer, Peter slid hastily down the tree into -the shadows. Soon the moon, which was now big and yellow, came -peeping through the dark pines, lighting up the dark places and -finally, to his great joy, Peter actually stumbled upon the trail of -his lost mate. - -Poor thing! She had not been able to travel very fast because she -carried the eleven little possums in her pouch, so it was easy to -follow her tracks, as her heavy body had left certain deep -impressions in the soft moss. He discovered many places where she -had stopped to rest--deep, round hollows; perhaps she had lain low to -keep away from the hounds. Peter followed her trail patiently, and -at last he came to the edge of the plantations crossed by the maze of -ditches, almost as deep as two men are high. Then Peter's troubles -and trials began at the first ditch. He found where his mate had -entered a ditch, gone over it for a long distance, then turned off -uncertainly into still another ditch, finally coming back again to -the very place she had started from. Oh, it was a very easy matter -indeed to lose one's way in the perplexing ditches, and so all the -next day Peter travelled hopefully up and down them, searching -everywhere for his lost family. There was not much to eat in the -ditches, although, when very hard pressed by hunger, an opossum will -eat anything. Opossums, you know, are really _night scavengers_. -But you may be certain that the unpleasant old buzzards who float all -day over the plantations, watching the ditches, had left little which -a possum might care to eat. - -Next day Peter climbed out of the ditches and hid himself in a very -thick holly tree, trusting that its prickly leaves would conceal him -while he rested. When twilight came, again he took up his search in -the ditches. Bravely poor Peter searched them night after night. -Occasionally he came across a trap which some negro labourer had -placed in the mouth of a ditch, hoping to catch a coon. But Peter -managed to keep his feet out of them. - -Up and down, up and down, wearily searched the faithful Peter, -occasionally filled with great hope, for the scent which he followed -would appear quite fresh and near, but the next moment he lost all -clue again. At last, in spite of himself, Peter had almost made up -his mind to the terrible thought that his little grey-coated mate had -been trapped, or perhaps she had become bewildered and lost her way -in some deep, dark hole, finally perishing of hunger. Of course the -little possums weighed her down heavily, so she could never climb up -out of the ditches. - -Peter very sadly and reluctantly made up his mind to give up his vain -search and go back to the swamps again. But they say "'Tis always -darkest before dawn," and that very night, when he was about to give -up, he struck into an unusually deep ditch. A stray moonbeam -filtered down into the dark hole, lighting up the path ahead for some -distance. Then, all of a sudden, Peter thought he saw something -moving toward him; perhaps it was a coon, for dearly the coons love -to roam through the broom-corn ditches when the young corn is in the -milk. The longer Peter looked at the thing coming toward him, -however, the less did it appear like a coon, and somehow, it seemed -strangely familiar to him--the heavy swaying, waddling body; and the -next moment Peter saw, where the moonlight struck it, the thing was -all _silvery grey_. The reason Peter did not recognise his little -mate in the first place, for indeed it was Mrs. Possum herself, was -just this: - -It seems that the eleven little possum babies had been gone so long, -they had now quite outgrown their mother's pocket, and so she had let -them all climb out upon her broad, silvery back. And in order to -keep them together safely, she showed each little possum that by -curling its tail tight around her own long, muscular one, which she -carried over her back, it might ride in safety. In this fashion Mrs. -Possum herself waddled hopefully up and down the long, maze-like -ditches, vainly looking for an outlet. - -"Grr-r-r-r," rumbled the delighted Peter, recognising his mate, and -greeting her in his queer possum way by rubbing his black nose fondly -against Mrs. Possum's black, pointed snout. Then Peter and his mate -with the eleven little possum children still clinging to her back -turned about, and Peter found the right road at last, which led them -all straight back to the swamp. - -Back in the jungles they found themselves after a long, weary -journey. They were very happy to be once more among their jolly -neighbours, the racoons, sniffing again the sweet scented woods, the -yellow jasmine flowers, listening again to catch the soft, sweet -notes of their friends, the mocking-birds, who sang their beautiful -trills in the moonlight. Peter and his mate were even glad to see -their unpleasant neighbours again, the buzzards, who actually craned -their skinny necks curiously, watching the return of Mrs. Possum and -her large family as she climbed back into the cypress tree. - -The persimmons on the old, gnarled persimmon tree are growing plumper -and riper; it needs but a light touch of Jack Frost to make them -tasty. Then Peter Possum and his mate, with the eleven possum -babies, who by that time will be able to travel alone, are planning -to have a grand feast, far away from the dreaded plantation ditches, -right in the safe shelter of their dear old swamp. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -THE MINNOW TWINS - -Once upon a time the minnow family had been a very large one, for -there were fifteen of the children by actual count; but one day a -cruel net was dropped lightly into the brook, and twelve of them were -scooped up and taken away. All that remained were Father and Mother -Minnow, Baby Minnow, and the Twins. - -It was such a delightful brook where the minnow family lived--one of -the kind which runs along quietly for a short way, then suddenly -bursts into little laughing ripples, bubbling, foaming, and hurrying -along madly, as though it were trying to race away from itself. The -brown bed of the brook was all paved with wonderful pebbles, and when -the sun shone down upon them they sparkled just like fairy jewels. -Oh, quite wonderful are the hidden treasures of the brook! It is -filled with queer, interesting brook people. - -The black and yellow turtle family lived beneath a tussock of coarse -grass just at the bend of the brook, where the limb of an old tree -had fallen, and lay half submerged in the water. Quite convenient it -was, too, for the turtles; one would usually find some of them -sunning upon the log; and when they all came out, they made a long -line quite across the log, and frequently jostled each other "plump" -off into the deep water. - -Below, in a dark, still place, all day long the "lucky bug" family -darted stupidly and aimlessly to and fro upon the mirror-like -surface; and just above, under the roots of an old willow tree, whose -snaky roots projected far into the water, lived Mr. and Mrs. Muskrat, -and their three young ones. Beneath a flat rock, which shelved out -into the water further down-stream, where it was deep, still, and -mysteriously shadowy, two large fierce pickerel had their haunts; -regular robbers and bandits they were, who made their living by -preying upon everything which came within their reach. There were -endless other families, all more or less interesting, which lived -upon the banks, or within the brown waters of the brook. - -But this time I am going to tell you about the minnows. In spite of -the cruel net, which of course broke up the family, the minnows were -about the jolliest family living in the brook. Father and Mother -Minnow were very old and wise. They had wonderfully large, green -bulging eyes, which looked not unlike green glass marbles, and could -detect the approach of an enemy yards away. Then they would whisk -out of sight in an instant, under the nearest stone, remaining right -there until the danger passed. - -Next in importance came the Twins, and they were so precisely alike -that only their mother could really tell them apart. She knew quite -well that one of them wore an extra speckle of brown upon his right -side. The Twins were for ever getting into scrapes, and were full of -mischievous pranks, which caused their parents no end of anxiety. -Because they were so full of curiosity about everything, these Twins -had to investigate any strange thing which entered the brook; this, -in spite of oft-repeated warnings from their parents. I must not -forget to mention the baby, a little bit of a slim, brown minnow, and -so very timid that he seldom left his mother's side. - -One day the minnows were all swimming together happily down-stream, -pausing occasionally to exchange pleasant greetings with their -neighbours. Just as they were passing the coarse grass tussock, Mrs. -Spotted-Turtle stuck her head out between the grasses to tell them of -an accident which had befallen one of her family, the youngest; one -of his feet had been bitten off by the cruel old pickerel who lived -down stream. - -So very much interested were Mr. and Mrs. Minnow in listening to this -sad story that they forgot to keep a watchful eye upon the Twins, -who, as soon as they discovered that they were not being watched, -darted fleetly off and were soon out of sight around a bend of the -brook. They longed for strange, new adventures, thrilling things, -and were quite mad with joy to be out of sight of the kind, watchful -eyes of their parents, whom they considered unduly fussy and strict. -Baby Minnow attempted to follow the Twins, but soon gave up and just -waited under the edge of a pebble until his parents should join him. - -Off and away darted the Twins; so swiftly did they travel that their -slim sides flashed through the water like arrows of gold and silver. -Wild with delight and freedom they often gave little sudden leaps and -skips quite out of the water. They mischievously and wilfully swam -in among the "lucky bug" family, scattering them far and wide, until -the foolish things completely lost their heads, darting confusedly in -all directions. The Twins even forgot to watch the spot where a pair -of cruel jaws armed with sharp teeth usually lay in wait for them, -snapping dangerously as they passed by the pickerel's den. But he -did not catch them, because they were swimming too rapidly for the -sly old fellow, who had been napping and was sluggish in his -movements. - -A whole drove of pale yellow butterflies joined the Twins just above -the pickerel hole, and kept them company a long distance downstream, -dancing merrily along over the water until a robin flew in among them -and scattered them in all directions. Oh, they were never lonely -upon their way; there was plenty of company. Musically hummed the -blue, lace wings of a team of giant dragon-flies which escorted them -for some distance. As the dragon-flies spent too much time darting -for gnats, the Twins left them far behind. Soon they were a long way -down-stream. The brook was full of surprises for them, as it -gradually widened, and the sweet-flags and cat-tails grew tall and -dense to the very edge of the water. They travelled less swiftly and -swam in and out of the shallows, investigating the jewelled pebbles, -aimlessly nibbling in a bed of watercress. Finally they paused to -rest and take a leisurely view of their new surroundings. - -Just in the edge of the water directly in front of them, near the -watercress patch, suddenly they espied a strange, glittering object. -Never in their lives had the Twins seen anything like this thing -before them. Larger than any pebble it was and far more beautiful. -They knew about scoop-nets, and for a time viewed the strange thing -before them with misgivings. However, it failed to move, so they -sidled cautiously nearer and nearer. Perhaps it was something good -to eat, and they were decidedly hungry. It felt smooth and cool to -the touch as they brushed it with their fins. Wonderful! There was -an opening at one end, but it was not a mouth, because there were no -teeth; therefore it would not bite. - -Finally, one Twin poked his head boldly into the opening and entered. -Strangely enough his twin could plainly see him upon the other side -of the object. He signalled with one fin for his brother to join -him, that all was safe, nothing to fear, and then both the Minnow -Twins went right inside the glass jar, for that was what it was. In -an instant the boy who owned the glass jar had pulled the string -which was tied about its neck, only the foolish minnows had not seen -it, and the next moment they were captives. - -Frantically they dashed about the glass prison, bumping their noses -cruelly, until at last, quite exhausted by their efforts to get free, -they finally lay panting at the bottom of the jar. Occasionally they -would rise to the top for air, but oh, how miserably unhappy they -were. They could picture to themselves even now the agony of mind -their parents and little brother endured as they searched frantically -behind every pebble to find their wayward children. - -They longed, oh, so sadly, for their beloved brook with its shady -haunts, to lie basking in the clear water which the sun warmed -pleasantly, while their neighbours sang sweetly above them--the -bluebird, the thrush, and hundreds of other birds which charmed and -entertained them all day long when they came to bathe in the brook. - -The water in the fruit-jar was rapidly growing stale and lifeless. -The Twins realised that they could not live there very long. What -would be their sad fate? Cautiously they looked from their glass -prison; the boy was no longer in sight. Soon all became dark about -them and they knew it was night. Doubtless their parents and little -brother were dreaming peacefully deep down in the cool, dark waters -of the brook in a favourite nook beneath some broad lily leaf. - -Next morning the Twins were barely alive; they lay gasping weakly. -Suddenly a great striped paw armed with hooked claws was thrust down -into the jar which it overturned, Minnow Twins and all, and the Twins -thought their last moment had come. Then the boy appeared and they -heard him say: - -"Hi, there, Pussy, you rogue. Clear out. You're trying to steal my -minnows that I worked so hard to catch for bait. Get out!" - -The boy put the minnows back into the jar and poured fresh water upon -them, which served to revive them wonderfully. Another boy finally -appeared carrying a tin pail in which he had many other unfortunate -minnows. - -"I know a fine place to fish," he exclaimed; "there's an awful big -pickerel lives right under a great, flat stone, down near the -swimming hole. Come on; let's go and try for him." - -It was a very hot day, and by the time the boys reached the brook -they had decided to take a little swim in a certain deep hole, down -by the willows, so they set the pail and jar carefully on a stone -beside the brook. They were in such a rush to get undressed and -plunge into the water that they had a race to see which should get in -first. - -Thus it happened that one boy in pulling off his shoe aimed it -carelessly at the fruit-jar. Over it toppled with a jingling crash, -and the next instant the Minnow Twins were back in the brook and had -darted out of sight under a stone. Here they lay just a few seconds, -because they felt a little weak after their confinement. At last -they stole cautiously forth, and as good luck would have it found -themselves right in a little bed of mint. They nibbled greedily of -the healing mint roots, and soon the wonderful tonic made them quite -strong again. Whisking off and looking warily to right and left, -they started in the direction of their old haunts. - -Soon dear, familiar landmarks began to appear. They hailed with -delight the form of old Mrs. Muskrat, grey and fat, sitting upon the -bank scolding her children crossly through her whiskers. Their -little friend, the water wag-tail bird, came tiptoeing in and out of -the brook, searching every pebble for bugs, just as she always did -day after day. She gave a droll little flirt, a sort of welcome, -with her funny little tail as the Minnow Twins slid quickly by. The -grey squirrels were chasing each other up and down the tree trunks -merrily, and surely--yes, far up-stream, they caught sight of the -old, familiar log, which lay just below the grass tussock, and right -there Mrs. Spotted-Turtle and her family lay sunning themselves, -ranged in a long line down the log. All the little turtles craned -their scaly, spotted necks over the log as the minnows passed under, -and one of the turtles which recognised the Twins flopped off the log -in his excitement into deep water. - -Quickly the Twins passed on and soon they arrived at the familiar -bend where the white birch hung, dipping its silvery leaves into the -brook. Two chubby, glistening minnows closely followed by a little -bit of a slim baby minnow darted out to meet the homesick Twins. -They were made welcome with rejoicing and much nose-rubbing right -back into the bosom of the minnow family once more. - -That night all the minnows rested quietly far down in the bottom of -the brook just beneath the protection of a large flat stone. The -whip-poor-wills came as they always did every evening to sing their -lullaby songs on the top of the old rail fence near, and everything -was peaceful and beautiful once more. If you tread very carefully -and lightly through the long grasses bordering the brook and peer -down into a certain nook perhaps you may be able to discover the -entire minnow family some day. You may be sure of the very spot if -you look for the old log, the grass tussock, and you may see some of -the yellow-spotted turtle family sunning themselves, if you have good -luck. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -HOW PORCUPINE RIDGE WAS SETTLED - -The remains of a large camp-fire smouldered, right in the heart of a -forest of giant spruces far up in the North country. It had -smouldered there sullenly all through a long, summer day, being left -by the campers to die of its own accord. By this time they were far -away, striking a new trail through the woods. - -Night was coming on now. Down in the still, dark places, stealthy -sounds, rustlings, and padded footsteps might be heard along wild -trails, for with the coming of darkness the prowlers, who forage best -at night, were beginning to stir abroad. Certain dark, shambling -figures--one, two, three--came shuffling across a streak of moonlit -forest. It was Moween, the little black mother bear and her two -cubs. They had come down from their mountain den to hunt in the deep -forest lowlands and swamps. Redbrush, the old fox, hit the trail in -hot haste; he had scented wonderful game, perhaps a covey of plump, -sleeping partridges. Impatiently he made a sudden, wide detour, even -crossing a brook and wetting his feet, which he disliked, just to -avoid meeting a cross old lynx whom he despised. Two cottontails, -also scenting both fox and lynx, leaped high over the tops of the -rank brakes and bounded off in another direction with long leaps, -halting to lie flat, trembling and panting, staying there concealed -until the dreaded ones had gone on. It happened that what the -cottontails had imagined to be a lynx or Redbrush, the fox, was only -Unk-Wunk, the porcupine, grubbing unconcernedly over the trail, -grunting to himself monotonously his "unk-wunk, unk-wunk," rattling -his quills softly as he crept leisurely in and out among the tall -ferns, fearing neither man nor beast. - -Occasionally he would halt to root, pig fashion, beneath some rotten -log for grubs or wake-robin roots, for which he had a great desire. -Then again he would stop, and standing upon his hind legs he would -reach up and strip off the bark from some young, tender sapling with -his sharp teeth. Not very far behind Unk-Wunk followed another -porcupine, his mate. She was somewhat smaller in size and less -aggressive and also, if possible, just a trifle more stupid-looking -and droll than he. In fact, she would actually pass right by some -really choice morsel which she wished keenly, just because it -happened to be a little outside the range of her small, dull piggy -eyes. So, often Unk-Wunk would stop to nose out food for her, for -she usually depended upon him to locate the meals for both of them, -and he seldom failed her. - -To-night Unk-Wunk was very keen upon a new trail, but you would never -have suspected it from his manner, because he never hurried. Still, -if you knew him very well indeed, you might detect that his gait was -rather more confident than usual, that in spite of his devious -turnings aside, he always returned again to the same trail. All day -the two porcupines had slept well in the round, deeply hollowed-out -hole of a spruce tree, and between naps Unk-Wunk had watched with -growing interest a thin, blue spiral of smoke as it filtered and -wavered through the tops of the tall spruces far above. Upon several -occasions the porcupine had seen similar trails of mysterious blue -smoke, and whenever, out of sheer curiosity, he had followed the -smoke to its lair, always had he been repaid for his long journey, -because smoke usually meant a camp, and campers recklessly threw away -much food, more especially bones, bacon rinds, and even, pieces of -mouldy pork or ham. - -So Unk-Wunk, the wise one, lifted his blunt muzzle from time to time -and sniffed deeply of the faint, delicious odours which sudden winds -blew in whiffs from the far-off camp. As soon as it commenced to -grow dusky down below, Unk-Wunk grunted to his mate to follow, and -together they started off upon their raids. - -Naturally selfish of nature and secretive is the porcupine, and when -an inquisitive intruder ventured to cross Unk-Wunk's trail, he would -hold his own ground, never stirring from his tracks, but, standing -sullenly in the path, force everything to turn out for him. Or, -should they presume to show courage enough to face him, he would -simply drop right down in his tracks, roll himself into the -well-known prickly ball, and let them come on. This they usually -decided not to do in the end, for most wanderers along the trails -were not deceived; well they knew that out of his small, -dull-appearing eyes Unk-Wunk was craftily watching their every -movement, waiting for them to come near enough to him to slap them -with his barb-laden tail. - -Thus Unk-Wunk and his mate grubbed along, not too hurriedly, which -would have been a mistake, for some other watcher might have its -curiosity aroused and follow them, and they would perhaps be -compelled to share their find with another. Finally following -devious trails, the porcupines reached the deserted camp. Unk-Wunk -was glad there was no one there, because once, when he had gnawed -very loudly, a sleeping man had been awakened and fired a gun at him. - -Wandering in and out among the blackened embers groped Unk-Wunk, -grunting impatiently while nosing over a pile of empty tins cans. -But soon, to his joy, he discovered a bone which he rasped and -rasped, pushing away his mate when she presumed to touch it. Next, -oh, joy, he found a long bacon rind. He actually fought with his -mate for this, forcing her to go back to a greasy board which he had -been gnawing. - -Things began to look more promising and Unk-Wunk and his mate were so -busy with their foraging, they utterly failed to hear the soft, -velvet, padded footsteps of another, who had been following their -trail from the first. They failed also to catch the gleam of a pair -of blazing, yellow eyes which peered out at them maliciously from -behind the blackened background of a stump, watching, watching their -every movement. It was a large tawny wildcat. For some time the cat -watched the porcupines, lashing its tail softly against the pliant -ferns; each instant the tail seemed to switch a trifle more -impatiently; the wildcat was making ready for an attack. Finally, -unable to endure their grunts of joy an instant longer, for the cat -was gaunt with hunger, it crouched low, then shot right into the very -centre of the camp. Spitting, snarling, yelling its horrid wails, -which echoed through the woods, it charged upon the porcupines. -Regardless of Unk-Wunk's raised, quilly armour it flew straight at -him, tussling, scuffling, spitting and snarling, eager to take away -the bone. - -[Illustration: SPITTING, SNARLING, YELLING ... IT CHARGED UPON THE -PORCUPINES.] - -"Slap." The tail of the porcupine, laden with its most deadly -quills, landed right between the blazing, yellow eyes of the wildcat, -almost blinding it. Then a terrific battle took place; the whirling -wildcat, mad with pain, tore about in a wide circle, scattering -blackened firebrands in all directions. It looked, for a time, as if -a small cyclone had struck the camp. All the while the cat kept up -its uncanny screams which struck sudden terror to many a small wild -thing along the trails, sending them cowering back into their dens -and hidden coverts. Under the whirling rain of ashes and embers, -wise Unk-Wunk and his mate managed to sneak off into the woods -unobserved. And at last the wildcat, angry and defeated, slunk away, -rubbing its snout, trying to rid itself of the awful quills, spitting -and scolding as it went. - -But the really tragic part of all this was what followed. Back in -the deserted camp had lain one sullen, smouldering firebrand. It -might have died out of its own accord in time had it not been -disturbed. But the wild scuffle between the wildcat and the -porcupine had revived it, tossing it right into a bed of dry leaves -and sun-baked ferns. - -Out upon the hills the summer drought had been hard; the pastures lay -brown and scorched by the hot sun, while in the woods the underbrush -was tinder dry. So the fire took courage, kindled, snapped and -crackled, then burst into bright flames and started on its travels. -Up the tall stems of giant spruces it ran, leaping across from one -feathery top into the next. Behind, it left blackened trunks; and -below, beds of glowing embers, while all in an instant the forest -trails became fairly alive with multitudes of wild things, frenzied -animals, great and small, all trying to get away from the raging -flames. Wildcats, timid cottontails, the black bear and her cubs, -they all travelled together hurrying, hurrying on ahead of the fire. -Wild deer left their runs, and, forgetting their lifelong terror of -enemies, leaped off and away. Ahead, far in advance, tore one great, -brave buck deer, trying to lead his mate and her fawn to safety. The -bear shambled close behind, howling as she ran, snapping back at a -biting firebrand which scorched her back. Great snakes cut through -the fern jungles like black whips, rushing on ahead of the scorching -breath of the destroying flames. - -Back of the larger, stronger ones travelled the less fleet of foot, -the more timid of the wild things. Among these were the porcupines, -Unk-Wunk and his mate. Most of them were headed for Balsam Swamp, -for there, instinctively, they knew they would find water, because -deep in the swamp lay Black Pond, a never-failing water hole, which -had its source in many a mountain stream. If they only could get to -the water then they would be safe. - -Never in all his lifetime had Unk-Wunk travelled so fast, and they -were even then far behind the others; surely they would be caught by -the fire. Already, in spite of their protecting quills, the -porcupines began to feel the scorching breath of the flames close -behind them. Old Unk-Wunk was almost spent and deliberately halted -right in his tracks. His usually half-shut eyes were strained with -anxiety; besides they smarted and stung from the smoke. He was -almost tempted to lie right down and give up the awful chase, to defy -the cruel thing which was even now scorching and blistering his tired -feet. His mate, always following his example, would, of course, do -exactly as he did; in fact, she would have followed him straight back -into the flames. - -But no, Unk-Wunk was not ready to give up. Instead, grunting, -scrambling, hastening as fast as he was able, the porcupine suddenly -and deliberately left the trail; it looked almost as if he were going -straight into the track of the fire. He managed to reach a certain -flat, shelving ledge, which was just ahead of the fire. Then rolling -himself into a round ball, he lay down upon the high ledge and rolled -right off into space, landing some distance down below upon another -ridge of rock. In between the rocky ledges he crept, where the -moisture trickled constantly down from above, making it cold and wet; -right close to the great rocky ridge he lay and waited. The next -instant down tumbled another round, quilly ball from the ledge above. -It was his mate; the faithful thing had followed Unk-Wunk, just as he -knew she would do. There in the cool, moist-laden rock they clung -tight together and went fast asleep, too weary and scorched and -terror-stricken to move; and the great fire raged around them, but -when it came to the ridge, it leaped right over the spot where they -lay, and they were safe. - -Most of the more fortunate fleet-footed wild animals managed to reach -Balsam Swamp. There the great snowy owl finally settled, and makes -her nest there each year. The eagles built their nest above upon a -ledge, and the heron tribe located close by. But Moween, the little -black bear and her cubs, went back to the forest and made her den -right beneath the ridge where Unk-Wunk and his mate found safety, so -that the porcupines and the bears have ever since been near -neighbours. - -The spot has for many years been known as Porcupine Ridge. Almost -any time, if you stray that way, and care for a stiff climb, you can -pick up quantities of loose quills near the spot, and sometimes you -may even run across a quilly ball lying right on top of the ledge, or -catch one of the numerous porcupine family picking its way leisurely -among the rocks. So now you can fully understand why this particular -spot has always been called Porcupine Ridge, because it was really -settled by none other than old Unk-Wunk and his mate at the time of -the great forest fire. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -METHUSELAH, THE TYRANT OF BLACK POND - -Methuselah, the Tyrant, was very old, so old that none of the -inhabitants of the pond could have told you his exact age. Like the -knights of old he, too, wore armour, which served very well to -protect him and turn aside many a stray bullet or dangerous missile -aimed in his direction. In fact, Methuselah, the giant snapping -turtle of Black Pond, appeared to have led a sort of charmed life, -escaping all kinds of dangers in the most lucky manner, and -absolutely ruling over all wild things which came near or made their -homes in or about the pond. - -If the old Tyrant wore knightly armour, he in no other respect -resembled the brave knights of ancient days, for by nature he was -malicious, sly and wicked. And, if the truth were only known, a very -great glutton. Just as soon as the frost left the strata of mud -above him where he had wintered, old Methuselah would rouse himself -for action. Quite torpid at first, he would crawl to some spot where -the sun might strike his chilled, mud-caked shell, and gradually thaw -out. Soon would commence his eager search for food, and in early -spring he made regular hourly trips around the pond, gobbling up the -very first young things which had come out of winter quarters, -usually small tender frogs. He loved to lie motionless near the -surface of the water, sending up pearly air bubbles through his horny -snout, waving a flipper idly, just to keep his huge shell afloat, -looking precisely like a round-topped rock, for the old fellow's back -was rough and so moss-grown that he resembled a stone more than -anything living. But all the while his cold, wicked-looking eyes, -when not shaded by their filmy lids, were quite watchful and always -on the alert, and his wrinkled neck was ever in readiness to dart out -like a flash to snap up anything which came his way. - -Snap, snap, would crash his horny, toothless jaws, closing over one -after another of the unsuspecting minnow shoals as they slid by him. -As for the catfish, with their terrible lance-like spines, rising -just behind their gills, and which every boy who goes fishing dreads -more than anything--they never bothered the old Tyrant; his armour -protected him so well he feared nothing. His hard, warty fore legs -were so tough and strong, they could ward off anything troublesome; -besides, they were armed with sharp black claws. Usually, Methuselah -would come upon the catfish from beneath the shoal; a swift snap of -his scaly jaws and he had taken a bite from a pearl-white stomach, -thus escaping the horn, and discarding every portion of the fish but -the choicest morsels. Sometimes, so silently did the old Tyrant -approach the shoal from beneath, that he would succeed in snapping -several fish even before the leader of the shoal knew what was going -on behind him. - -Quite as much at home upon the land as water was old Methuselah. He -could remain beneath water a long time, while in between the rank -reeds and grasses along-shore ran his wide flattened trails; regular -runways they were. You might readily distinguish where the nimble -muskrats ran, because their trails were round and hollow, but when -the old Tyrant passed, he cut a wide swath. Fully two feet wide was -his great shell. It was marked off beautifully in diamonds, each -diamond being ringed about with layers or rings in the shell, which, -if you were expert enough to read, might have given you a clue to his -great age. - -His horny legs possessed such wonderful strength that he could -readily pin down and hold a large muskrat with one fore leg. -Usually, when the muskrat colony came across old Methuselah's fresh -trail, they would either leap nimbly over it at a high jump, or back -out, making a wide detour to reach their huts, because the water rats -always got the worst of it in an encounter with the old Tyrant. Many -of them were even forced to swim in lop-sided fashion because of a -lost fore paw or hind leg, which had been snapped off by the wicked -old turtle. - -Nesting time was a pleasant season for Methuselah. Then he would -spend more than half his days foraging among the rank, reedy places, -and usually he was smart enough to find the old blue heron's nesting -place, no matter how skilfully she might conceal it. Once or twice -the old birds had come back and actually found the old Tyrant -occupying their nest, surrounded by broken egg shells. Of course -they fell upon him and thrashed him badly with their great blue -wings, but this made no impression upon the diamond armour of the old -fellow, although he looked out well to protect his eyes from the -heron's lance-like bill--the only thing which he had to fear from -them. He just doted upon bird's eggs, but more than eggs did he -fancy young, tender fledglings. - -Who is it that tells us the tortoise is so slow? Just let one of the -larger wild creatures of the forest, something which Methuselah -really had cause to fear, get after him, and then you should watch -him sprint for the safety of the pond. Putting forth his clumsy, but -fearfully strong flippers, with his snaky neck stretching forth to -its limit from its wrinkles, his spiky tail held stiff, old -Methuselah would start off on a wild, shambling run, hissing back -angrily through his black nose-holes as he travelled. His black -claws barely touched the earth as he slid over the ground, and it -would have taken a very swift runner to keep up with him. Once he -reached the water, without pausing to take observations, he would -launch himself off into its depths, sinking straight down among the -snaky water-weed roots to the bottom of the pond. The pursuer -arriving too late at the edge of the water usually went away quite -baffled. - -Old Ring Neck, the goose, who came each year to Black Pond to rear -her wild brood, one season hatched out nine fine goslings, and when -the time came she piloted them to the water for their first swimming -lesson. All the way the little ones kept up a timorous "peep, peep, -peep," which, of course, Methuselah heard plainly enough, for he -happened to be right on the edge of the bank sunning himself. Deftly -and silently he slid into the water, and from behind a knot of -tangled lily roots he watched and laid his plans. - -One after another the trusting goslings slipped into the water, their -shadows from below looking like floating lily pads, only behind each -shadow trailed two pink, webbed feet. Bubbles began to rise from the -knot of lily roots below them, but the old goose did not see them; -she was too taken up with the young ones. The old Tyrant was making -ready to rise. - -As soon as the floating shadows of the goslings came just over his -hiding place, silently he began to paddle with just one flipper, -while his wicked eyes were fixed upon a certain pink foot. Even -before the innocent gosling could utter one warning "peep," the old -Tyrant had pulled it quickly under water, and borne it off among the -matted water-weeds. That day the old goose lost two of her brood in -the most mysterious manner. How they had gone, or where, she never -found out, and in time Methuselah managed to steal most of her brood, -just as he had the young herons. Oh, there was no question about it, -the sly old turtle was about the worst Tyrant the pond had ever known. - -Now it happened that because the catfish in Black Pond were large and -biting unusually well that summer, the two Newton boys, who lived in -a lumber camp the other side of the mountain, used often to come -there to fish. Frequently they had caught sight of old Methuselah as -he lay sunning himself upon the bank, and never in all their lives -had they seen such a giant turtle, and they had often spoken about -him in the camp. - -"You boys better look out for that old turtle," advised one of the -lumbermen as the boys were about starting for the pond; "they're ugly -customers, them snapping turtles, when you tackle 'em." - -"Guess you boys better not go in swimmin'," spoke grandfather from -his corner. "I remember a swim I took in Black Pond once when I was -a boy, an' say--I left part of one of my toes behind there somewhere; -always thought some old snapper got it. We caught a buster there -once; managed to hold him, three of us, long enough to cut a date on -his shell, but he was so 'tarnal sassy and strong he got away from -us. This might be one of his relatives," chuckled the old man. - -The boys were allowed to drive the colt and make a day of it. They -fished until afternoon, but at last the fish failed to bite and the -gnats bothered them so, they left the fishing and tramped alongshore -to look at some snares they had set. - -"Say, Dick; hi, come here and look at the track I've struck," called -Joe; "believe it's our old friend, the snapping turtle. Yes, here he -is, fast asleep. Ain't he just a corker?" The two boys had come -upon the old fellow as he lay sunning himself. - -"Let's wake him up and have some fun with him," suggested Joe. "I'll -get a stout stick; you watch him and see that he don't get away." - -Methuselah had not been asleep, however, so he just raised one cold -eye and stared after the boys insolently, as much as to say, "Who's -afraid?" - -Soon the boys began to prod the old fellow rather too much for his -comfort, for there are certain vulnerable places upon a turtle, and -one of these is his wrinkled neck. The stick bothered him so he -began twisting his snaky head about angrily and snapping at the boys, -hissing savagely, finally clinging obstinately to the stick, so that -the boys managed to raise him and turn him upon his back where he -waved his flippers helplessly, trying in vain to right himself and -crawl away. - -"Oh, oh, Joe, look! see! why, here's a date. It says--why, it says -'1825'; it surely does, see!" - -"Great Scott, Dick, it surely does," cried Joe excitedly, as he read -the worn date cut in the shell. "Why, it's grandfather's old -snapper, the one he thinks bit off his toe when he was a boy. This -old fellow must be terribly old; he was big when grandfather first -saw him and grandfather's awful old. Oh, if we could only get him -back to camp. Tell you what, before anything happens, let us carve a -date right under this one. Give me your knife, Dick." So, together, -the boys carved 1913 right under the old date. By prodding the old -turtle they made him seize the stick again firmly and together they -managed to lift him into their wagon, leaving him helplessly waving -his flippers, flat upon his back. - -Soon they started for home, but not a minute too soon, for a -thunderstorm was beginning to travel over the mountain. Before they -were half-way home it began, and the colt, frightened by the rattle -of the thunder in the mountain passes, broke and ran. The old wagon -swayed and bounced from side to side and the boys had all they could -do to manage the colt. They were glad enough to reach camp, finally, -and not until they drove to the shed did they remember the snapping -turtle, but, to their dismay when they looked for him, he was gone. - -"It's a shame!" exclaimed Dick. "I wanted grandfather to see him. -Hold the lantern, Joe; perhaps he's slid away under the seat." But -they searched in vain, for during their wild ride the old Tyrant had -righted himself and slid off the tail end of their wagon. - -Away back on the mountain road lay Methuselah, somewhat stunned by -his fall. All night he lay there with a piece nicked from his shell. -At sunrise he was off over the rough road heading for the pond. He -crawled along aimlessly at first. Finally reaching a rise in the -ground, all at once he lifted his snaky neck, scenting moisture--the -pond. Raising himself high upon his great flippers, his horny head -stretched out like a racer, he ran scrambling over stones and through -matted jungles of weeds. At last he saw the gleam of the pond lying -steel-like and sullen ahead. The hot sun heated his thick shell to -furnace heat, scorching his flesh beneath; he longed to plunge into -the cooling water. Finally, in desperate haste having reached a high -place in the bank, he rolled the remainder of the distance and fell -with a loud splash into the pond, straight down into the oozing mud -to the bottom, scattering catfish and small fry in all directions. - -And there he is still, old Methuselah, the Tyrant of Black Pond, and -no one actually knows his age, for 'tis said _some_ turtles have -lived a thousand years. But if you ever run across the old Tyrant -you may recognise him readily if you have courage and strength enough -to turn him over upon his back, for there you will find upon his -shell the two dates--1825 and 1913. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -MAHUG, THE CHAMPION DIVER - -A strange, uncanny scream rang out over the sullen waters of Black -Lake one night in June, and, although there was no human being near -the desolate spot to hear the awful cry, it was quite scary enough to -startle certain of the wild inhabitants all alongshore. There were -others among them, however, who were unafraid; they had heard the -same cry before and recognised it. They knew that Mahug, the Great -King Loon, and his wild mate had arrived at the lake, where each year -they came from warmer climes, to build their hidden nest in some -secluded spot among the rushes. - -This lonely spot had always suited the King Loon so well that, no -matter how far off he had wintered, he invariably made for Black Lake -during nesting time. Mahug, like all his tribe, was a mighty diver -and, for water-fowl, he had very fashionable habits, spending a -portion of each year near the salt sea, usually camping upon some -desolate island, fishing, swimming, and diving with thousands of -other water-fowl, yet never mingling at all familiarly with them, or -encouraging acquaintances in a sociable way, because the loon is a -very solitary bird. So, when nesting time came, Mahug always went -off as far away from the crowd as he possibly could go. Quite -frequently he and his mate would fly thousands of miles in order to -be exclusive and alone. The old loon was a large, imposing bird, his -wing and back feathers of a glossy, metallic black, while his -beautiful breast was dazzling, pearly white, the feathers very soft -and thick. When Mahug stood erect, at first sight, he appeared to be -wearing a dark coat thrown back from a pearl-white waistcoat. His -head was beautifully marked, the top of fine, iridescent feathers, -the neck ringed about with green and bronze. On the wing, you never -would have suspected how very awkward Mahug could be upon his feet. -On land he just waddled about in the most ungainly fashion, choosing -to fly, usually, rather than walk, because his clumsy webbed feet -were not intended for tramping. They were set so far back upon his -body that they were of small use to him excepting when he used them -for paddles in the water. - -Mahug was in his element in water or upon the wing. And my, how the -old King could dive! In fact, the loon family are all noted divers, -for they not only dive deeper than other birds, but they can also -stay under water a long time. So quickly could old Mahug dive, that -several times in his life when a hunter had fired at him, even before -the bullet touched water, the old King Loon was already deep down in -the depths of the lake among the snake-like lily roots, safe. - -This June when Mahug and his mate reached the shores of Black Lake, -he sent his great cry of triumph abroad, for he was glad to be there. -Then he and his mate nested low among the sedges and rested for the -night, but the very next morning, even before the fog lifted from the -lake, both set about their nest building. Right upon the ground they -built it, and not very carefully, I am afraid, their main idea being -to conceal it cleverly behind a thick curtain of reeds and matted -water-weeds, but not so very far from the water. In due time three -baby loons pipped their dark green shells, and queer looking little -specimens of birds they were--bare, homely and always hungry. - -Although it appeared desolate and lonely enough, still, if one but -knew, back in the thick undergrowth about the lake, hidden by thick -jungles of blackberry vines and dark spruces, there were many secret -coverts and dens where the wild of the forest made their homes. The -lake itself was almost completely surrounded by treacherous, oozy -bogs and morasses, so that it was seldom visited by man. For this -very reason the wild things felt safe, and the old King Loon had -especially selected the spot, for the loon is the wildest of all wild -water-fowl. - -Few of the other birds cared to meet the loon in battle, because of -the mighty strength of his great wings, which could soon beat out the -life of anything upon which they descended, while his heavy coat of -feathers protected their wearer well. So when the loon sent its -uncanny scream across the lake, more than one timid, wild thing -cowered close to the ground and shook with sudden fear. - -[Illustration: DOWN LIKE AN AVALANCHE HE CAME, SNATCHING THE MINK IN -HIS BEAK.] - -As soon as the young loons could tumble over the edge of their -comfortless nest among the sedges, they made for the near-by water, -and speedily began to imitate their elders, diving far down among the -matted water-weeds and chasing minnows and little chunky perch, which -they would gobble at one mouthful. At first Mahug and his mate -watched the young loons, taking pains to give them diving lessons, -and then encouraging them to take short flights, as soon as their -wing feathers sprouted. Gradually the old birds left them more to -themselves. So it happened one day that one of the young loons -waddled forth from the nest and began to follow in the wake of a -heron who was leisurely fishing alongshore. The loon mounted upon a -large round stone, as he supposed; he did not notice that the stone -moved a trifle. It did, and that which the young loon took for a -mud-caked stone, was nothing less than a very old, giant snapping -turtle, which lay there sunning himself. So old was this particular -turtle that his flippers were covered with large scales and his shell -looked to be fairly moss-covered. Over the top of the shell waddled -the young loon, while the old turtle, without moving its ugly, -snake-like head, watched with its hateful beady eyes every movement -of the loon. It climbed over the top of the shell and when it came -within reach of the turtle's long neck, like a flash it was snapped -up by the old fellow. The heron gave a loud "kreay, kreay" of alarm, -but no one heard him, so when the old loons got back to the nest one -of the baby loons was missing. They flew out over the water, -searching, screaming loudly, calling in and out among the sedges and -tussocks, but of course the young loon never answered their wild -calls. - -Mahug strongly suspected someone of the muskrat family, so he began -watching a colony of them which had pitched their huts alongshore. -Even at night, especially if it was moonlight, the old King Loon -would skim low over the water, uttering scream after scream as he -followed the trails of the muskrats swimming about the lake. If -Mahug had caught one of them he would have made short work of it, so -furious was he. But somehow the muskrats always escaped, for they -kept sentinels upon duty, who always slapped their tails upon the -water, at which signal the muskrats always vanished. - -Almost before Mahug had forgotten about the disappearance of the -first small loon, another one disappeared. This time Mahug was quite -certain that the old bald-headed eagle, which lived far above upon a -cliff the other side of the lake, had gone off with it. Now there -were several young eaglets up there on the cliff and the old birds -foraged for them all day long. They took anything they could find -upon the shore, especially if it were young, tender and unprotected. -Mahug and the old eagle crossed each other in the air and they had -one terrible battle together, but the eagle proved to be more than a -match for the loon. The King of the Air had sharp talons and a -razor-like beak which tore through the heavy feathers of the loon and -bit into his flesh sharply, so at length he had to settle down among -the sedges and own himself beaten for once. - -The summer moon, round and yellow, came peeping over the tops of the -tallest spruces upon the summit of Mount Cushman and lighted a broad -path right across Black Lake. Out in the centre of the lake the -horn-pouts and pickerel were leaping, and over in the shadows on the -far shore Mahug, the old loon, screamed and suddenly dived for a fish -in the moonlight. All manner of wild things of fur and feathers were -stirring. The muskrats were playing, squeaking merrily and chasing -each other in and out of their huts and leaving long silvery trails -behind them as they swam about. Back in the thickets of rushes dozed -one lonely little loon, last of the brood of Mahug. Too young to -venture forth upon a moonlight fishing trip, it cuddled down flat, -its webbed feet beneath its scantily feathered body, uttering a -plaintive little sound whenever it heard the old loons screaming out -on the lake. - -Because of these little lonely cries, the dark, fur-clad stranger who -had been feeling its way alongshore, in and out among the tall reeds, -paused, erecting its small ears, trying to locate the whereabouts of -the sound. Long and lithe of body was the stranger, a full-grown -mink. Its dark fur coat mingled well with the shadows, but when a -streak of moonlight touched its breast, its pure white breast-plate -of fur shone dazzlingly white. The mink's legs were short, so it -crouched low along the ground as it crept nearer and nearer the -lonely nest among the reeds. - -The next instant it poked its hateful snout through an opening and -saw the loon. Already its fetid breath reached the little loon, -which gave a startled, whimpering call out into the night. The call -had been heard just in time. Like a great black shadow something -flew across the strip of moonlight, and with a wild whirl of giant -wings the old King Loon charged for the nest. Instantly his fierce -eyes sighted the sneaking mink, then down like a perfect avalanche he -came, snatching the surprised mink in his beak and soaring out over -the water. Somehow the mink managed to free its neck and its sharp -teeth met in the pearly breast feathers of the old loon. For a -second it seemed as though Mahug would loosen his hold upon the mink, -but, instead, uttering a terrific scream of rage and vengeance, which -fairly awoke the echoes alongshore, the great bird plunged straight -into the water and dived and dived; far down into the muddy depths he -sank, never loosing his terrible hold upon the mink. Now the mink is -quite as much at home in the water as a muskrat. But never had the -old King Loon stayed under water so long before. In vain his mate -screamed for him alongshore, but only the whip-poor-wills answered -her call. At last, when she had almost given him up, from out the -centre of the lake arose old Mahug, amid a perfect shower of whirling -spray, and he was _alone_. He had been able to stay under water -longer than the mink. - -Mahug joined his mate, and then, as it was late and the moon was very -low, the two great birds gave up their fishing and went back to their -nest in the reeds. There in the darkness, with no light but the -little flitting fireflies twinkling in and out among the sedges, -while the whip-poor-wills sang a lullaby, they guarded their one -nestling through the night. And when the time came to leave Black -Lake, _three_ loons flew away together. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -FIERCE STAR NOSE, THE BURROWER - -Star Nose, the mole, loved best of all very dark places. In fact he -spent most of his life underground, so that whenever he did venture -abroad into strong sunlight, the glare would nearly blind his tiny, -almost concealed eyes. It was on this very account, more than any -other, that he preferred to come forth from his underground home -about twilight. Now if you chanced to come across Star Nose above -ground, at first sight you might judge him to be a very slow-moving, -dull-witted creature. In reality he was just about the most fierce, -blood-thirsty little fellow on earth or under it. For, if Star Nose -had actually been about the size of a lion, instead of a tiny mole, -he might readily, with one grasp of teeth or claws, so it is said, -tear a great ox asunder. So it was just as well for everybody that -he was a mere mole. - -Wonderfully fine and soft, beyond words, was his smoke-grey, -plush-like coat, and by special providence the fur of this coat did -not grow in just one direction like that of most furred animals. -Instead, you might stroke it either way, up or down. For this reason -Star Nose was able to travel backward or forward with equal speed. -So strong was Star Nose that he could upheave a long section of the -hardest earth, no matter if a steam roller had gone over it. -Sometimes, when travelling swiftly through one of his subway -passages, his velvety coat would become caked with soil; then he -would give himself a quick shake which sent it flying from his back, -thus cleaning his fur. - -It is never well to judge anything by mere appearances, so, although -Star Nose had tiny bits of eyes and no visible ears, he was by no -means a dullard. Nature, ever helpful, had shown him exactly the way -to take care of himself, and, unlike his cousins, the plain little -shrews, Star Nose wore upon the tip end of his small pointed snout a -pink star. This star was not given him for just an ornament; it -helped him wonderfully in finding his way about underground and, -besides, he used it in rooting out deep holes, precisely as a pig -uses its flattened snout. Star Nose spent most of his life digging, -and for this very reason his claws, instead of curving inward when -shut, as do those of most other animals, were arranged in quite a -queer fashion--they curved back. This was a great help to him, for -he could use them precisely as though they were little spades to toss -aside the dirt out of his road. So quickly did he work that, if you -but turned your head away for a minute, by the time you looked again -Star Nose had dug a hole and was out of sight. - -Of all the burrowing tribes which live below ground Star Nose was -perhaps the prize digger. He was not content to dig out a burrow for -himself a little distance below ground and then sit still in its -doorway as did his neighbours, the gopher family. No, nothing would -suit Star Nose but a regular city subway, with such straight streets -that you wondered how, with his half blindness, he could ever manage -to dig them. In addition to this, there were spacious chambers, -passages, and regular galleries--long roads which led to his feeding -places. You would soon have lost your way in such a maze, but Star -Nose never did. He lived in a great bank, and the entrance to his -home he had concealed beneath a bush where you would never have seen -it, so deftly was it hidden. There was just a little spot raised in -the earth which led straight into a large chamber. Five passageways -descended from this, connected by galleries lower down, and from this -ran many subways and long roads which were worn quite hard and smooth -by the passage of old Star Nose, the hermit mole. It was very well -for him that these walls were solid, otherwise his whole home might -have come tumbling in upon him during a storm. - -Now the real reason why Star Nose happened to be occupying such a -grand apartment alone was this. Last June he had chanced to meet and -select for his mate a little silver-coated mole. But one of his -plain, shrew mole cousins had upset all his well laid plans. -Happening to meet Star Nose and his companion just outside their -burrow, he actually tried to persuade her to go off with him. This -was entirely too much for Star Nose to stand; it made him so -furiously angry and jealous that he fell upon the impudent shrew, and -right there under the home bush they had a dreadful battle. Long and -hard they fought there; they scratched and tore and bit each other's -beautiful fur coats until they were in tatters, uttering fierce -squeaks of rage, rolling over and over in a deadly grip, each mole -quite determined to win little Silver Coat, while she, poor thing, -sat stupidly by, wondering what it all meant. As she sat there -shaking gently, old Golden Eyes, the hawk, went sailing overhead, and -making one swift lunge downward bore her away. Neither Star Nose nor -his antagonist noticed that she was missing; they kept on with their -awful fight, biting each other savagely, as they had in the -beginning, until finally the shrew had to give up; he was getting the -worst of it, and crawled miserably away. Then Star Nose, for the -first time remembering what the fight had been about, searched vainly -for his little companion. He peered anxiously everywhere, nosing the -earth on all sides and searching; then, thinking perhaps she had gone -down into the burrow, down he scurried, peering up and down the long -roads and galleries, calling softly to her with little muffled -squeaks; this because of the earth which sometimes filled his -nostrils. In vain he searched. He did not find Silver Coat. -Discouraged and worn out on account of his terrific struggles, he -gave up, huddled himself in a soft little ball, covered his head with -his flat claws, and took a long sleep in the main chamber of his -home, hoping to forget his troubles. - -All that summer Star Nose lived alone, and so he became a kind of -hermit mole. Of course he was not so very happy; in fact his -disposition had become sadly changed. So upset was he by the loss of -his little mate that he felt disagreeable with everything which -happened to cross his path. Sometimes, so fiercely jealous and full -of hate was he that he would enter the subways of the shrew family -when they were away, and when he came across a nest full of baby -shrews would bite and kill them viciously, in the meanest way. -Finally all the shrews for miles about dreaded the approach of old -Star Nose and avoided his trails. Even the sight of his star-tipped -snout seen breaking through the earth, on a moonlight night, would -put them in a panic and they would scurry away. - -Star Nose cared nothing for them. He now laid all his troubles to -the shrew tribe and so planned in this unjust way to get even with -them. - -At last the warm, autumnal sunshine no longer shone down and warmed -the bank with its rays. As it grew colder, many of those who lived -in underground homes, the fur-coated burrowing tribes, began to make -ready their winter quarters. The chipmunks had laid in their stores, -the woodchucks, now sleek and very fat, had gone into their inner -chambers and closed up their front and back doors snugly that they -might sleep warm all winter. So there were really very few among the -wild ones stirring abroad. Colder and bleaker grew the hillside, but -thicker, softer and more elegant became the velvety coat of old Star -Nose. He didn't care how cold it grew; in fact he worked all the -harder, even beginning new subways deeper down in the ground, which -ran far beneath, so the frost could not enter. Star Nose did not -close up his doors as had the woodchuck family, for he loved to creep -outside and gnaw among the roots and grasses. When the sun came out -it warmed his thick fur coat very pleasantly. He took even longer -journeys underground, digging frantically in new directions, and he -never forgot the fright he had once when in digging he actually broke -right through into the hut of Musquash, the muskrat, where it faced -the water. It chanced to be vacant, and while he was busy exploring -the hut, wondering what kind of cement Musquash used to harden its -walls, he heard the slap of a muskrat's tail upon the water. Peering -out he saw bubbles rising, then a brown pointed snout, and two -indignant eyes looking right at him. Star Nose tried to back out -down a passageway, but he was not quick enough, and even before he -could turn about Musquash, with a squeak of rage, had him right -beneath his claws. Sly old Star Nose thought his time had come then, -but, strangely enough, he managed to wriggle his soft body free and -had slipped quickly off down a long, narrow passage, too small for -the muskrat to follow him. Star Nose realised he had had a narrow -escape that time. But, I suspect, if the truth were known, Musquash -did not happen to be very hungry, for he had just had a fine meal of -lily roots; then, too, Star Nose is not reckoned so great a dainty, -for he carries such a disagreeable scent of musk about him, even -stronger than that of Musquash himself; 'tis said no wild thing will -devour him unless very, very hungry. - -After this escape, you may be quite certain Star Nose did not visit -the huts of Musquash again. One day Star Nose poked his snout out of -a runway of earth which he was raising, and soft white snow feathers -came whirling down. He crept forth, and finally the little flakes -were sprinkled thickly over his heavy fur coat. He enjoyed the snow -although it cut off his food supply above ground. This fact did not -worry him, for deep down below the frost line in the earth, grew a -matted network of all kinds of succulent roots, some of them -terminating in bunches of little, juicy ground nuts. The teeth of -the mole were sharp and fine as needles, so all he had to do was to -dig and then feast as he worked, which was pleasant, for he was -always coming upon some unexpected dainty ahead of him. - -At last the snow fell; deep and soft it covered over the hill with a -white, thick blanket. Yet beneath the blanket worked and travelled -Star Nose. All winter long his trails ran just beneath the deep snow -and in the spring, when the ground became bare once more, one is able -to see all these blind trails for oneself. The first warm sun shone -out at last. It was the beginning of the spring thaws; then the snow -blanket upon the hill began to grow thinner each day. Already the -great snowy owl had begun to think about a nest, and certain of the -fur tribes had ventured to come out, at least upon sunny days, for -they were terribly hungry after their long winter sleep. - -Right out upon the white snow crust finally crept Star Nose, the -mole. At first the glare almost blinded him, he had stayed so long -under ground; besides, he loved night best of all. However, he liked -to feel the grateful sun warming his back, so there he lay, a soft, -blind, stupid bunch of fur, out in plain sight upon the white snow. -A long, slim figure, fur-clad, all in white, excepting the tip of its -tail, which was brown, came mincing along, picking its way warily -over the snow, craning its long neck and peering, first to this side -then the other. Over the little snow hummocks it crept, its crafty -yellow eyes searching everywhere for food. This was just Kagax, the -weasel, wearing his winter coat of white fur, which did not show -against the snow, and Kagax was glad, for he was very, very hungry. -He spied the little grey heap of fur upon the snow, saw Star Nose -huddled there, covering his blinded eyes from the glare, and -instantly he pounced upon him, and carried him off. - -So this was the end, finally, of Star Nose, the cruel, crafty old -hermit mole; such a fierce creature that even his own relatives -feared him. And now his fine, secret chambers which he worked so -long building, and all his subway passages are vacant, temporarily. -But I dare say by spring some of the shrew family will move into his -old home. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -THE LOYALTY OF SILVER WING, THE GULL - -Far out on the bosom of the wide ocean lay Lonely Island, a small, -rock-bound hummock of sand against which the breakers roared and -dashed furiously. So wild and barren was the spot that no one -visited it, for no human being could live there; nothing throve but -rank grasses and stunted beech plum shrubs. Over upon the south side -of the island were steep ledges, shelving down into deep water, and -this spot alone was never lonely or still, because it was inhabited -by thousands of screaming water-fowl. - -Down between the cliffs in the lowliest tenements dwelt the snipe and -petrel families, the latter seldom at home except during their -nesting season. Along the shelf-like places of the rocks above dwelt -the gannets, the terns and all other tribes belonging to the gull -family. High up in their home crannies the sea birds could always -catch the pearly shimmer of the breaking of an approaching school of -herrings, even before they reached the line of tossing foam below. -Then, swift and sure, they would dart out to meet them. It was -wonderful to watch the herring gulls at their fishing, now skimming -low over giant, green waves, now sinking into the trough of the sea. -Then, with a sudden swift splash of feathery spray, behold the -sharp-eyed gull secures the fish and is back again in his own nest -upon the cliff. Strangely enough, although the cliff was swarmed -with other gull families, each cranny bearing its nest looking -precisely like another, never did a returning gull make a mistake or -intrude upon another family. - -For many seasons the gulls and their kindred had nested upon Lonely -Island, but one year hunters discovered their retreat, and set up a -temporary camp upon the barren sands. They had come to hunt for -terns, killing and slaughtering them by hundreds, just for the sake -of their beautiful, delicate feathers for which they were to be paid -much money. Finally the hunters abandoned the island, leaving behind -them many wounded, besides scores of deserted young birds, not out of -the pin-feather age, who would finally pine and die alone upon the -lonely ledges, when the parent birds failed to come back to feed them. - -For a season, fear and chaos reigned among the gull settlements. Day -after day the frightened sea fowl circled wildly about their cliffs, -their weird, lonely calls alone breaking the silence, ringing even -above the noise of the breakers below them. So many of the colonies -were broken up and disturbed that they flew off in detached numbers, -perhaps seeking some safer retreat inland. - -High up, perched upon one of the topmost crags of Lonely Island, sat -all alone a solitary gull. Below, within sight, upon a shelf-like -rock, a smaller bird, his mate, sat disconsolately upon the very edge -of her dismantled nest, unwilling to tear herself away from two -featherless young gulls, her babies, who would never stretch out -their long necks to her for food again. They were limp and dead--the -hunters had wantonly thrown down loose rocks and broken up the nest. - -Although Silver Wing, the old leader of the gull tribe, felt badly -enough over the loss of the little gulls, he was much older and wiser -than his mourning mate; he had lived through many seasons and similar -tragic events in his life. So even while his mate sat mourning, his -sharp eyes had been fixed upon a certain wave crest out beyond the -breaker line. - -With a sudden swift rush of his wide wings he launched himself from -the cliff; a wild plunge and he rose from the great wave bearing -aloft a glistening herring. With a graceful sweeping detour, he -swerved in toward the cliff, and finally landed close beside his -mate, where he dropped the fish beside her with a little crooning, -plaintive cry, which meant, of course, "Take this nice herring which -I have brought you, and be comforted, little mate." With another -swirl of his wings he flew to fish for another herring before the -school could get away. - -[Illustration: HE ROSE FROM THE GREAT WAVE, BEARING ALOFT A -GLISTENING HERRING.] - -In spite of the efforts of Silver Wing, who tried for days to rouse -his mate and tempt her to fly off over the water upon fishing trips, -she continued to linger around the old nest until he became almost -discouraged. Finally he determined to leave Lonely Island, start off -and found a new home, as many of his kindred had already done after -the invasion of the cruel hunters. Accordingly, Silver Wing, in some -manner known to his tribe, induced his companion to accompany him -upon a long flight. One fine day, in company with others of the -colony who decided to follow their old leader, they started for the -far distant coast. - -Occasionally they would halt upon some small, lonely island, but, as -it happened, none of them proved to be exactly suited to the gulls' -needs. The islands were often flat and sterile, mere strips of white -sand and beech grass, with no rocky ledges suitable for nest -building. So on and on flew the gulls, with heavy wings. Sometimes -they would sight what appeared to be a small island, from which would -trail long streamers of smoke. When the gulls came up close to these -islands they would be terrified by strange, uncanny hootings and -tootings. Besides, whenever they gained courage to hover over these -strange, floating islands, they always proved to be filled with -people, creatures like the hunters. One thing they discovered was -that by following in the wake of the floating islands they always -found plenty to eat, strange food of all kinds upon which they -eagerly fed. - -For a sea bird the worst storms at sea have small terror. The -petrels, or "Mother Gary's Chickens," as the sailors call these -birds, love best, it is said, to ride upon the very crest of a giant -wave during a wild storm, and the gulls are equally at home upon the -bosom of the ocean. It is only when straying birds are adrift, -seeking a new country, and are driven ahead of a storm toward the -coast, that they are occasionally overcome by the elements. So it -happened that a great storm arose and struck the colony of fleeing -gulls, sweeping them inland. On their great wide wings they flew -ahead of the gale, on and ever on through the blackness of the inky -night, until at last the poor wind-driven things finally sighted an -object big and bright, beckoning, winking to them out of the -darkness; and toward this the gulls, and a host of other smaller -straying birds who were swept ahead of the storm, made their way. -Hopefully they neared the bright beacon. The next rough, whirling -gale caught them and dashed them pitilessly against the lantern of -the lighthouse, and down again upon the blackness of the cruel rocks -beneath them. - -Fortunately. Silver Wing, the brave, giant gull, whose broad wings -were still strong and unwearied, had penetrated the inky darkness -with his sharp eyes. He had seen the danger ahead, and just at the -right instant had swerved aside, with powerful wing strokes, just -clearing the great lamp, which had almost blinded his eyes. So he -with his mate, who invariably followed his lead, were swept coastward -ahead of the mighty gale, but to safety. - -When morning broke, Silver Wing and his mate found themselves upon -the bank of a great river. Here were plenty of other gulls, but of a -strange, new tribe. The river was bordered with mud flats, which at -low tide formed splendid feeding grounds. Crayfish, and shoals of -small, shining fish abounded. But, to tell the truth, neither the -old gull nor his mate were very happy or contented with the river -bank. They had known only the wild life of their lonely ocean island -and missed the booming breakers along the cliffs, the companionship -of the sea bird colonies, the terns, the gannets, and the little -roving petrels. Besides, this new, almost tame tribe of gulls was -vastly different in other respects. Silver Wing and his mate felt -they could never mix with these small, brownish plumaged birds who -fought and wrangled among themselves, who were content to brood for -hours in the black mud of the river flats. More than once during -their stay Silver Wing had really to thrash one of these bold, -foolhardy brown gulls for presuming to pay attention to his own mate, -and at last he came to hate the very spot, becoming wildly jealous of -every brown gull who crossed him in any way. He and his mate -determined to go off and seek a new home, for it was almost nesting -time again, and Silver Wing realised the importance of settling as -soon as possible. So, one day he gave the starting signal, and after -hovering triumphantly overhead above the gormandising brown tribe -upon the mud flats beneath them, screaming back a loud, lonely -challenge, off they flew. - -For many days they flew along the shores of the sound, now skimming -low to dip their grey wings in the blue waves, flirting the spray -high in silvery showers, or feeding along the beaches for little -tender mussels or soft-shell clams, and playing tag with the funny -little sandpipers who ran across the sands, and scattering them just -for fun. At last they reached a desolate, rocky strip of coast, and -after much flying about they finally settled upon a convenient cliff -beneath which stretched a long line of sandy beach, while out beyond -tumbled their dear, familiar breakers. Down below the cliff were -jagged, brown rocks, over which trailed long, emerald green and brown -sea kelp, where the water came in and out with the tides, leaving in -the shallow places shoals of little fish, sea anemones, and starfish. -Through these the gulls would pick their way daintily, with their -pink, webbed feet, searching out the barnacles which clung to the -rocks, pecking at tiny, sheltering shells where lurked sweet morsels -to be had for the cracking. - -The busy season came at last, however, and two young gulls had to be -fed, so all day long Silver Wing and his mate foraged and fished for -them. They brought young, tender herrings which the small gulls, as -they grew older, would swallow at one gulp. Occasionally they -carried shell-fish to the nest; these they would prepare for the -young gulls by dropping them upon the rocks beneath and cracking the -shells. - -One day the mother gull chanced to be long away. Already had Silver -Wing travelled alone, so many times back and forth from the nest to -the water with food for the little gulls, that he began to think his -mate was trying to leave all the work for him, and he actually grew -indignant at the very thought of such an imposition. He resolved to -hunt up his lazy mate and make her do her share. With wide, swift -strokes of his grey wings he started off, scanning with his sharp -eyes every flashing wing to make sure it was not his mate. In vain -he flew far and wide, even across to the other beach, more than a -mile away; still no trace of her could he find. - -Finally he began to fly low over the beach, searching in and out -among the little coves. At last he heard a shrill cry; plaintive and -beseeching, and it belonged to his mate. With great, wide sweeps he -soon reached her side. She was down upon the sandy beach and seemed -to be fluttering wildly. As Silver Wing drew near he saw her -trouble; she had been caught, and was being firmly held by one foot, -by nothing less than a giant clam. - -Meantime, slowly but surely the tide was coming in; each wave that -broke upon shore swirled just a little closer to his trapped mate. -Soon she must be caught by the tide, and, entrapped as she was, held -as if in a vice by the giant shell-fish, she would surely drown. - -At first Silver Wing rose in the air in bewilderment, calling wildly -for his mate to join him, beating up and down the beach, hovering -over her, then rising high in the air and screaming his commands. -Still she did not follow him. At last the great gull seemed to have -sized up the situation, and like a plummet he fell from the air and -began a savage attack upon the hard shell of the clam. With his -strong beak he hammered, while his mate continued to beat her wings -helplessly upon the sand, screaming wildly. - -Smash, smash, rang the beak of the gull, while in swirled the -creeping tide, each time a little nearer the struggling gulls. It -broke now in little foamy ripples close beside them. If the -shell-fish failed to loosen its hold, the tide would soon cover them -all. Down like a chisel came the strong beak of Silver Wing, while -with his great webbed, sinewy feet he held the shell of the clam -firmly, delivering his blows now always upon the one spot. - -Another blow, still another. Would the great shell-fish never loosen -its grip? Another ringing, cracking blow, and just as a larger wave -came creeping stealthily inshore and broke over them, the giant clam -loosened its awful hold upon the foot of the little mother gull, and -the two birds with long, plaintive cries mounted into the free air. -Dipping low just once over the incoming tide to snatch a herring from -the waves in their beaks, away they flew swiftly back to the little -gulls, who were impatiently awaiting their coming back upon the -lonely ledges, far above the breakers. - - - - -CHAPTER X - -HOW KOS-KO-MENOS, THE KINGFISHER, WON HIS BELT - -Heaps of strange events in Nature go unexplained. Some say 'tis -because the wonderful old Indian story tellers who knew many wood -secrets are gone. Long ago the little Indian children loved to squat -beside some smouldering lodge fire and listen to these tales--these -hidden secrets told of their little brothers of the wood. They were -told how Moo-wee-suk, the racoon, always wore five rings about his -plumy tail, why the red-winged blackbird is branded with two spots of -living fire on its jetty wings, why the woodpecker carries a bright -splash of fresh blood upon his crest, and also why the badger is -always a kind of joke, just because of his war-paint markings. Some -tales remain untold and one of them is how Kos-ko-menos, the great -kingfisher, won his beautiful blue belt. - -Dee-dee-askh, the blue jay, had wintered in the deep pine forests -instead of flying south one autumn. Wild berries had been plentiful -that year and the greedy jay hated to leave behind such good -feasting, so he remained behind the migrating birds. He was glad -though when the long, cold months of "The Snow Shoes" passed, for he -was tired of feeding upon pine-cone seeds, or anything which he could -pick up in the forest. The snow had begun to melt away from the -south sides of the hills and the mountain brooks roared tremendously, -breaking free from their strong ice prisons, making pleasant music -through the valleys and in the rocky passes of the mountains. - -The crows were colonising, coming out from their retreats in the -thick pine coverts, where they had huddled all winter to keep from -freezing. They cawed hoarsely to each other. The jay screamed -loudly, trying to drown their cries and break up their council. -Dee-dee-askh is not popular with the wood people, for he has always -had the bad reputation of being a thief. He loves to watch smaller -birds at their nest building and rob them of their eggs or the very -young birds; no wonder he is unpopular. - -Dee-dee-askh filled the woods with his harsh, strident screams and -swooped down the valley, following Otter Creek until he reached a -spot where it broadens. One side is a steep bank, and across towers -the mountain, green with thick spruces to its summit. This forest -was where the jay and his mate decided to build their nest. Year -after year they had built there and Dee-dee-askh had managed to rid -himself of very near neighbours, fighting them savagely if they -intruded upon his privacy, so remained a sort of monarch. He loved -to conceal himself in some thick bush and frighten more timid birds, -or little furry things. - -"Kee-oo, Kee-oo," would scream the jay, imitating to perfection the -harsh scream of a hawk; then how he would chuckle to himself to see -the frightened things scurry, or fly off to hide themselves in the -thick woods. - -One day Kos-ko-menos himself, King of all the kingfisher tribes, came -journeying down the creek; he was looking for a new building site, -for, as it happened, the old fishing pool where he had lived the -season before was too shallow, owing to the drought. So the fish had -all gone up-stream seeking deeper pools. It was important that the -kingfisher should build near good fishing, because soon there would -be young birds to feed. - -Taking six little flapping short flights, then a glide, on came -Kos-ko-menos, followed closely by his smaller mate. His beautiful -crimson eyes searched up and down the creek as he flew, trying to -decide upon the best building site. But when he came to the clay -bank, he knew he need search no further; nothing could be better. -Without even waiting to rest themselves, Kos-ko-menos and his mate -soon began to make the dirt fly in all directions as they excavated -deeply for their new home. Round and smooth was their doorway, just -large enough to admit one kingfisher at a time. About half-way up -the side of the bank it was placed, and ran fully six feet, straight -into the clay. Into a little hollow at the very end they threw a few -fish bones and loose leaves, then the beautiful eggs were laid, which -in time would become three goggle-eyed, frowsy-headed little -kingfishers, very ugly, but handsome to their parents, of course. - -Kos-ko-menos darted back and forth, flashing like a great blue jewel, -as he took up his sentinel-like position upon a stake in the water, -where he could peer straight down into the deep water for fish. He -preened his feathers, shaking out the clinging clay, and gave loud -screams, he felt so happy about the nest. - -"Kerrr-ik-r-r-r," he screamed triumphantly, making a terrific sound, -just exactly like that of a harsh, wooden toy rattle, only louder, if -possible. The very mountains rang with his cry. Then all the furry -tribes knew for certain that Kos-ko-menos had come to live in that -spot. Many of them disliked the idea very much; they dreaded his -harsh scream which made the more timid jump and disturbed their -babies, it was such a horrid cry. The kingfisher has always been -considered a kind of outcast among other birds. They imagine that he -is uncanny; that is, because of his wonderful skill at fishing, and -because he can dart into the water quickly and stay under a long -time, so they think perhaps he is himself more of a fish than a bird. -They cannot understand why he does not walk properly, but has a way -of waddling which is very funny because his legs are very short and -placed far back upon his body. His great bushy crest makes him -appear almost top-heavy and his appearance is ungainly. I think, -however, that the real reason why he is shunned by some birds and -shabbily treated, is because they are, secretly in their hearts, -jealous of the beautiful feathers which Kos-ko-menos wears, because, -no matter how homely his body may be, it is beautifully clothed. -Upon the top of his head he wears a long, high crest of rich, dark -green, which colour extends down his neck, and each little feather is -flecked with spots of blue of a wonderful hue. Violet and blue is -his coat, his tail a deep indigo blue. Over each crimson eye and -just beneath it, is a cunning dot of black. He wears a thick, -feathered waistcoat of yellowish-white, and his beak is jet black. - -Once more Kos-ko-menos screamed his wooden-rattle cry. Then like a -flash he darted straight into the deepest part of the pool, and -before the spray had fallen he was out again with a fine, wriggling -fish. As he was about to kill the fish upon a near-by stone, a blue, -flashing fury came dashing out of the woods with a harsh, angry -scream, and Dee-dee-askh landed upon the crest of the kingfisher. -They had a terrific battle; back and forth, back and forth over the -creek they flew, showers of light blue feathers barred with black and -white fell, and a few speckled green ones. Mrs. Kingfisher poked her -head curiously forth from the bank to see what all the screaming -meant. At last the jay flew back to the woods with a portion of his -proud crest gone, and the kingfisher, smoothing down his ruffled -feathers, gave another scream and went back to his fishing. 'Tis -said that certain of the wood creatures who witnessed the conquering -of the jay chuckled and grunted with joy, remembering sundry -robberies of nests and burrows by Dee-dee-askh, the cruel one. After -this they began to have a little more regard for Kos-ko-menos, the -kingfisher; but this was just the _beginning_ of things. - -Musquash, the muskrat, lived under the bank of the creek. Many of -the little muskrats used to stray out upon the bank right in plain -sight of an old pirate eagle which lived on the mountain, and which -used to come sailing down the creek, watching to swoop down upon -anything alive which he saw below. - -Musquash himself was old and almost blind; he could not detect the -eagle when he soared high above. One after another the young ones -were stolen by the old pirate, old Bald Head. This had happened -_before_ the kingfisher came to live in the bank. One day Musquash -himself ventured up the bank after roots; he did not see old Bald -Head high above, watching him. - -But Kos-ko-menos sat upon his sentinel post watching. He thought he -saw a faint white dot in the sky--the flashing of the sun upon the -bald head of the old pirate. - -"Khr-r-r-r-rrr," screamed the kingfisher defiantly, as the old pirate -was hovering his wings, making ready to drop down upon poor, old -blind Musquash. Before he reached earth, Musquash, heeding the -warning scream of Kos-ko-menos, was paddling straight for his hut -under water. - -The kingfisher was glad to see the old sky pirate outwitted, and so -glad to save Musquash, that he dived down after the fish he had been -watching, caught it, and all the time he was eating the fish he kept -up a little glad, chattering chuckle, deep down inside. Many had -seen how the kingfisher had saved old Musquash, and finally they all -came to depend upon him to warn them when danger came that way. -Kos-ko-menos never failed them. - -The jay family raised three young, impudent jays. Already the young -ones in the kingfishers' nest had stuck their fuzzy heads out of the -hole in the bank, and both Dee-dee-askh and Kos-ko-menos had all they -could do to get food enough for their families. One day the jay -caught a fine catfish, and he thought to himself that he might as -well gobble it all up instead of taking it home. He flew quickly to -a near-by stone to beat the catfish, lest it sting him with its sharp -horn. As he was about to swallow the fish whole, he heard an angry -scream from his home. His mate had been watching him all the time. -Again came the cry, which sounded not unlike the sharp striking of -metal, then a loud, shrill scream, "Cray-cray, cray!" Dee-dee-askh -saw a whirl of light blue feathers approaching. In his haste to bolt -the fish whole, lest his mate take it from him, he choked and choked -and swallowed. But alas, greedy fellow! The fish was too large for -just one mouthful, and he began to flutter helplessly upon the rock, -while the tail of the catfish protruded from his mouth. - -Kos-ko-menos saw it all and chuckled to himself, but he had a kind -heart. Flying straight to the jay, he gave one sharp, strong tug at -the tail of the catfish, and the greedy jay was saved. Some say the -_real_ reason the kingfisher seized the catfish was because he wished -to gobble it down himself--but that point is not certain. -Kos-ko-menos had certainly saved his neighbour from choking to death, -which showed he bore no grudge against the jay. Of course all the -wood people saw the kind act of Kos-ko-menos, and it made a deep -impression upon them; they marvelled, because the jay had been so -rude to the kingfisher. It was nice of him to forget his mean -treatment, they thought. - -Down deep in a certain pool of the creek lived old Kenozha, the -pickerel, dreaded and feared for years by all the inhabitants of the -banks who swam in the water, or fished for a living. The sly old -fellow had a cruel way of coming up just beneath them when they were -in the water, and before they knew it he had nipped off a toe, a -tail, or even a head. The turtles had lost claws, the giant -bullfrog, leader of the spring choruses, was minus a foot, and even -the wary old loon had lost a toe. Kos-ko-menos, who knew all about -the old pickerel and his crafty ways, determined to rid the pool of -him, and took to watching for him, as many another had before him; -the jay, the loon, and the hawks had all fished for Kenozha, but this -is why they had failed: the old fellow had seen their _shadows_ upon -the water. So wise Kos-ko-menos, the kingfisher, knew better than to -let his shadow fall upon the water, but took good care to perch upon -his watch tower at just the right angle so that he should throw no -reflection, and the green, goggle eyes of the pickerel could not spy -him. There was great excitement along the banks of the creek one -day, when Kos-ko-menos arose from the creek bearing the struggling -old pickerel in his strong beak, and much interest as they watched -him subdue and beat Kenozha until he could struggle no longer. All -were glad; even Dee-dee-askh came screaming out of the forest, while -grunts and chuckles of approval might be heard from many a retreat -where hid the wood brothers. And 'tis said that even a soft, -murmuring song of praise stirred among the whispering pines up aloft. - -Soon after that time, the watchful ones noticed the beginning of a -faint blue band across the breast feathers of the kingfisher. -Gradually it deepened and widened, finally becoming a well-defined -belt right across the pale yellow waistcoat of the kingfisher. - -And ever since that time Kos-ko-menos and all his tribe after him -continue to wear this badge of honour, this belt of azure blue, like -belted knights of old. The kingfisher is no longer an outcast among -the little brothers of the wood. - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -THE WIT OF CLOWN-FACE, THE BADGER - -It was full of the moon at the seashore, and the young field corn -close by was ripe; each pearly kernel almost bursting with its -milky-sweet contents. What a time for a corn roast or frolic; so -thought all the boys along that particular strip of beach, which -shelved its way down from a dense forest of spruce and hemlock to the -edge of the water. - -There were others, the furry things, the four-footed people of the -woods, who knew just as well as the boys what good times were to be -had at that particular season, and they made their plans accordingly. -The boys had visited the beach that same night, roasted their corn -and oysters, and left long before. The shore was apparently quite -deserted. The ebbing tide was stealing out softly, scraping and -rasping upon the little round pebbles, sending little golden shells -tinkling musically against each other, as the water lapped and -filtered through them. Overhead shone the great yellow moon, making -a wide silvery path straight out across the water. One wondered -where the road ended. Back from the beach in the dark woods, plenty -of life was now stirring, for the nocturnal prowlers were waking up, -though the small windows of the scattered farmhouses were dark and -still. Above the noise of the ebb tide the katy-dids were heard -contradicting each other tirelessly, hoarsely, "katy-did, -katy-didn't." Crickets shrilled in the long, coarse beach grass; a -distant screech-owl set up an occasional shivery wail. Then, from -amid the thickets of scrub oak and barberry bushes, came another -call--an unusual cry, not often heard, which began with a tremulous -whimper, ceased, then went on; and was finally taken up and answered -by another similar whimpering cry, and still another, from different -parts of the woods. The first call had been given forth by an old -hermit racoon, or a "little brother of the bear." He was something -of a leader, and was sending out a summons for all his relatives to -join him in a moonlight frolic. - -The old hermit scrambled hastily down from his home tree, which -happened to be the deserted nest of a great owl. Plainly the old -hermit would soon outgrow this borrowed home, for when sweet corn is -in the milk, and the little salt wild oysters are plentiful down on -the beach, then the racoon became so very fat that he could barely -waddle. Of course he felt obliged to fatten himself in late summer, -for already he was making ready for his all-winter's sleep and his -long, long season of fasting. - -Having reached the ground, the hermit sent out another call--the -rallying cry of his tribe; for dearly the racoon loves to feast and -frolic in company and was becoming impatient to start off. The only -reason, I suspect, why the old hermit lived absolutely alone, at this -time, was merely because there was absolutely not an inch of spare -room for another racoon in the nest. - -To his joy, his kindred had responded, and soon from out of the -shadowy places stole one waddling form, then another, until finally -five racoons were in the party. Then with the hermit leading them, -Indian file, they all made their way leisurely to the distant corn -field. In and out among the tall rows of nodding, whispering blades -they stole, and standing upon their little black hind feet, they -would reach up the corn stalk, and deftly pull down a plump ear with -their forepaws, which they used as cleverly as hands. They never -made the mistake of selecting blackened, mildewed ears; these and the -shrivelled, dwarfed ears they tossed disdainfully aside, and my! what -havoc those coons did make in the corn field that night! They would -strip off the silky green husks and eat out only the full, milky -kernels, smearing their black noses and paws liberally with the -juice, which they would hasten to rinse off at the first water they -found. - -[Illustration: OUT POPPED THE FUNNY PAINTED FACE OF THE BADGER.] - -There were others in the field that night, but they never interfered -with one another; there was plenty of corn for all. The woodchuck -family also enjoyed sweet corn in the milk and, tempted by the -moonlight, they had left their burrow to feast. Off beyond, skirting -the edges of the tall corn, skulked a swift, fleeting -shadow--Redbrush, the fox, bound for the chicken coops, or hoping to -find a covey of quails or partridges sleeping in the edge of the -wheat field. Back in a little creek which bubbled in places, -broadening out into still, deep haunts for trout and pickerel, the -moonlight found its way. Here and there you might discover the huts -of the muskrats, mostly deserted, for the inhabitants were all -abroad. You might see their brown heads above water, follow the wake -of their silvery trails, and hear their playful squeaks as they -chased each other from village to village. Oh, there were squeaks -a-plenty that night all through the deep clover and among the tall -grain, while beneath roofs, fast asleep and dreaming, were the -children. - -For the most part the wild things appeared to live together in peace -and harmony; occasionally bitter feelings were felt when the racoons -thrust their black paws into a woodpecker's nest and robbed it of -eggs. Then, too, old Mrs. Diamond-back, the turtle, would deposit -her eggs in a spot which she fondly imagined very secret, failing -utterly to look up above, where, from a branch, the greenish -inquisitive eyes of the hermit watched her every movement. Taking it -altogether, there was little to disturb their happy life then. Times -were going to change and very soon in an unexpected fashion. - -Clown-face, the badger, had been routed out of his distant home-nest -on the far side of the mountain by an enemy. Because he enjoyed -roving, he took up the life of a tramp and made a trip to the -seashore, for he dearly loved the little black mussels which he -remembered having once found there. As it happened, badgers were not -common in that section of the country; perhaps one of them had never -happened to venture over upon that side of the mountain even, so none -of the wild things had ever encountered this queer-looking fellow. - -Queer looking he certainly was, and the funniest thing about him was -that the sly old fellow, who had often looked at himself in some -still pool, knew exactly how odd he appeared to others. He had wit -enough to use this knowledge for his own purposes. Once seen, the -clown face of the badger was not soon forgotten by other animals. He -soon discovered that when a stranger appeared suddenly on the trail -whom he did not care to meet, all he had to do usually was to stand -still, and stare and stare at the intruder, who invariably would back -out or side-step from the trail, leaving it clear to the badger; why, -I will explain. - -In the first place, the badger was just about as broad as he was -long. His thick fur coat, which was flowing and parted in the middle -of his back, nearly reaching the ground, looked for all the world as -if he carried a goatskin rug across his back. His legs were short -and he appeared not unlike a great, hairy caterpillar as he waddled -along. But his fore feet carried two tremendously long hooked claws -which, if cornered, he would use in fight, for his courage was very -great. His head was broad and furry, with short ears. The strangest -thing about the badger was his face, which was marked exactly like a -funny clown. Although his back was grey--one may still hear the -saying, "grey as a badger"--his head and neck were of short, dark -brown fur, while like a dash of white paint ran a mark of snowy fur -from the bridge of his nose, back to the nape of his neck. On either -cheek was another dash of white, reaching from the tops of his ears -to the corners of his mouth. Below this was marked out a little -crescent of white, set off by a stripe of dark fur. Altogether, the -badger always appeared to be wearing a kind of painted disguise. No -wonder then, when he stared straight at any animal who had never seen -such a funny face, that it turned and ran in an opposite direction. -Such was the make-up of Clown-face, the badger. Even now he was -making his way in the moonlight to new grounds, where he would be -seen and feared. Clown-face was in search of a deserted burrow into -which he could crawl and rest, for he was tired. He soon came to the -deserted home of the woodchuck family. Into this he crept, taking -care to crawl in and turn around, so as to leave his painted face -right in the doorway; then he went to sleep. - -After the hermit racoon and his friends had feasted upon sweet corn, -they left the corn field and took a stroll down the beach. The tide -was out. In among the wet pebbles scurried droves of little green -crabs, while clinging to rocks were small, salt wild oysters, which -racoons dearly love and which, for this reason, are sometimes called -"coon oysters," so greedily do the racoons search for them. It was a -funny sight to see the five fat racoons strolling along the beach by -moonlight. When they came to a bunch of oysters, down they would -plump and, taking the oyster in their hind feet, they would deftly -crack it open against a stone and dabble it up and down in the water -with their little black hands, washing it thoroughly. For the -racoon, you know, from its habit of washing its food, is often called -"Lotor, the washer." There the little company of coons stayed until -turn of tide, when they went back over the wet sand, treading upon -their toes and leaving their almost human five-fingered little tracks -all along the beach, as they went back to the forest again. - -The first to reach home that night was the woodchuck family. They -were quite ready for sleep, in the fine burrow which they had spent -days in digging. The bushes rustled as they swished them aside, and -the rustling they made awakened the badger who had been dozing in the -entrance of the burrow. Just as Dame Woodchuck came to her door, out -popped the funny painted face of the badger right into her very eyes. -It grunted at her fiercely and she hastily backed away with a cry of -terror. Never had the woodchucks seen anything like the badger. -They waited for it to come out, but it stayed right in the burrow, so -the old woodchuck made bold to go to the _rear_ entrance, and -squeezing her fat body flat she entered, only to be met by the awful -clown-like face again. She hastily backed out. All night the badger -remained in possession of the woodchuck's burrow and for days after, -until finally they left it to him and began to dig a new burrow some -distance away from the old one. - -The next night all the wild kindred were again astir. The woodchucks -had spent most of the day upon their new burrow. They still had to -add chambers; it was at least a home, so off they went foraging with -the others, for corn is not always in the milk and it is not always -moonlight. That night the old hermit racoon had planned to go back -into the forest to dig wake-robin roots. Often, after a great feast, -the coons enjoy a diet of these roots, perhaps eating them as a sort -of medicine, because they are hot and as fiery as pepper, although, -with all their biting, peppery taste, the coons devour them greedily. -In Indian file, off started the coons, and soon succeeded in finding -a bed of the coveted wake-robin roots, which they began to tear up -hastily. - -Clown-face, the badger, was also abroad, hunting field-mice or any -young, tender creature which he might track. Creeping through the -matted jungles of undergrowth, he soon discovered the racoons digging -up roots. Thinking to have some fun at their expense and perhaps -drive them away from something which he might eat, suddenly he stuck -his painted clown-like face through a dark opening of the bushes and -grunted at them. The old hermit himself spied the horrible face -first, and so frightened was he that without pausing to finish the -root in his black paws, he tore off through the bushes with all the -others following him. The hermit did not stop running until he -reached his home tree, for never had he seen or dreamed of such a -face as that which had peered out at him from the woods. - -In time Clown-face, the badger, by using his wits managed to have -things pretty much his own way there in the forest. He found where -the young quails nested. He foraged in the unprotected huts of the -muskrats and stole their young. He ate the turtles' eggs and made -himself a great nuisance to all. The only living thing which -Clown-face, the badger, dreads now is the hedgehog, for, being almost -as ugly and strange-appearing as the badger, it does not fear him or -turn aside. So between the two is a bitter feud, because Clown-face -often ventures to devour the hedgehog's rations. Some time I know -there is going to be a terrific encounter between them in the woods, -because the stupid-appearing hedgehog never troubles himself to get -out of the badger's way, but lies down in his very path, quite -unconcernedly. One day Clown-face is going to get to the limit of -his patience and rebel. Then I wonder which one will come off the -better, the badger or the hedgehog? - -Meantime, the wit of Clown-face, the badger, serves him very well. -He still roams over the forest trails and along the beach unmolested -by the dwellers of the wild. - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -THE SUGAR CAMP ON LONE MOUNTAIN - -It was nearing March, but deep snow still covered the hills up in the -North country, and there were, as yet, scant signs of spring; not -even a bird was to be seen, excepting occasionally a solitary crow. -When the sun shone out in the middle of the day, the brown fence tops -began to show above the white drifts down in the clearings. By night -the freezing cold returned; everything froze up solid, and upon the -snow crusts which were thick and glossy it was just the best kind of -slide. - -There were other important things for boys to think about besides fun -and tobogganing; it was just the right sort of weather to begin -making maple sugar. For when it freezes hard, then thaws, the sap -will run; so up near the lumber camps, where Dick and Joe lived, the -sugar season was commencing. Several miles beyond the camps upon the -side of a wild mountain, rightly called Lone Mountain, grew a great -forest of maples. The spot was too far away for most of the campers -to bother about sugar making, but Dick and Joe did not mind -distances, and as all the spending money which the boys had they were -expected to earn for themselves, they were only too glad to have the -privilege of tapping the maples on Lone Mountain. Even before the -sap began to flow, they had actually counted over the money they -would earn with their sugar and had really spent almost every cent. - -They whittled out hundreds of fine ash spills to run the sap, then -borrowed every crock and pail their mother could spare from the camp -to hold it, besides two great black iron kettles, which they would -set over an arch built of large flat stones, where they would boil -their syrup. After packing provisions and all their outfit upon a -sledge, off they started for Lone Mountain, a day's journey from camp. - -Wild and lonely enough was Lone Mountain, a kind of scary spot at -best for two boys to camp out alone, but they were not at all afraid, -for they were used to wild places: having lived so long in the great -spruce forests they felt quite at home. Several years before, they -had found the remains of an old sugar house standing in the maple -grove on the mountain below a great overhanging crag. Here they -would live, and boil the sap outside the shack. After tapping their -trees, they drove in the spills, hanging the buckets beneath. As -fast as the sap collected they had to boil it, or it would soon sour -and be wasted. So, as you can well imagine, both boys were kept very -busy, collecting sap, keeping up fires under the great iron kettles, -watching the boiling sugar, and testing it upon the snow to find out -when it was boiled enough. When night came they were very tired, but -they kept at their sugar making as long as the sap continued to run -from the trees. They had been on Lone Mountain over a week. With -the continued thawings and freezing, the sap kept on running, and the -boys were glad, for it meant a fine lot of sugar and they were -greatly elated over their good luck. They would carry back more -sugar to camp than ever before. - -"If we can only have two days more like to-day's run of sap, we'd -make a pile of money this year," spoke Dick happily; "we could buy -two fine overcoats, and have something toward our new sugaring outfit -that we talked with father about buying." - -"Yes, I know; great!" replied Joe, as he ladled out a great waxy -spoonful of amber sugar upon a pan of snow, and after it had cooled a -bit divided it with Dick. - -"Bully, ain't it?" said Dick, cleaning off the spoon. "Best we ever -made--fine and white; it'll fetch top price. But say, we could make -it still better if we only had a new up-to-date outfit. We've got to -get it somehow, I guess, even if we don't buy new coats this year; -guess our old ones will go another year; we ain't dudes." - -Sure enough, that day, to the delight of the boys, another thaw came -and the sap ran as it never had done before and kept them jumping -well to save it all. - -"One of us will have to stay awake and tend fires and watch to-night. -We can't finish up anyhow, and we can't afford to waste all this sap. -I'll boil all night," said Dick, tucking the embers in around the -great kettle. - -"You won't tend alone. If you stay up all night I shall too," said -Joe stoutly. "Guess we're partners on this sugar making, ain't we?" - -"Of course. Tell you what we will do: I'll tend till midnight, while -you sleep, then you can work the rest of the night while I sleep," -suggested Dick. To which his brother agreed willingly. - -The boys ate their supper, boiling their eggs in sap, and finishing -up with brown bread spread thickly with soft, new maple sugar. And -oh, how fine it tasted to the two tired boys. Soon Joe was fast -asleep in the shack upon his fragrant bed of balsam boughs, rolled up -in an old patchwork quilt his mother had made him take, for it always -grows bitterly cold in the mountains before morning. Dick grinned to -himself, as he worked alone and heard Joe's tired snores coming from -the shack, and he made up his mind to let him sleep after midnight -and get well rested. He kept very busy himself tending the bubbling -syrup in both kettles and bringing firewood. It was somewhat lonely -off up there in the mountain, now there was no one to talk to, -thought Joe to himself. The wind sighed and whined in the tops of -the spruces. Occasionally he heard a mysterious crack upon the snow -crusts, off in the woods, where some hoof or paw broke through. -Finally, an old owl began its lonely hoot above the shack somewhere, -and once he heard a long, whimpering yell, far across the valley. He -knew what that meant; a lynx was abroad, venturing down into the -clearings after a sheep perhaps. Joe looked back into the shack -rather longingly after the lynx yelled; he was almost tempted to -awaken Dick, but decided, unselfishly, not to. - -At last, long after midnight, Joe himself began to feel extremely -worn out and sleepy. A great stillness had settled over everything; -even the wind seemed to soothe him to drowsiness, while the sap -bubbled and blubbered softly and monotonously in the iron kettles. -In spite of all he could do, Joe's tired eyes closed together, and, -untended, the fires under the black kettles burned lower and lower. - -Out beyond the camp, breaking through the snow crusts, unheard, stole -a huge, black, shambling figure, closely followed by two smaller -ones. A great black mother bear and her two very young cubs, and she -was heading them straight for the boys' sugar camp. The cubs were so -young they had difficulty in keeping up with their mother, for they -were tired. It had been a long distance down from the den, but the -mother bear did not spare them, and kept nosing them along -impatiently when they halted along the trail. Now if there is one -thing on earth a bear loves even more than honey it is maple sugar. -The scent of the boiling syrup arose even above the woody, odours, -and delicious enough it seemed to the old bear; she was eager to -reach the camp. - -At last the little trio came out into a small clearing surrounding -the shack. The old bear halted, warily, but all was now silent. -Inside the shack lay one boy fast asleep, rolled in his patchwork -quilt, while half leaning against a tree slept another. The sugar -had ceased to bubble and heave in the great kettles, for the fires -were almost out. Between the kettles shuffled the old bear, followed -by the cubs, whimpering wearily and crossly. The old bear arose upon -her hind feet snuffing and grunting, but never offering to disturb -the sleeping boys; all she cared about now was to find maple sugar. -She was of monstrous size, and when she finally entered the shack, -she completely filled up the rude doorway with her huge form. She -nosed about, but did not find the stored sugar, so out she shambled, -and cautiously approaching a great black kettle, she sniffed long and -deliriously at its contents, blowing out the whitened ashes in clouds -from the blackened embers with her breath. The cubs meantime seated -themselves close by and watched her movements curiously. - -Then the old bear did a very foolish thing. So eager was she to get -a taste of the sugar in the kettle that she reached in with one great -furry paw, burning it severely. She immediately lost her head, and -in her rage upset the whole kettle full of hot syrup all over -herself. _Then_ there was something doing! With a terrific howl of -pain and sudden terror, which made such a racket that the mountains -fairly echoed back her cries, the old bear tore off into the woods in -a perfect frenzy of agony, her heavy coat soaked with hot syrup, -which burned its way deeper and deeper at every step. Without -heeding the cubs, or what became of them, she ran wildly on, only -seeking water where she might cool her burning flesh. As soon as -Dick and Joe heard the first yell of the bear, they were wide awake, -you may be sure. Joe saw the old bear just as she disappeared in the -woods, and scared almost out of his wits he shouted: - -"Hi, Dick, bears! Look! There goes one big as a house, and see, -there's another one," pointing out one helpless, whimpering little -cub which had been left behind by the old bear in her madness. - -"Where?" inquired Dick sceptically, as he appeared from inside the -shack, rubbing his eyes sleepily. "What, _that thing_? It couldn't -hurt a fly; it's just a baby. I hope you aren't afraid of a bear cub -that size." - -"Well, I didn't say I was," replied Joe, rather touchily. "You just -ought to have seen the big one I saw, and heard its yells. It was -awful. It turned over almost a whole kettle of hot syrup. Look!" -and Joe pointed to the overturned kettle. - -"No wonder it yelled," grinned Dick; "though come to think, it got -pretty well scalded; that's why it yelled so, I guess. And say, it -won't come back here right off either, I'll bet. But look, he's -wasted almost a whole kettle full of good syrup--meddling old thing. -Say, why in creation didn't you wake a fellow up?" - -"Oh, well, I guess, come to think of it, I must have been asleep. I -seem to remember closing my eyes once or twice," confessed Joe. - -"Great Scott! I should think you did. Let a bear come into camp and -not wake you up; ha! ha!" jeered Dick. "But look here; we're _in_ -something, if we did lose some sugar; we've got a bear cub, and my, -ain't he a dandy?" - -"Look, look, Dick! He's sitting up and rubbing his eyes with his paw -and crying, just like a little kid. My, ain't he the funniest little -fellow?" spoke Joe delightedly, watching the cub, and both boys had -great fun over their new pet, which they meant to take back with them -to the lumber camps. - -"Sugaring all finished to-day," commented Dick, as the sun rose over -the tops of the tall spruces, and they ate their breakfast, sharing -their bacon rinds with the bear cub, which had seemed to take to them -at once. - -"Won't we surprise the folks when we lug all this sugar home, and a -bear cub too?" spoke Joe. "Say, look at his head, Dick; see, he's -got a funny mark from his nose to the back of his ears; I'll bet when -he sheds his woolly baby fur, it'll be a regular white streak right -across his face. I heard Indian Pete tell once about a white-faced -bear; they're awful rare." - -"Hope the folks will let us keep this fellow in camp," said Joe. -"He'll make a fine pet, and Indian Pete 'll help us to teach him -tricks perhaps." - -"Say, what if the old bear comes back for her cub? She'll be awful -mad at us, and I guess we better make tracks and leave here soon as -we can," suggested Dick, peering back into the thick woods, almost -expecting to see the old bear making for them. - -"Huh, I ain't afraid; she's probably so badly burned, she won't think -of anything else for a while. Just the same, we'll break camp," -replied Joe. - -So back to camp they went in triumph, their sugar packed on the -sledge, and on top of the load sat the little, furry bear cub, which -they had already named Whitey. Because Whitey was such a cunning -little fellow he was accepted in camp, and soon became a perfect pet. -He was full of mischief, however, and could never be left within -reach of the sugar crocks. He broke and filched eggs, and even -gnawed whole sides of bacon. To make up for his mischief he acquired -many taking tricks. He soon learned to stand on his head, and beg -for lumps of maple sugar, and was beginning to take a few clumsy, -capering steps, which Indian Pete called dancing. - -Evil days came, and as Whitey grew older he became cross, and would -often bite and scratch roughly. So finally, the boys were told they -would have to part with their pet. Now, as good luck would have it, -an opportunity came to sell the bear to a man who dealt in trained -animals. Dick and Joe went sadly to work, and built for him a rough -coop with slats in front. In this coop Whitey was placed, and the -following day he would be taken away. For the last time the boys -visited him in his crate, which had been set behind the camp, in the -edge of the woods, so that his whines might not disturb the camp -through the night. Early the next morning before sunrise the team -would take him away. The boys threw in lumps of sugar and things -which their pet fancied most, and after shaking his rough paw, sadly -they said good-bye to him, for Whitey would be gone before they were -astir in the morning. - -That very night, when everybody was asleep, from far across the -valley travelled a great, shambling black bear. She had come from -far over the other side of Lone Mountain. She shuffled her way to -the boys' sugar camp first. In and out of the desolate shack she -stole, stopped to sniff at the blackened firebrands, nosed anxiously -about the spot where her cub had rested so long ago, when one cub had -followed her back to the den and the other had been lost. Then, -wheeling suddenly about, she took an almost worn-out, indistinct -trail which led into the forest; and starting into a broken canter -she headed toward the lumber camps. - -Thus it happened when the team halted to pick up the wooden crate and -carry the bear cub to town, there was no cub to be found. All that -remained was a heap of broken, splintered boards. The boys soon -spied out the small tracks of Whitey, and then Indian Pete pointed -out two other great broad marks--the tracks of a full-grown bear. -The mother bear had never forgotten her cub; she had come back for it -at last, and just in the nick of time. The boys were secretly glad -that their pet had regained his freedom. Surely, in the great, green -spruce forests, where the red raspberries grew thick and sweet on the -mountain sides, and the wild honey may be taken any day, Whitey would -be far, far happier than capering and doing tricks to amuse a curious -crowd. - -Years after, a white-faced bear boldly approached the boys' sugar -camp, and was seen by them, but they did not fear him, for they were -almost certain it must be their old pet Whitey, who gained his -freedom long before. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -THE PERIL OF THE SNOWY EGRETS - -In the heart of a certain dense cypress swamp, in the middle South, -lies a pond of water, which is fed by many streams winding and -percolating their sluggish courses through the vast swamp lands. It -is lonely and wild there. This is what makes the place such a safe -retreat for the birds. Each spring they come back to this spot, the -wood ducks, the bitterns, the teal, and the little blue heron family. -Their flashing, brilliant plumage lights up the sombre darkness of -the jungles, while their strident cries make the spot less lonely. -Perhaps the little blue herons are the very noisiest of all. Wading -in the water on their stilt-like legs, searching for minnows or -crayfish, they are almost sure to have a quarrel if one of them gets -a prize fish, and then what a clamour they can make. Away off in the -swamp it sounds almost as if they were screaming back and forth, -"Tell you what, tell you what," over and over again. - -One spring day after most of the birds had arrived at the pond, -peering skyward from their fishing, they saw two specks approaching. -Gradually the specks drew nearer and nearer, and finally, when they -reached the precise spot where they meant to settle, straight down, -like plummets, they fell, right into the swamp. Then all the other -birds set up a noisy, clamorous welcome, for the great Snowy Egrets, -the most important newcomers of the season, had arrived. Beautiful -beyond description is the great Snowy Egret. Snow white is its -exquisite plumage, that wherever it appears it lights up the dark, -gloomy swamps and jungles with its purity. The beak and legs of the -egret are black, its eyes a golden yellow, while from its back trails -a wonderful long spray of soft, snowy plumes, which float behind like -a white robe as it flies. These beautiful plumes are longer on the -mother bird, and at nesting time she uses them to cover the baby -egrets. - -Having found a choice place in a stunted cypress, the egrets soon set -about their nest building, choosing a site about forty feet above the -swamp. Very affectionate and loving with each other are the egrets; -whenever the male bird leaves the cypress, on his return he makes -such a fuss over his mate, greeting her as joyfully and tenderly as -though he had been gone a week. In fact, the egrets are gentle, -trusting birds, and have few enemies among the wild. The father -egret does most of the hard work too, for he gathers all the twigs -for the nest, which the mother egret carefully builds. Taking turns, -the egrets sit upon the four eggs, and in eighteen days the little, -homely, featherless egrets appear, naked except for a few tufts of -down. This makes them very tender, and the mother egret covers them -over during the intense heat of the day with her soft trailing plumes. - -At daybreak the father egret would fly off, returning with a crop or -pouch full of tiny fish, and while the mother was away getting her -own breakfast the young egrets were fed. Clinging to the edge of the -nest, father egret would stretch forth his long, snowy neck over the -little ones. And one by one he would produce the fish which he had -brought home, only partially swallowed, and which the little egrets -would gobble up quickly. It took such a quantity of food to satisfy -the baby egrets that the old birds made many, many, trips across the -swamp to the water during the day. - -Now, although the desolate swamp country appeared deserted enough, -excepting for its bird and wild life, back on the edges of the vast -wilderness Italian families had located, to begin clearing up the -jungles of wild timber, and drain the swamp lands. So this is how it -happened that Tony and Papita, his small sister, came to live in the -swamps. Not a very pleasant place to live in, but their father and -mother were there, so they did not mind; besides, as Tony and his -sister were too young to work, they had fine times exploring -together. In the swamps they found plenty of wild, new things, -wonderful flowers, and long mosses, and queer toadstools. Tony came -across an old dugout one day, abandoned by some swamper, and then the -children began to go upon voyages of discovery. They paddled up and -down the narrow, sluggish streams which wound through the swamp, and -each day they would venture a little farther. They were never afraid -of the loneliness, or any wild thing they saw. Often a great snake -would slide heavily off a log into the water, as they stole by in the -old boat. At first Papita would shiver, but Tony always laughed at -her fears, and now she had become quite as brave at swamp sights as -her brother. - -One day Tony almost thought himself lost; they found themselves in -such a dense, dark spot. At first there seemed no way of getting -through. - -"We best turn back now, Tony," suggested Papita; "it's the end, I -think." - -"No, see, the light comes through, soon--we go on a little further." -Tony paddled on manfully, and they leaned low to avoid the long, -snake-like vines of bamboo. Sure enough, a few tugs of the paddles -brought them right through the dark place, out into such a wonderful -new spot, they were glad they had kept on. At first such a noise -began around them, as the old boat shot through into the light, that -Tony and Papita were almost afraid, until they found out what it all -meant. Hawks whistled sharply overhead, and the air was filled with -water-fowl, which arose from a little island in the middle of the -pond they had entered. Wings flapped, there were harsh croaks on all -sides, while the blue herons set up their "Tell you what, tell you -what," cry. - -The children stared about them in astonishment, and, as they stared, -a strange thing happened. Right out of the skies, so it first -appeared to Tony, a wonderful, snowy form came flying, trailing -behind it, what appeared to the children, a beautiful white robe. -Its great snowy wings were wide spread, and it finally settled in a -dark cypress, where its wonderful plumes shone out so pure and white -that both the children were awed by the strange sight. Now there was -one thing only which they knew about, and which they imagined bore a -faint resemblance to this white-winged thing: their mother treasured -an illuminated card with a pictured angel. - -"Say, Tony," almost whispered Papita, "perhaps it is an _angel_." - -"No, no," replied more sensible Tony. "It's a real bird, but a -_kind_ of angel bird perhaps." - -[Illustration: ON HIS WAY TO THE NEST WITH A POUCH FULL OF FISH.] - -Thus did Tony and his little sister catch their first sight of the -great Snowy Egret. After that, having once found their way to its -haunts, they often came to the hidden pond, to watch the egrets at -their nest-building, taking care never to alarm them. At first the -egrets, which are shy, did not like the children so near, especially -in nesting time. Often, the male egret would hover over the old -dugout, calling down impatiently, "Cruk, cruk, cruk," which meant -plainly enough, "Go away, go away, go away." But the children came -so often, that the egrets, even the blue heron tribes and other -water-fowl, became accustomed to the old boat, and did not mind its -coming and going. - -It was an exciting time for the children when the little egrets came; -then Tony and Papita came every day. They watched the feeding of the -babies and heard the old egret call, "Cruk, cruk, cruk" on his way -back to the nest with a pouch full of little fish. Soon the little -egrets raised themselves in the nest and called back eagerly, "Kek, -kek, kek," which Tony said meant, "More, more, more." - -And now comes the sad part of my story, but it must be told, because -every boy and girl should learn about the peril of the beautiful -Snowy Egret, and know what happened to these wonderful "angel birds" -which Tony and Papita so loved and watched. - -It was Tony who learned about it first, so he told Papita one night -before they went to sleep, up aloft in their shack, where the stars -had a way of peeping in through the board roof and winking at them. - -"Those men with guns, Papita, I don't like," complained Tony -bitterly. "They shoot all our birds in the swamp. Once I see _long, -white feathers_. They're angel bird feathers, I think, only not -white--no, all black with swamp mire. I see plenty and _some were -red_, Papita, red with blood. One man, the big one, he laugh and -say, 'Plenty money for these fine plumes.'" - -"What for they get those angel bird feathers, Tony?" asked Papita -anxiously. - -"Huh, I hear grand ladies buy white angel feathers, to make them -fine," replied Tony. "But _no one_ could ever be so beautiful as our -angel birds." - -"Oh, Tony, what if these bad men shoot _our_ angel birds?" Papita's -voice trembled. - -"I know, but wait; to-morrow we go at sunrise, quick, to the bird -place," spoke Tony. - -As soon as they neared the bird island the next morning they knew -some one had broken through the jungles, for the vines were torn -aside and the birds, still disturbed, were circling and screaming -wildly about the pond. The first thing they looked for was the -egret's nest. Perched upon the edge of the nest were the baby egrets -alone, screaming shrilly, "Kek, kek, kek," calling vainly now for -their parents, and to be fed; they wanted their breakfast. - -Tony and Papita waited some time, but in vain; the father and mother -egret did not come back to the nest. - -"They don't come back ever, the big angel birds; but we go and look -for them, Papita. You see, the little ones are so hungry; they die -if we don't feed them." The children paddled up and down the swamp, -searching everywhere, and finally found the old egrets--all that the -plume hunters had left--just the two snowy bodies, from which the -beautiful, long aigrette plumes had been roughly torn. - -"Oh, oh, what _can_ we do? The little ones wait; they so hungry," -spoke Papita, her eyes full of tears. - -"Papita, I tell you what--we, you and I, we be father and mother now -to these little angel birds. We bring the little fish, until they be -large enough to get for themselves. But first, we hide them, these -little ones." - -"Oh, yes, yes, so no hunters find them, Tony," replied Papita, -seizing her paddle eagerly. - -Back the children went to the cypress tree, where the little egrets -had been left alone to starve, and after much hard work, between -them, they finally took the birds in the dug-out to the little, -lonely island, where they placed them in an abandoned heron's nest, -over which they managed to build a rude sort of cage of long bamboos -to keep the birds from falling out. They had an old fishing net in -the boat, and succeeded in scooping up enough fish from the edges of -the pond to keep the little egrets from starving. The little things -were so very hungry that they fed readily, showing no fear, but -setting up a constant worrying "Kek, kek, kek" for more. Finally it -was time to go home, but the children visited the young egrets each -day faithfully. After feeding them, they would leave a supply of -fish on the edge of the nest. Soon the young egrets had grown -accustomed to the children, and became so tame that they would allow -their heads to be gently scratched by Papita. One of the birds, the -largest of the brood, would perch upon Tony's shoulder sometimes, to -his great joy. This was a very happy time for the children, and they -never wearied of watching their pets grow. The bamboo cage was -finally taken away, and the egrets were able to fish for themselves. -By early November they were almost full grown and Tony and Papita -knew that they would not stay upon the island much longer, for -already many of the other water-fowl had migrated to other and warmer -climes. - -One night a light frost visited the swamp, and the next morning the -children came to the island, perhaps for the last time. They saw -that the egrets were showing much excitement, flying back and then -forth and screaming back to each other wildly, circling low over the -children's heads, then darting up again, curving their long, graceful -necks. - -"Look, Papita! They like to tell us something--hear, they try to -speak; they don't hear me even when I call; see." Vainly Tony tried -to call the egrets to him. Usually, the large bird would come to him -willingly enough, but now, as they watched the big fellow, he began -to rise straight into the air, mounting ever higher and higher, and -they could hear him calling back for the others to follow. Then, -with wide-spread wings, the others mounted into the air, and then -they all sailed off together to find the warm, safe shelter of -another retreat, farther south. Tony and Papita, away down below -them in the swamp, stood hand in hand and watched them, until they -were lost to sight. - -"They are gone from us, Tony," spoke Papita sadly. - -"Yes, sister, but wait; another year they will come back to us, I -know; for the birds do always find the way back again. And think--we -_saved_ them, those little ones, which was a brave thing to do. Now -they are beautiful, big angel birds and their white plumes are safe." - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -MOGUL, LAST BUFFALO OF THE HERD - -The great plains lay hot and parched at sunset. Silent and lonely it -was, too, for the drought of weeks had been so terrific that even the -usually sociable little prairie dogs stayed in their holes to escape -the scorching heat. At sunset they were beginning to liven up, and -all other wild things which had stayed in the cool places were coming -out. Between the dried, stunted clumps of mesquite trees, and the -sagebrush patches, certain dark shadows skulked: the coyotes were -starting off upon their nightly raids. The little prairie chickens -had gone to roost, but the hooting of the small brown-barred owls -which lived in the earth burrows, had begun among the sage-brush -thickets. - -A coyote, stealing in and out along its trail, suddenly squatted upon -its lean haunches, resting upon the raised dirt of a dog village. -From this site it peered curiously off into the distance, for its -bleary, green eyes saw something moving against the sky-line. What -the coyote saw was this: a great, black, hulking, moving object was -stumbling its way westward, following the last golden glow of the -sunset, and, as the creature watched, it made out another, smaller -figure, following close beside the large one. Then, after satisfying -its curiosity the coyote raised its lean snout, and howled dismally -from sheer disappointment, for that which he hoped might be game had -turned out to be nothing but just an old, sick or wounded buffalo, -followed by her little calf. The sight so disgusted the half-starved -coyote, that it started in an opposite direction on a slinking run, -for with all its meanness it will not pursue another which is wounded. - -The huge mother buffalo stumbled bravely on and on; she was very -weak, for she still carried an Indian's arrow in her side. How she -had managed to escape at all with her calf was a wonder. The herd -had stampeded, and somehow, after they had gone, she found herself -wounded, alone with her calf. Lowing to the little fellow, she -encouraged it to follow her and all day they had journeyed over the -long, hot trail. If she could only manage to find water, then she -could wallow, and perhaps her stinging wound would heal. -Occasionally she stumbled, almost breaking her leg as she plunged -into the hole of some dog village which her glazing old eyes had not -seen. - -Suddenly she raised her great shaggy head, and roared out a low cry -of triumph; she had scented water. She urged on the weary, tottering -steps of her calf, pushing him on ahead with her nose, lowing gently -and affectionately, encouraging it to hold out a little longer, for -soon they would come to the beautiful, longed-for water hole. - -They entered a small canyon between two notches, and right down in a -hollow, a short distance off, the little new moon flashed a gleam -across the water. As soon as they had quenched their dreadful -thirst, the mother dropped down heavily among the undergrowth, and -the little calf, already refreshed, stepped in and out of the -thickets, cropping contentedly among the tender cactus sprouts and -arrow weed. Mogul, the calf, perhaps wondered, the next morning as -the sun beat its hot way into the canyon, why his mother did not rise -as usual from her all-night resting place, and low for him to follow -her. After a time he understood, for such is the keen instinct of -the wild; she would _never_ rise again. Thus did Mogul, the calf -buffalo, begin his lonely life. His brave mother had just managed to -lead him into the safe canyon for water, and then had died. - -Mogul was an unusually fine, large calf, for his age. He was full of -courage and daring, but he stayed safe in the canyon, where the -forage was plentiful and water never failed him, for a long while, -every day growing bigger and stronger. When spring came and the -passes began to grow bright with gay-coloured flowers, the water -holes bubbled, and prairie chickens called their "Coos, coos, coos" -from the thickets; then Mogul began to look about and long for -companionship, for he was lonely. He noticed the happy frolics of -the jack-rabbits with approving, gentle eyes. Contentedly chewing -the cud, he would watch the prairie dogs romping happily in and out -of the doors of their villages. A bark from the watching sentinel -would sound an alarm note, and, like a flash, they would vanish into -a hundred holes. With the sprouting of his small, sharp black horns -came a sudden restlessness to Mogul. He remembered the herd, so he -determined to leave the canyon and find them. - -He had never encountered any real danger in his life as yet, never -heard the swish of an Indian's arrow, or sighted a painted, brown -body topped off with painted feathers, astride a loping pony. Once -on the open plains he would soon find out about all these things for -himself. Through the mouth of the sheltering canyon travelled Mogul, -so full of courage and life that he gambolled and leaped playfully by -the way; he would shake his huge, top-heavy head, and rip up great -tufts of sage-brush with his sharp horns. Occasionally he halted, -bellowing fiercely and stamping. A yellow, diamond-back rattlesnake -presumed to coil and rattle at him impudently, right in his path. -Knowing no fear, Mogul charged at it, sending it spinning high in the -air, then stamping it out beneath his shining hoofs. - -The sun baked down mercilessly upon his heavy coat out on the open -plain, where there was no shelter. Almost he wished himself back in -the canyon. Gnats bit right through his tough hide; he swung his -great head incessantly and angrily, lashing them with his tail; still -they clung, biting and stinging his flesh until blood flowed. The -plains stretched on ahead with no companionship in sight. Poor, -lonely Mogul! For days he had not tasted water. If he could but -find a water hole, he would wallow and rid himself of the stinging -pests. That night he reached a small, brackish pool of water and, -dropping into a moist place, Mogul rolled about until he had made a -fine hole about as long and wide as himself. Into this the water -gradually oozed and, with a snort of joy, Mogul rolled his tormented -body about, coating himself well with the wet clay which cured the -biting stings. Early next morning a stray buffalo cow came to the -pool; she was young and very pleasing, and Mogul's joy seemed -complete, for he had found company. That night the pair caught up -with the great herd and joined it. Black King, leader of the great -herd, had never been crossed, but as soon as Mogul appeared he -disapproved of him, because of his jealous disposition, for the old -leader noticed that Mogul was fully as large as himself, and even -more powerful--a born leader. The Black King was growing old; he -feared this stranger might become a favourite with the herd, which -might desert him, as they frequently did, for a younger leader. -Whenever Mogul met Black King, the latter would charge savagely, -bellowing mightily and throwing up great showers of earth with his -hoofs and horns, to frighten Mogul. Then the eyes of Mogul would -suddenly grow red with inner fires, and he would charge wildly at -Black King. One day, somewhat to his surprise, the old leader -actually backed off and away from Mogul, bellowing and calling his -followers after him. Thus Mogul won a position of respect from the -herd, a greater part of which took to following his leadership, -others remaining loyal to Black King. - -Grazing near the edge of a rocky canyon with a favourite cow and her -calf one day, Mogul almost met his match in "Ezekiel," as the -plainsmen had named the great grizzly bear--the terror of the -Rockies. Ezekiel, full grown, and with four young cubs back in a den -of the mountains with their mother, was seeking food. The young cubs -needed fresh meat. Afar off, peering over the edges of the canyon, -Ezekiel had sighted the three grazing figures of the buffaloes. -Buffalo calf meat he intended to carry back to the waiting cubs. In -and out crept the shambling figure of the great bear, taking care to -keep low down among the underbrush, making for the site nearest the -little calf, which was feeding somewhat apart from its mother's side. - -With a snort, Mogul raised his heavy head; instantly he sighted the -great hulking thing which was making its way towards the calf. With -a wild bellow of rage, he charged straight for the waving underbrush, -and as he came on Ezekiel, the terrible one, rose upon his great -haunches and boldly faced Mogul, for the grizzly is absolute monarch -of the plains, fearing no foe. For a moment Mogul, the fearless, was -daunted by the sight of the tremendous creature facing him. With -outstretched paws armed with great, razor-like claws, its wide, red -mouth bared to show its cruel teeth, the bear came on with savage, -thunder-like growls. It was unfortunate, however, that Ezekiel did -not travel on all fours, for, seeing his advantage, the buffalo -lowered its shaggy head, lunged straight for the unprotected stomach -of the bear and, before it could even seize him in its terrible -grasp, he had pinned its great body to earth, pressing his sharp -horns, and making the bear howl for mercy. Then, after goring the -bear well, without waiting to see whether Ezekiel was able to get up -or not Mogul bellowed a summons; the cow and calf joined him, and -they tore off to join the herd. - -One day, as the herd was contentedly grazing together, Mogul and his -followers, upon a small plateau which ended in a high cliff, across -the plains came a band of hunting Indians. Once the herd becomes -frightened it usually starts a stampede. One buffalo cow snorted in -alarm, then the whole herd suddenly lost their heads, which was just -what the Indians had planned. Wheeling about, Mogul led his herd -straight away from the cliff, off towards a canyon. Alas for Black -King! The Indians were behind him, and, completely losing his head, -he charged across the plateau, heading for the cliff. Like thunder -was the roar of the thousands of hoofs, which fairly shook the earth -as they madly ran, following their leader to certain destruction. -Roaring, bellowing, raising the dust in clouds, they ran. Too late! -When at the very verge of the cliff Black King saw their peril, he -swerved, bravely trying to turn back. Like an avalanche the herd -rushed upon him, a great brown waving mass of heads and flashing -hoofs, and over the cliff they fell. When the Indians went back to -their village they held a festival and gave the great "dance of the -war shield" to celebrate their fine hunt. They had enough buffalo -meat to feed all the dogs of the village, and skins enough to keep -the squaws busy curing them for many moons. Afterwards they had a -great feast, and there was joy in every wigwam of the village. - -Mogul led his herd for many years, and a mighty herd it became, -spreading in thousands far across the plain. The mighty thunder of -its passing might be heard very far off, and the dust, when it moved, -arose on high until it almost reached the sky. Gradually, but -surely, the great herd began to diminish and thin out. Once a -terrific drought killed many of them. For days and weeks they -journeyed, the vast herd seeking old, well-remembered buffalo wallows -over the trails, but when reached they were found dried out. The -buffaloes pawed and dug deeply into the arid, salt-caked holes for -moisture, but none came. They died by thousands. Afterwards the -settlers came across stacks of their bleaching bones, lying just -where they had fallen. So, weakened and hungry, for the drought had -killed off the scant herbage, they travelled on, ever westward. -Merciless Indians drove them farther on, and hunters of the plains, -who coveted their valuable skins, made after them. Finally the great -herd, all that was left of it, split, as by common consent, and chose -a younger leader for their thinned ranks. One day Mogul, the king of -the old herd, found himself deserted, and left to wander alone upon -the great plains. In vain he tried to follow the herd, but they soon -out-distanced him, and he came to realise that his company was no -longer wanted. For many years he wandered, always alone, -occasionally seeing scattered remnants of the great herd, but -gradually they dropped off, either killed by Indians or dying from -starvation. Somehow, old Mogul managed to escape the wolves, the -skulking coyotes, the mountain lions and the Indians. One day, -utterly lonely, he sighted a vast herd. At first he thought they -were buffaloes, but on coming up with them he saw they were -long-horned red cattle, which had now taken the place of his lost -tribe. Because he longed for company, Mogul joined the red cattle, -and they did not molest or drive him away. - -Now, out on a reservation, somewhere in the West, herding with the -long-horned cattle of the plains, grazes Mogul, the old buffalo -leader. His teeth are broken, but he still crops at the grass, and -when he lifts his head you may see that he has but one horn; he lost -the other in a fierce battle for his life with a grizzly. Sometimes -the old buffalo lifts his great shaggy head and gazes straight out -across the broad plains with his old, dim eyes and lows deeply and -longingly, perhaps remembering his lost tribe and other days. When -the cowboys round up the cattle, they often point out to strangers -from the East a solitary old buffalo, grazing, usually somewhat apart -from the cattle, on the edge of the herd, and then they say, not -without some pride: "See that old buffalo out there. He was once -leader of a well-known powerful tribe, but he is old, just how old we -cannot say, and he's now the last great buffalo left of a mighty -herd." - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -THE LAST PANTHER ON CUSHMAN RANGE - -Tom and Ned Manning lived upon a farm in Northern Vermont. The -Manning home was in a beautiful valley, and all about, as far as the -eye could see, ranged the Green Mountains; the range which towered -over this valley was called Cushman. - -The boys were quite elated one day when their father told them he -would have to send them over the mountain to a far-off lumber camp, -upon a very important errand. This meant a two days' holiday for -them, no school, and plenty of adventure in the woods. - -"We'll start early," called Tom to his brother, already splitting his -next morning's wood. "And if we have good luck, we can reach camp -early in the afternoon. Snow-shoeing will be dandy, and say, we can -just about ski down on the crusts, going down." - -"That's so; it's going to be a bully trip," replied Ned, "and -mother's sure to put us up a big feed. Say, somehow mother doesn't -like the idea of us two going alone over the mountain. Guess it's -because the Eatons have been losing their sheep; and now the Strongs -have lost a young calf, some think there's something big and wild -around loose on the mountain somewhere--a panther, or something like -that." - -"Joe Strong said their calf _never strayed_ away," replied Tom, "but -father thinks it did. He thinks dogs got the sheep anyway, and he -says nowadays there isn't anything big enough on the mountains to -carry off such a big creature as a calf--hasn't been, for years. -Anyhow, I'm not a coward. Say, let's ask for grandfather's gun to -take with us," suggested Ned. - -The boys went to bed early that night, so as to get started by -sunrise. The morning was keen, cold and sparkly, and the sun shone -out upon the snow crusts as it came peeping over the pointed spruces -on the summit of the mountain, and made them sparkle as if sprinkled -with trillions of diamonds. They stowed away the ample lunch which -their mother had put up, and Tom shouldered the old gun, while Ned -carried the gum pole. They had decided to halt at a certain grove of -giant spruces, half-way up Cushman, which they meant to visit for -gum. The pole was long enough to reach into a tall tree, at the end -was a sharp knife, and just beneath this a small cup, so that when -the gum was chipped off, instead of falling down and being lost -beneath among the pine needles, it dropped right into the cup. - -Soon the boys left the steep hilly pastures, the foot-hills of the -mountains, behind them, and began climbing the side of old Cushman. - -"Look ahead, Ned; we're right in range of some dandy old spruces," -called back Tom, who forged on ahead with the gun. "See, just beyond -that ledge up there, we'll halt and get our gum, then we can soon -climb up top and have our lunch. It won't take us long to go down. -Come on; we must have that gum; it'll be good picking." - -"Say, guess that ledge ahead must be Vulture Cliff; looks as if we're -kind of off the main trail. We never strike off quite so far east as -this, do we?" asked Ned, halting to look up at the great black, -snow-capped crag which towered above them, jutting far out over the -valley. They halted just below, and visited some giant spruces -which, to their joy, yielded such a fine harvest of gum that they -hated to leave the grove. - -"We got to be making tracks now, I guess, Ned. Come on." - -Just then Ned chipped off a splendid lump of amber gum from his tree, -and still higher up he saw several large nuggets clinging temptingly -to the brown spruce trunk. As prime gum would readily fetch a dollar -a pound, these Vermont boys, to whom pocket money was rare, were -reluctant to leave it behind. - -Tom insisted upon their going on. "We've got to go on right off, -Ned. But say, we'll come up on purpose some time when we don't have -to go over the mountain." - -Soon they were directly beneath the grim shadow of Vulture Cliff; it -would be a stiff climb to go around it, and this they found they must -do to reach the summit of the mountain. They had halted a second to -get breath, when Tom spied a queer-looking object lying just beneath -the crag upon the snow, and went to investigate. - -"What is it?" called down Ned curiously. - -"Come on down and see!" shouted back Tom, and soon the two boys were -staring at their find--a great bone, the knuckle joint of a cow, -having the hoof still attached. The bone had been gnawed, but was -still fresh. - -"Great Scott! What do you think of that?" exclaimed Tom excitedly. -"It's surely some young creature's hoof, and whatever was gnawing it -surely dropped it down from the ledge above, I believe." The boys -had sudden misgivings. What could it have been? - -"Say, Tom, it must have been something big and fierce and hungry to -carry off a big bone like that. Perhaps the bone belonged to that -heifer that was lost," suggested Ned. - -"Might have," commented Tom, taking in the situation, which suggested -to him the idea of getting away from the lonely spot as soon as -possible. Besides, it was evident that much time had already been -taken up with their gumming, more than they had meant to take, and -now, to their dismay, they discovered suddenly that the sun had -disappeared; great clouds were swiftly gathering about them, while -down below in the valley, already the snow whirled thickly. A swift -storm had arisen, as is often the case in these mountains. It had -been brooding, but the boys had not noticed it. Already the giant -spruces rocked and tossed far above, as the biting wind whined -through their tops. The boys realised their best plan now was to -make for the nearest shelter, or they were liable to be overtaken by -a blizzard on the mountains, and so lose their way. Swifter and -faster swirled the snow; it shut them off completely from everything, -blinding them and stinging their faces like fine needles. Nothing -but vapour and clouds all about, and they were off the main trail. -They forged on ahead, climbing bravely up and up, sliding back at -each step, but clinging to small spruces to keep from slipping. - -[Illustration: THE PANTHER CROUCHED AT THE FOOT OF THE LADDER, ... -MAKING UP ITS MIND TO CLIMB.] - -"Do you know where we are, Tom?" called Ned, trying to keep up with -his elder brother, slipping over rocks, plunging down into deep -gullies and over great fallen spruces. - -"Not sure," called back Tom, above the howling gale. "We can't begin -to get down the mountain, though, to-night. Look ahead; it's almost -dark now. I hope we can strike the old mountain house, that is, if -it isn't blown down. We'll try; come on." This old mountain house -had originally been built for a cattle shelter, to protect the stock -which ranged across the clearings in autumn. A desolate, barn-like -structure upon the summit of Cushman which the fierce storms had done -their best to demolish. - -"I see it," called back Tom. "Look! It's right ahead--a big black -thing; it's the mountain house all right. Brace up; we've got to get -inside. We're in luck to strike even this crazy old place." The old -house, black and forlorn, stood there, its windows gone; through its -empty casements the wind howled and whined. The flooring of loose -planks flapped and tipped as the boys stepped inside. There was a -rude loft, some timbers thrown across beams, where hay had been -stored; against one side stood a rickety ladder. - -"Wish we could start a fire; I'm nearly frozen," spoke Ned. - -"No matches, anyhow and no fireplace in this old shebang," replied -Tom regretfully. "Tell you what: perhaps we can find some hay left -up in the loft and make a bunk; it would keep us warmer than staying -down here." - -They climbed up the ladder, and creeping cautiously over the wabbling -beams upon their hands and knees, they collected enough coarse hay to -make a small bunk, selecting the most sheltered corner where the -boards were closest. Here, snuggling in the hay, they ate their last -doughnut. The place was dark and still inside; as the storm raged, -and rattled the old building, it seemed as if it would be whirled off -the top of the mountain at the very next blast. - -"Guess we shan't sleep much up here," commented Ned dejectedly. -"Gee, I'm hungry; wish we hadn't been such pigs and eaten up our -lunch so soon." - -"Well, we might as well turn in and try to get a few naps; though if -the storm keeps up I don't know how we'll get through in the -morning," replied Tom. They snuggled down in the hay in their bunk -upon the precarious scaffolding, being careful not to move about lest -they might fall below, and at last went to sleep. While they -slumbered the fierceness of the storm abated, the moon came out and -little twinkly, cold stars shone in through the roof above them. - -Suddenly, a swift tap, tapping sound beneath on the old flooring -awoke the boys. What could it be? Then, by the moonlight which -shone through the windows, they suddenly spied a young buck deer -which had leaped into the room below and stood panting, head raised, -listening, watching. - -"Look, Ned! It's a deer," hissed Tom, spying it first. "It's been -running; hear it pant. It's _afraid_. See it stand watching for -something. Look! look! it's going to jump out that back window. -Something's chasing it. Oh, look, look!" As they peered down a -great cat-like figure appeared in the opening of the window, -crouching there and glaring inside. It was a huge tawny panther. -Its wicked-looking head was thrust forward, and its eyes shone like -living coals. The deer, off and away by this time, had escaped. -Then, to the great dismay of the boys, the panther sprang lightly -into the room beneath them, and they clung to each other in terror, -for the next instant the beast had lifted its great flat head, giving -a baffled yell of rage which shook the old rafters. To their horror, -instead of chasing the deer, it began to lope about the old building, -snuffling from side to side, finally halting at the foot of the -ladder, and gazing up curiously at the two trembling boys, sighting -them as they crouched together on the rickety scaffolding. - -"It's a panther, ain't it?" whispered Ned shakily. "And can't they -climb?" - -"Yep," replied Tom briefly, fussing over the old gun. "Say, crawl -over to the ladder, Ned, and knock it down somehow, can't you, while -I load the gun. Quick! Don't be scared. I'll fire before you get -there." - -"S'pose it climbs up _before_ I get there?" hissed Ned shakily, not -liking the job very well. - -"It won't--not if you hurry. Go now, now, Ned, quick!" ordered Tom. - -Meantime, the panther still crouched at the foot of the ladder, -staring up at the boys with its wicked yellow eyes, evidently making -up its mind to climb into the loft. Cautiously Ned began to creep -over the beams to the ladder. Oh, if he could only reach it in time! -Would Tom never get the gun loaded and fire? What if a beam should -slip, and let him down below? Ned lay out flat upon the shaking -beam; he succeeded in reaching the top of the ladder, then, putting -all his strength into his arms, he gave it a swift shove, and it fell -below with a crash. Just then the old gun rang out; the kick which -it gave sent Tom sprawling backward into the hay. As Tom hoped, he -had shot the beast; the panther gave another yell. Before the smoke -cleared Tom missed Ned; at the same time he heard a faint call. But -from where? Where had Ned vanished? Could it be that he had fallen -down through the shaking beams to the floor below _with_ the panther? - -"Quick, Tom, help, help!" called Ned. "I can't hold on any longer; -my wrist's hurt." Then Tom saw what had really happened. Ned had -slipped through the timbers and hung down below the loft, clinging to -a beam with his hands. If he let go, he would fall to the floor -below. So, leaping like a cat over the shaking beams, Tom had soon -pulled Ned up on to the platform. - -"Gee, that was a close shave, all right," grunted Tom, quickly -reloading the gun, while Ned bade him hurry, for he just knew the -panther would jump into the loft. "He don't have to wait for any -ladder to climb up here." - -Right across a wide streak of moonlight crept the panther, and then -Tom, aiming for its gleaming eyes, fired the old gun again. - -"Don't miss him this time, Tom," warned Ned tensely, "or he'll get -us." - -"Bang!" The trusty gun rang out once more, and the boys distinctly -heard the sounds of a wild scuffling down upon the old, loose -flooring below. - -"Guess I fixed him _then_," said Tom triumphantly. The panther gave -a baffled howl of pain and rage, and deciding that the place was no -spot to tarry in, it leaped out and disappeared. - -"You hit him! I know you did," declared Ned admiringly. - -"Had to; it was my last shot," replied Tom, wiping his damp forehead -with his jacket sleeve. "And say, Ned, I call it a narrow escape." - -"Think he'll come back?" asked Ned rather huskily, nursing his wrist. - -"No, not to-night; he's scared stiff, I think; a good thing, too," -grinned Tom. "See, it's almost daylight; he won't come back before -night, I guess." - -The boys climbed stiffly down from the loft. To their joy the snow -crusts held up, and they soon struck the main trail, reaching camp in -time for breakfast. When they returned home, a lumberman was sent -with them, for the story of their brave fight with the huge panther -had excited much interest in camp and they found themselves heroes. - -All the remainder of that winter, the farmers were troubled for the -safety of their stock, as soon as they heard there was a panther on -the mountain. Strangely enough, it never appeared again in the -valley, and some even doubted that the boys had actually seen a -full-grown panther. The following spring hunters came across the -dead panther in its lair, just above Vulture Cliff. Tom's last shot -had put an end to it--the last panther ever seen on Cushman Range. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - -NEMOX, THE CRAFTY ROBBER OF THE MARSHES - -Nemox, the fisher, who lived in the hollow of a great pine tree in -the depths of the marsh country, lay stretched out flat upon a lofty -limb of his home tree, intently watching a clumsy black figure which -shuffled through the aisles of the pines far beneath him. - -He thought the black, shadowy figure must be Moween, the black bear, -but not feeling quite certain about it, Nemox peeped down over the -limb curiously, hanging over as far as he dared, keeping his position -upon the limb by digging his claws in deeply. His eyes sparkled -maliciously and cunningly as he made sure that it actually was Moween -herself. Then he knew she had come straight from her den up on -Porcupine Ridge to forage for food, because down below, on the -needle-strewn floor of the forest, Moween knew she could find plenty -of prey for the taking. Close hidden beneath the low-hanging -branches of the spruce bush, she sometimes came across a frightened -partridge, and the roots of the pines were simply riddled with rabbit -burrows. One might always rout out a sleepy hedgehog or two, if -there chanced to be nothing better, for Moween knew the secret of -avoiding its terrible quills and searching out the creature's weak -spot without injury to her own snout. So while Moween rummaged -about, waddling in and out among the bushes, snuffing and grunting as -she threw over a rotting log with her great padded foot, Nemox, the -crafty one, continued to watch her and think deeply. Very well he -knew that the old mother bear had left her two innocent furry little -cubs back in her den, up on the side of the mountain. Nemox, the -fisher, in one of his cat-like rambles, had run across them one day, -just outside their door, cuffing each other about, and rolling over -each other like kittens, as their mother watched them fondly. Well -Nemox knew that the two cubs were still too young to follow their -mother long distances, or down the steep ledges, so of course, he -reasoned, they must be at home, alone and unprotected, this very -minute. - -Instantly Nemox had made his plans, and while the little black mother -bear had buried her whole head in a hollow log, hoping to find honey, -Nemox began to slide and claw himself down out of the pine tree, -being careful, of course, to climb down upon the far side that Moween -should not spy him. Then, like a fleet shadow, he slipped off -through the thick underbrush, and following the wide swath of the -mother bear's trail, he set out for her den. - -Everybody knows that Nemox, the fisher, is the craftiest, most savage -and powerful fighter of his age in the marshes, and most of his -kindred feared him, giving him a wide berth. Nemox belonged to the -cat family, and was sometimes called "the black cat of the woods." -Sinuous of body and not unlike his cousin the weasel, only larger, he -could readily leap forty or fifty feet, and always landed, cat-like, -upon his prey. To all this was added great knowledge of woodcraft -and reasoning powers, for the clever fisher had easily studied out -the fact that the bear had left her cubs unprotected. No wonder then -that the fisher was reckoned as a terror of the marsh country, for it -took the craftiest of the wild to outwit him. - -In and out between the rocky ledges and tall ferns, always heading -for the bear's den, travelled Nemox, and just as he drew near the -spot where the little mother bear had cleverly hidden her den, he -came right upon the little cubs, who were just outside the entrance -of the den, and lay rolling over each other, having a regular frolic, -cuffing at a swarm of black butterflies which fluttered about the -milkweed blossoms. But the pretty sight of the round furry babies of -Moween at play did not for an instant touch the cruel heart of the -fisher, who merely bared his sharp teeth as he hid behind a -convenient blackberry bush, watching them. - -With twitching tail and whiskers, cat-like, the fisher began to creep -stealthily towards his prey, flattening his lithe body and keeping -out of sight as he crept nearer and nearer the innocent cubs. A -swift dart, and he shot straight through the air and launched himself -upon one of the cubs, while the other one sat up in amazement and -began to whimper like a frightened child. Soon Nemox was busy with -tooth and nail over the limp carcass of the cub, when suddenly his -keen ear caught the sound of a stealthy pad, pad, pad; so light a -footstep it was that no one but Nemox could have heard it. -Instantly, fearing the return of the mother bear, Nemox left the -wounded cub, for he had no notion of letting Moween, the angry -mother, catch him at his cruel work, as well Nemox knew that with one -blow of her great paw, armed with its lance-like claws, she could -strike him to earth. He realised he would be no match for her unless -he chanced to catch her napping. - -So the fisher drew off, watching his chances from a safe distance, -for, if the truth were known, Nemox was in some respects, unless -cornered, cowardly. He slunk into the shadow of a dark ledge, where -his dark fur blended so well with the gloom that he remained -completely concealed. He realised that he had taken himself off just -in time, for the next instant the tall brakes were thrust aside; but -instead of the mother bear making her appearance, who should peer out -but Eelemos, the fox. Very cautiously the fox came forth from the -bushes, and peered out in rather surprised fashion upon the scene -before him; the badly wounded cub, and the other one, who still -whimpered and whined helplessly, crying for its mother. Now the fox -chanced to be very hungry, and the sight of the wounded cub tempted -him. So he crept warily forward, his yellow eyes all agleam, and so -intent was the fox upon the coming feast that he paid no attention to -the other cub's little whine of joy and recognition as a great, -black, furry bulk fairly tore its way through the thick jungle. Mad -with rage and fear Moween's little red eyes flashed with anger as she -caught sight of the fox and her wounded cub, and with one great bound -she was upon him, growling terribly, and then, before the fox could -even defend himself, the mother bear had laid him low, and soon all -that remained of the proud, sly fox was just a battered red pelt, and -a bedraggled, limp brush. Then Moween went back to attend to the -little wounded cub, uttering low whines of distress, and lapping it -tenderly, trying to revive it. - -All this time Nemox, the fisher, was peering out at her from a crack -in the ledge, and he had seen the awful fate of Eelemos, the fox, and -was very thankful he had got away from the den just in time. Now the -fisher had not chanced to select the best spot for his hiding-place, -for at the back of the ledge was the home of Unk-Wunk, the hedgehog, -who had been asleep inside all the time, curled up in a round ball, -until, finally, Nemox had so crowded him that he became impatient and -suddenly unrolling himself, just to teach the intruder better -manners, he gave him a smart slap across his sneaky pointed snout -with his dreadful quilly tail. Nemox was so taken by surprise that, -stifling his angry snarls so the mother bear might not hear him, he -sneaked back home to the pine forest, his snout full of sharp quills, -and spent most of the night spitting crossly and trying to pull them -out of his burning flesh. - -Next morning, bright and early, Nemox started off hunting once more. -He climbed many trees looking for game, but in vain; he even found no -partridges roosting down in lower branches, as usual, for already -they had left their nightly haunts. At last Nemox reached the foot -of a giant larch tree, and right in the top of its branches he spied -a great loose bundle of leaves and twigs. - -"Ah," thought Nemox, "the hawks have a young family up there, or -possibly there are eggs in the nest; so much the better," for Nemox -loved eggs almost more than a young hawk. Very hungry was Nemox by -this time, so he began to climb the tree. At last he reached a limb -where he could peer into the nest. He was thankful that the old -hawks were away, for there were eggs in the nest. Nemox knew he must -hasten, for a brooding hawk is never long away from her eggs. -Flattening himself close to the limb Nemox crawled to it, and had -just sampled one egg when, with a sudden, wild rush of whirling -wings, the mother hawk landed right upon his back, digging her sharp -talons into his quivering flesh, as he snarled and spit and tore in -her grasp. Finally, with a swift twist of his agile body, Nemox -managed to reach the throat of the hawk, and in spite of the beating -wings, which nearly thrashed the breath from his body, Nemox clung -and clung to the hawk's throat, until they both fell to earth. And -then Nemox had his first decent meal for days, and afterwards he -climbed up to the nest and finished off the eggs, which he did not -forget. - -Now high above the nest of the hawk, and over towards the lake, stood -a lonely hemlock tree, its limbs broken off by storm after storm. -Upon the summit of this tree Quoskh, the great blue heron, came year -after year to build her nest and raise her brood. From her high -nest, where she sat with the young herons, now just out of their -pin-feather age, the mother heron could plainly look down upon her -neighbour the hawk, and saw all the terrible tragedy which took -place. She saw the dark, slim body of Nemox, the robber of the -marshes, as he battled with the mother hawk, and then the end of it -all. Quoskh, the heron, was afraid for her own young, so much so -that for a long while afterwards she dreaded to leave them alone long -enough to fly off after food. Soon, however, they became large -enough to fly to the lake with her, and she was glad. But Quoskh -never forgot about the hateful fisher, and always hoped that some day -she might get the better of him. - -Right in the heart of the marsh-land lay Black Lake. Spread out like -a sheet of molten lead it lay, its lonely waters walled about by -thick jungles of sedge and cat-tails; a desolate spot, seldom visited -by man, but known and haunted by all the kindred of the wild. You -might trace their well-worn trails through the swamp on all sides. -Here came Moween, the black bear, and her one cub, for the other she -had lost. The sharp teeth of Nemox had done their work. On the edge -of the lake Unk-Wunk, the porcupine, loved to loaf, digging out lily -roots, and towards night, when shadows crept over the water, Nemox, -the fisher, would sneak down, hoping to trap some little wild thing. - -One day about twilight, when the little herons were half-grown, a -large colony of herons came to the lake. It was approaching time for -their annual colonizing plans, and they always meet and talk it over. -Down they flocked in droves, on wide azure wings, calling to each -other their lonely salute, "Quoskh, quoskh." And after standing on -the pebbly shore solemnly upon one foot for a while, at a signal they -all began to dance a most fantastic sort of a dance, which is called -"the heron dance." Many were the curious eyes watching the strange -dance of the herons. Among them was Nemox, the fisher, who almost -forgot to hide himself, so taken up in watching the herons was he. -However, as he watched them a sudden fascinating odour came to his -nostrils and he forgot everything else--it was catnip. - -Soon he reached the bed of catnip, all silvery green leaves, -sparkling with dew. He nibbled and ate, until finally, overcome -completely by the fascinating odour, he simply lay down and rolled -about, purring like a cat for sheer delight. He felt dreamy and -care-free. But just as he was enjoying himself supremely, down -floated the wide wings of Quoskh, the great blue heron, and with two -stabs of her sword-like beak she had blinded Nemox, and with her -wings beaten the breath completely out of his body. - -Then, triumphantly, the heron spread her great blue wings and flew -off into the twilight, calling "Quoskh, quoskh, quoskh" to her mate -across the silence of the marshes. - - - - - THE BOTOLPH - PRINTING WORKS, - 8, GATE STREET, - KINGSWAY, W.C.2 - - - - - - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Wild Kindred, by Jean M. 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