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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..1b4bd6e --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #68252 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/68252) diff --git a/old/68252-0.txt b/old/68252-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index f2f9a5c..0000000 --- a/old/68252-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5518 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The life story of a squirrel, by T. C. -Bridges - -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 -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The life story of a squirrel - -Author: T. C. Bridges - -Release Date: June 5, 2022 [eBook #68252] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Tim Lindell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at - https://www.pgdp.net (This book was produced from images - made available by the HathiTrust Digital Library.) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LIFE STORY OF A -SQUIRREL *** - - - - - - -Animal Autobiographies. - -THE LIFE STORY OF A SQUIRREL - -IN THE SAME SERIES - -PRICE 6s. EACH - -WITH ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR - - THE BLACK BEAR - BY H. PERRY ROBINSON - CONTAINING TWELVE FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS BY J. VAN OORT - - THE CAT - BY VIOLET HUNT - CONTAINING TWELVE FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS BY ADOLPH BIRKENRUTH - - THE DOG - BY G. E. MITTON - CONTAINING TWELVE FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS BY JOHN WILLIAMSON - - THE FOX - BY J. C. TREGARTHEN - CONTAINING TWELVE FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS BY COUNTESS HELENA GLEICHEN - - THE RAT - BY G. M. A. HEWETT - CONTAINING TWELVE FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS BY STEPHEN BAGHOT-DE-LA-BERE - -PUBLISHED BY A. & C. BLACK, SOHO SQUARE, LONDON, W. - -AGENTS - - AMERICA THE MACMILLAN COMPANY - 64 & 66 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK - - CANADA THE MACMILLAN COMPANY OF CANADA, LTD. - 27 RICHMOND STREET WEST, TORONTO - - INDIA MACMILLAN & COMPANY, LTD. - MACMILLAN BUILDING, BOMBAY - 309 BOW BAZAAR STREET, CALCUTTA - - - - -[Illustration: SCUD.] - - - - -[Illustration: - - THE LIFE STORY OF - A SQUIRREL - - BY - T. C. BRIDGES - - LONDON - ADAM·&·CHARLES·BLACK - 1907] - - - - -CONTENTS - - - PAGE - - CHAPTER I - - MY FIRST ADVENTURE 1 - - CHAPTER II - - THE GREAT DISASTER 21 - - CHAPTER III - - THE PLEASURES OF IMPRISONMENT 40 - - CHAPTER IV - - A DAY IN RAT LAND 63 - - CHAPTER V - - BACK TO THE WOODLANDS 81 - - CHAPTER VI - - A NARROW ESCAPE 95 - - CHAPTER VII - - THE GREY TERROR 119 - - CHAPTER VIII - - I FIND A WIFE 150 - - CHAPTER IX - - WAR DECLARED AGAINST OUR RACE 174 - - CHAPTER X - - POACHERS AND A BATTUE 192 - - CHAPTER XI - - MY LAST ADVENTURE 210 - - - - -LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - -BY ALLAN STEWART - - - SCUD _Frontispiece_ - - FACING - PAGE - - FATHER LEAPED STRAIGHT TOWARDS THE BOY, LANDING ACTUALLY ON HIS - SHOULDER 32 - - HE IMITATED ME TO MY FACE 48 - - THE WHOLE OF THE SLIMY OLD WALL SEEMED ALIVE WITH THEM 74 - - THE BOYS NEVER MOVED OR SPOKE 88 - - CLIMBING INTO ONE OF THE LARGEST TREES, WE LAY PANTING AND - TIRED OUT 112 - - TWO CRUEL GREEN ORBS SET IN A WIDE GREY FACE 142 - - DOWN THE NEAR SIDE OF THE TRUNK WAS A DEEP AND WIDE NEW SCAR 172 - - ‘AND TO THINK IT WAS THIS HERE LITTLE RED RASCAL’ 184 - - A SMALL BLUE FLAME ILLUMINATED THREE EAGER FACES 194 - - ANOTHER MOMENT FOUND ME COMFORTABLY PERCHED IN THE BRANCHES - OF THE HAZEL-BUSHES 208 - - THE DOG BOUNDED HIGH, BUT I WAS SAFELY OUT OF HIS REACH 224 - - - - -THE LIFE STORY OF A SQUIRREL - - - - -CHAPTER I - -MY FIRST ADVENTURE - - -It was a perfect June morning, not a breath stirring, and the sun fairly -baking down till the whole air was full of the hot resinous scent of -pine-needles; but, warm as it was, I was shivering as I lay out on the -tip of a larch-bough and looked down. I was not giddy—a squirrel never -is. But that next bough below me, where my mother was sitting, seemed -very far away, and I could not help thinking what a tremendous fall it -would be to the ground, supposing I happened to miss my landing-place. -I am too old now to blush at the recollection of it, and I don’t mind -confessing that at the time I was in what I have since heard called a -blue funk. - -The fact is, it was my first jumping and climbing lesson. Even squirrels -have to learn to climb, just as birds have to be taught by their parents -to fly. - -My mother called me by my name, Scud, sitting up straight, and looking -at me encouragingly with her pretty black eyes. But I still hesitated, -crouching low on my branch and clinging tight to it with all four sets of -small sharp claws. - -Mother grew a trifle impatient, and called to my brother Rusty to take my -place. - -This was too much for me. I took my courage in both fore-paws, set my -teeth, and launched myself desperately into the air. I came down flat on -my little white stomach, but as at that time I weighed rather less than -four ounces, and the bough below was soft and springy, I did not knock -the wind out of myself, as one of you humans would have done if you had -fallen in the same way. - -Mother gave a little snort. She did not approve of my methods, and told -me I should spread my legs wider and make more use of my tail. Then she -turned and gave a low call to Rusty to follow. - -Even at that early age—we were barely a month old—Rusty was a heavier -and rather slower-going squirrel than I. But he already showed that -bull-dog courage which was so strong a trait all through his after-life. -He crawled deliberately to the very end of the branch, then simply let -go and tumbled all in a heap right on the top of us. It was extremely -lucky for him that mother was so quick as she was. She made a rapid bound -forward, and caught her blundering son by the loose skin at the back of -his neck just in time to save him from going headlong to the ground, -quite fifty feet below. - -She panted with fright as she lifted him to a place of safety with a -little shake. - -Rusty looked a trifle sulky, and mother gave him an affectionate pat to -soothe him down. - -Then she told us to follow her back along the branch, and she would show -us how to climb up the trunk home again. She sent me first. - -I had hardly reached the trunk end of the bough when I heard mother utter -a cry which I had never heard her give before. It was a low sharp call. -Oddly enough, I seemed to know exactly what it meant. At once I lay -flat upon the bough, here quite thick enough to hide my small body, and -crouched down, making myself as small as possible. At the same instant -mother seized Rusty by the scruff of his neck, and with one splendid -leap sprang right up on to the wide, thick bough on the flat surface of -which our home was built. In a few seconds she came back for me, and -before I knew what was the matter I, too, was safe in the nest, alongside -Rusty and my sister, little Hazel. - -Mother gave a low note of warning that none of us should move or make any -noise; and you may be sure we all obeyed, for something in her manner -frightened us greatly. Presently we heard heavy footfalls down below -rustling in the dry pine-needles. We sat closer than ever, hardly daring -to breathe. The footsteps stopped just below our tree, and a loud rough -voice, that made every nerve in my body quiver, shouted out something. -From the sound of it we could tell that the speaker was peering right up -between the boughs into our tree, and we knew without the slightest doubt -he had discovered our drey. He must have spoken loud, even for a human, -for his companion gave a sharp ‘S-s-sh!’ as if he were afraid that some -one else might overhear and come down upon them. It could not have been -of us he was afraid, for we, poor trembling, palpitating little things, -lay huddled together, hardly daring to breathe. - -The two tormentors turned away a few paces after a few lower-toned -remarks, and I began to think they had gone, when—— - -Crash, a great jagged lump of stone came hurtling up within a yard of our -home, frightening us all abominably. - -Mother crouched with us closer than ever into our frail little house of -sticks, which was not made to stand the force of stones. - -Almost immediately there fell another mass of whizzing stone, even -nearer than the first. It shore away a large tassel from the bough just -overhead, and this fell right on the top of us, frightening Hazel so much -that she jumped completely out of the nest, and, if mother had not been -after her as quick as lightning, she must have fallen over the edge and -probably tumbled right down to the ground and been killed at once. Even a -squirrel, particularly a young one, cannot fall fifty feet in safety. - -Mother saved her from this fate, but the mischief was done. The quick -eyes of our enemies below had caught a glimpse of red fur among the pale -green foliage, and they roared out in triumph, the louder and noisier -making such a row, I thought that anyone within hearing must come -rushing to see what was the matter. Then they began disputing together, -perhaps as to which of them should carry us away. - -We lay there nestling under mother’s thick fur, shaking with fright. - -The two fellows down below argued like angry magpies for several minutes, -and at last it was decided that the quieter one should do the climbing. -I peeped over timidly and saw him throw off his coat, and drew back to -make myself as small as possible. Presently I heard a bough creak, and -then there followed a scraping and grinding as his heavy hobnailed boots -clawed the trunk in an effort to reach the first branch. Once on that, -he came up with dreadful rapidity. The boughs of the larch were so close -together that even such a great clumsy animal, with his hind-paws all -covered up with leather and iron, could climb it as easily as a ladder. -We heard him coughing and making queer noises as the thick green dust, -which always covers an old larch, got into his throat, and the little -sharp dry twigs switched his face. But he kept on steadily, and soon he -was only three or four branches below us, and making the whole top of the -tree quiver and shake with his clumsy struggles. But as he got higher the -branches were thinner, and he stopped, evidently not daring to trust his -weight to them, and called out something to his companion. All the answer -he got was a jeering laugh, and this probably decided him, for, with a -growl, he came on again. The tree really was thin up near our bough, at -least for a great giant like this. The trunk itself bent, and the shaking -was so tremendous that I began to think that our whole home would be -jerked loose from its platform and go tumbling down in ruins with us -inside it. - -Suddenly the fellow’s great rough head was pushed up through the branches -just below. His fat cheeks were crimson, and his hair all plastered down -on his forehead with perspiration. I stared at him in a sort of horrible -fascination. I could not have moved for the life of me, and, as Rusty -and Hazel told me afterwards, they felt just the same. But mother kept -her head. She was sitting up straight, with her bright black eyes fairly -snapping with rage and excitement. - -The man made a desperate scramble, and up came a large dirty paw and -grasped the very branch on which we lived. This was too much for mother. -Her fur fairly bristled as she made a sudden dash out of the nest by the -entrance nearest to the trunk, and went straight for that grasping fist. -Next instant her sharp teeth met deep in his first finger. He gave one -yell and let go. All his weight came on his other hand, there was a loud -snap, and his large red face disappeared with startling suddenness. - -For a moment our tree felt just as it does when a strong gust of wind -catches and sways it. Our enemy, luckily for himself, had fallen upon a -wide-spreading bough not far below, had caught hold of it, and so saved -himself from a tumble right down to the bottom. - -I heard his companion cry out in a frightened voice. For a moment there -was no reply, and then a torrent of language so angry that I am sure no -respectable squirrel would have used anything so bad even when talking to -a weasel. - -The man who had fallen was dancing about, holding his hand in his mouth, -and taking it out to show his comrade. I watched him excitedly, hoping -that now he had been hurt he would go away; but no, picking himself up -he began again clumsily climbing up towards us. He came more slowly than -before, trying each branch carefully before he put his weight on it. -Presently I saw his furious face rising up again through the branches, -and now he had something shining and sharp, like a long tooth, clutched -between his lips. I did not know then what a knife was, but I thought -it looked particularly unpleasant. There was a nasty shine, too, in his -pale blue eyes. I could feel my heart throbbing as if it would burst. -Again his great ugly paw came clutching up at our bough. Fortunately he -could not quite reach it. Having broken off the branch just below us, he -had nothing to hold on to. However, he was so angry that there was no -stopping him. He got his arms and legs round the trunk and began to swarm -up. - -It looked as if nothing could save us now. Mother herself was too -frightened of that long gleaming tooth to try to bite our enemy again. -She jumped out of the nest by the entrance on the far side, and did her -best to persuade us to follow her out to the end of the branch where we -had been having our jumping lessons. But we were much too frightened to -move. We lay shivering in the moss at the bottom of the nest, and made -ourselves as small as we knew how. - -The man’s head was level with the bough; he was stretching out for a good -hand-hold, when suddenly I heard the sharp clatter of a blackbird from -the hedge at the border of the spinny, and immediately afterwards the -crash of dry twigs under a heavy boot. - -A sharp hiss came from below in warning. Bill’s hand stopped in mid-air, -just as I once saw a rabbit stop at the moment the shot struck it. His -cheeks, which had been almost as red as my tail, went the colour of a -sheep’s fleece. He listened for a moment, then suddenly dropped to the -bough below, and began clambering down a good deal more quickly than he -had come up. - -We guessed it was the keeper, who had always left us alone, though we had -often seen him about. - -The steady tramp of his boots suddenly changed to a quick thud, thud; -and when he saw the fellows at the tree, he gave a deep roar, just like -the bull that lives in the meadow by the river when he gets angry. He -came running along at a tremendous pace, making such a tramping among -the leaves and pine-needles that the blackbird, though she had flown far -away, started up again with a louder scream than ever. - -The man on the ground did not wait. Deserting his companion, he made off -at top speed. But old Crump, the keeper, knew better than to waste his -time in catching him. He had seen the boughs shaking and he came straight -for our tree, and shouted triumphantly as he caught sight of the other -one, who was by this time only a few boughs from the ground. - -In his hurry and fright the fellow missed his hold. Next moment there was -a tremendous thump, and a worse row even than when he had taken his first -tumble. - -I peeped out of the nest again more confidently, and I thought they were -fighting. But what had happened was that the poacher had fallen right on -the top of Crump’s head, flooring him completely, and, I should think, -knocking all the breath out of him. Then, before the keeper, who was as -fat as a dormouse, could gain his feet, the other had picked himself up -and gone off full tilt after his friend. - -The keeper growled and muttered to himself as he rose slowly. He picked -up his gun and walked round the tree, looking up, evidently puzzled as to -what the men had been after. Then he caught sight of us, and shook his -head, as if he would have much liked to capture us himself He certainly -could not have had any friendly feeling for us, as we bit the tips off -his young larches. But he must have had orders to let us alone, for he -did not attempt to molest us, and presently, to our great relief, he too -stumped off and left us undisturbed. - -We lay very still for a long time, slowly getting over our fright. -Suddenly mother gave a pleased little squeak and jumped out of the nest. -I crawled out too, as boldly as you please, and looked down. Here came -father running along over the thick brown carpet of pine-needles which -covered the ground. I know some of you humans laugh at a squirrel on the -ground. But it is not our fault that we do not look so well there as in -our proper place—a tree. Why, even the swan, supposed to be the most -graceful thing in the world, waddles in the clumsiest fashion imaginable -when it is on dry land! At any rate, even over flat ground a squirrel can -move at a good pace. - -Father was lopping along with his fore-paws very wide apart, and stopping -now and then to sniff or burrow a little among the pine and larch -needles. In one place he evidently found something good—possibly a nice -fat grub—for he stopped, sat up on his hind-legs, and, holding whatever -it was in his fore-paws, began to nibble at it daintily. How handsome he -looked sitting there, with his beautiful sharp ears cocked, his splendid -brush hoisted straight up, and the rich, ruddy fur of his back just -touched by a stray gleam of sunshine, contrasting beautifully with the -snowy whiteness of his waistcoat! It has always been my opinion that he -was the handsomest squirrel I ever saw, and I was never more pleased in -my life than when mother once told me that she thought I was more like -him than any of her other children. - -Mother called again. Father looked up, caught sight of her, gave a quick -flick of his tail and an answering call. Next instant we heard the rattle -of his claws on the rough bark, and almost before I could look round here -he was with us. - -He was full of good-humour, for he had been over to the beech copse, and -the mast, he told us, was the finest crop he had seen for years. We must -collect a good store as soon as it got ripe. - -But he suddenly noticed that mother was quivering all over, and he had -not time to ask what had upset her before she burst into an account of -all the dreadful things that had happened that morning. - -Then he looked very grave. - -‘We must go,’ he said. ‘It means building a new house. And this tree has -suited us so admirably. I do not think that I have ever seen a weasel -near it; then, too, we are so capitally sheltered from bad weather by -all these thick evergreens. In any case I shall not leave the plantation, -but I suppose we must look out for another tree. We cannot do anything -to-day; it is too late. Now I will mount guard over the youngsters while -you go and get some dinner.’ - -And rather uneasily she went off. - -The heat of the day was over, but the sun was still warm. A little breeze -was talking gently up in the murmurous tops of the trees, causing the -shadows to sway and dance in dappled lights on the lower branches. You -humans, who never go anywhere without stamping, and running, and talking -loudly, and lighting pipes with crackly matches, have no idea what the -real life of the woods is like, especially on a fine June afternoon such -as this one was. Though our larch was one of a thick clump, yet from the -great height of our nest we could see right across into the belt of oaks, -beeches, and old thorn-trees which lay along the slope below, and could -even catch a glimpse of the tall hedge and bank, and of the sandy turf -beyond where the rabbit-warren lay. - -One by one the rabbits lopped silently out of their burrows and began to -feed till the close turf was almost as brown as green. Stupid fellows, -rabbits, I always think, but I like to watch them, especially when the -young ones play, jumping over and over one another, or when some old -buck, with a sudden idea that a fox or weasel is on the prowl, whacks the -ground with one hind-leg, and then all scuttle helter-skelter back into -their holes. - -A pompous old cock pheasant came strutting down a ride in the young -bracken, the sun shining full on his glossy plumage and black-barred -tail. Presently his wife followed him, and behind her came a dozen chicks -flitting noiselessly over the ground like so many small brown shadows. -A pair of wood-pigeons were raising their second brood in a fir-tree, -not far away from where we lived, and every now and then, with a rapid -clatter of wings, one of the old birds came flapping through the aisles -of the plantation with food for their two ugly, half-fledged young ones. -I wonder, by the by, why a wood-pigeon is so amazingly careless about -its nest building. I never can understand how it is that the young ones -do not fall off the rough platform of sticks which is their apology for -a nest. And it must be shockingly cold and draughty, too. Birds are -supposed to be ahead of all other nest-builders, but I can tell you there -are a good many besides the wood-pigeon who might take a few pointers in -architecture from us squirrels, to say nothing of our distant cousin the -door-mouse. - -A sharp rat-a-tat just behind startled me, and there was a big green -woodpecker hanging on tight against the trunk of our own larch with his -strong claws, and pounding the bark with his hammer-like beak. Father -looked at him with interest. - -‘Ah,’ he observed, ‘it’s about time we did move. The old tree must be -getting rotten, or we shouldn’t have a visit from him.’ - -It was all most pleasant and peaceful as we sat there—Rusty, Hazel, and -I—enjoying the gentle swinging in the soft west wind, and waiting for -mother to come home. - -It was a very fine summer, that one. I have never seen one like it since. -We had very little rain and no storms for weeks on end, and the crops of -mast and nuts were splendid. - -But I am running ahead too fast. The very next day after our narrow -escape from the two loafers, father set to work to make a new house in -the fir-tree he had spoken of. Luckily for him, there was an old carrion -crow’s nest handy in the top branches, and he got plenty of sticks out -of this for the framework. Mother helped him to gather some moss—nice -dry stuff from the roots of a beech, and he made a tidy job of it within -three days. Of course, he did not build so elaborately as if he had been -constructing a winter nest—we squirrels never do. But all the same, he -put a good water-tight roof over it. - -Meantime mother had been keeping us youngsters hard at work with our -climbing and jumping lessons. We all got on very well, and the day before -we were to move she actually let me come down to the ground. It was the -funniest feeling coming down so low, and at first I cannot say that I -liked it. There was no spring in the earth, and one did not seem able -to get a good hold for one’s claws. The pine-needles slipped away when -one tried to jump. However, after the first novelty wore off, I enjoyed -the new sensation hugely, and my joy was complete when mother showed me -a little fat brown beetle which she said I might eat. I tried it, and -really it might have been a nut, it was so crisp and plump. - -Rusty and Hazel were sitting on a bough overhead, and as full of envy as -ever they could be, for mother had said that she really could not have -more than one of us at a time down among the dangers of the ground, and -that I was the only one quick enough to look after myself if anything -happened. - -My quickness was fated to be tested. While mother was scratching about -the tree-roots, having a hunt for any stray nuts of last autumn’s store -that might hitherto have been overlooked, I moved off to see if I could -not discover another of those tasty beetles. At a little distance lay a -great log, the slowly-rotting remains of a tall tree that had been torn -up by the roots in some winter gale many years before, and was now half -buried in the ground. On its far side was a perfect thicket of bracken, -and a great bramble grew in the hollow where the roots of the tree had -once been, and hid the fast decaying trunk. There was a curious earthy -smell about the place which somehow attracted me. I know now that it -was from a sort of fungus which grows in the rotten wood, and is quite -good to eat, but at that time I was still too young to understand this. -However, I went gaily grubbing about, and at last ventured on the very -top of the log and pattered down it towards the trunk end. Near the butt -was a hollow in the worm-eaten wood. The bramble was thick on all sides, -but there was an opening above through which a patch of bright sunlight -leaked down. In the middle of this dry, warm cavity was a small coil -of something of almost the same colour as the wood on which it lay. At -first I took it for a twisted stick, but it attracted me strangely, and -I gradually moved nearer. It was not until I came to the very edge of -the hollow and sat up on my hind-legs that I suddenly became aware that -the odd coil had a little diamond-shaped head, in which were set two -beady eyes. There was a horrible cold, cruel look in those unwinking eyes -which had a strange effect upon me. I turned cold and stiff, and felt as -if, for the very life of me, I could not move. Suddenly a forked tongue -flickered out, the dead coil took life, I saw the muscles ripple below -the ashen skin. It was that movement which saved me. As the horrid head -flashed forward, I leaped high into the air. The narrow head and two -thin, keen fangs gleaming white passed less than my own length below me, -and I fell into the thick of the bramble, the worst scared squirrel in -the wood. How I scrambled out I have no idea, but in another instant I -was scuttling back to my mother, full of my direful tale. - -When I told her what had happened she looked very grave. - -‘It was an adder,’ she said, shivering. ‘If it had bitten you, you would -have been dead before sunset. Keep close to me, Scud.’ - -The next day we moved into our new quarters in the fir-tree. Personally, -I never liked a fir so well as most other trees. It is so dark and -gloomy, and you get so little sun. My own preference has always been -for a beech. An old beech has such delightful nooks and crannies, and -often deep holes, sometimes deep and large enough to build a winter home -in—always capital for the storage of nuts. There was no doubt, however, -that the fir which father had chosen had many points to recommend it. -It was an immensely tall tree, and thick as a hedge, yet there were no -branches close to the ground to tempt evil-minded young humans like our -recent invaders to climb up. What was still better, so cunningly had -father chosen his site that it was quite impossible for any evil-minded, -two-legged creatures to see us from below. Our nest was founded on a -large, flat-topped branch close in to the thick red trunk, and only about -two-thirds of the way up to the top. Another branch almost equally thick -formed a roof over our heads, so that we were very snug and comfortable. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -THE GREAT DISASTER - - -The day on which the great disaster befell us was wet in the early -morning, and when the sun rose a thick, soft mist, white like -cotton-wool, hung over the country-side. Not a breath of air was -stirring, and it was so intensely still that it seemed as though one -could hear everything that moved from one end of the wood to the other. -The plop of a water-rat diving into a pool in the stream on the far side -of the coppice came as clearly to my ears as though the water had been -at the bottom of our own tree instead of several hundred yards away, and -when the wood-pigeons began to move unseen in the smother, the clatter of -their wings was positively startling. - -We squirrel folk are not fond of wet, so we lay still and snug in our -cosy retreat until the sun began to eat up the mist. Soon the grey -smother thinned and sank, leaving the tree-tops bathed in brilliant -light, every twig dripping with moisture, and every drop sparkling -with intense brilliance. Then we crept out one by one, and, sitting up -straight upon our haunches, began our morning toilet. No other woodland -creature is so careful and tidy in its habits as a squirrel, and mother -had already thoroughly instructed us in the proper methods of using our -paws as brushes and our tongues as sponges, and in making ourselves neat -and smart as self-respecting, healthy squirrels should be. - -Suddenly a peal of distant bells came clanging through the moist, calm -air with such a vibrating note that they made us all start. Father sat up -sharply, and mother asked him what was the matter. - -He explained to us that he had learnt by experience that when those bells -rang out it was a dangerous time for us, for all the mischievous boys and -rough fellows in the neighbourhood seemed to appear in the woods, and the -keeper was never seen. He did not know why this should be, but from long -custom he had grown to be uneasy at the sound. - -Mother shuddered sympathetically, and rubbed against him caressingly, -with a movement that told him not to worry, and she reminded him -consolingly that even if our tormentors did take it into their heads -to come into the wood they would not be likely to find us, since we had -moved. - -But father, instead of responding, suddenly pricked up his ears, and, -signalling to us to be quiet, listened eagerly to some sound which the -rest of us had not yet caught. For a moment he sat up straight, as still -as though stuffed; then he turned and spoke sharply, with a warning sound -that told us to lie as still as mice, for some danger was approaching. - -Sure enough, a minute later we all heard the warning cry of a frightened -blackbird, and immediately afterwards the brushing and trampling of a -number of heavy boots through the wet grass and fern in the distance. At -once we all stretched ourselves out tight as bark along the flat bough -which formed the foundation of our nest, and lay there still as so many -sleeping dormice. - -The steps came rapidly nearer, and soon voices sounded plainly through -the hush of the quiet wood. Imagine how I shuddered when I recognized the -coarse tones of our former enemies mixed with others equally harsh and -unpleasant! They were making straight for our part of the wood. - -Shaking though I was in every limb, curiosity drove me to peep cautiously -over the edge of the bough. The mist was all gone now, and there, below -the tall larch-tree which had been our old home and the scene of our -recent narrow escape, stood four young louts, our old enemies and two -others about the same size and age, all craning their necks and staring -upwards through the thick, pale-green branches. Each was carrying in his -right hand a short, flexible stick with a heavy head. These were not long -enough for walking-sticks, such as Crump, the keeper, and other humans -who sometimes came through the wood carried; and, in spite of my fright, -I wondered greatly what they were for. Alas! it was not long before I -learnt the terrible powers of the cruel ‘squailer.’ - -After a good deal of argument and dispute one of the new-comers swung -himself up on to the lowest bough. He climbed far better and faster than -the one who had tried before, and in a very short time had reached a -bough close below our old drey. - -By this time I was getting over my fright a little. I turned to Rusty, -who was next me. - -‘What a sell for them when they find no one at home!’ I whispered in his -ear. - -But Rusty only grunted, and a sharp signal for silence came from father. - -The bough which had been broken before stopped the climber for a few -moments, but presently he managed to swarm up the trunk and seat himself -astride of the very branch upon which our former home was founded. - -They shouted to him from below to be careful. The fellow in the tree paid -no heed, but, clutching the trunk with one hand to steady himself, boldly -thrust the other into the nest. There was a sharp exclamation of disgust; -and he cried out furiously that there was nothing there. - -They were all in great excitement, and kept urging him to look further -and to make sure we weren’t hiding. He felt in every crevice of the nest, -and peered about in the boughs, and then, having evidently made up his -mind we had really gone, prepared to descend. - -But the others called to him to look again, so, steadying himself once -more upon the bough, he peered upward. Then he solemnly declared, shaking -his head, that there was nothing in the tree. To prove it, with a sweep -of his great red paw, he carelessly ripped our old home from its perch -and sent it tumbling to the ground. I heard mother give a little gasp as -she saw destroyed in an instant the results of so many hours of careful -and loving toil; but my own thoughts and eyes were so concentrated upon -the invader of our rightful domain that I am afraid I hardly considered -her injured feelings. Still they would not allow him to come down; and -now came in a very real danger. From the ground it would have been quite -impossible for them to spy us out in our new quarters, but up the tree -this fellow was on a level with us, and had only to get a clear look -between the boughs to spy our little red bodies, which, however much we -crouched together, made a considerable ball of fur. - -Climbing to his feet, he stood upright on the bough, clinging with one -arm to the trunk. It was this movement which proved our undoing. Standing -thus, his head was clear of the dwindling foliage near the spire-like -summit of the larch, and from his lofty perch his eye commanded the -tree-tops in the neighbourhood. A moment later his gaze fell upon us, -five small scared balls of red fur, and his roar of triumph struck terror -to our quaking hearts. - -Without paying the slightest attention to the shouted questions of his -friends below, he swung himself down hand over hand, and in a very -short time had dropped to the ground, and was running across towards our -fir-tree, with the others yelping at his heels like a pack of harriers -after a hare. - -Mother and father exchanged a few hurried words, but what they said I -in my excitement had not the faintest idea. Next moment father had me -by the scruff of the neck, and darted away up into the thick and almost -impenetrable top of the giant fir. Mother, with Hazel between her teeth, -came after him like a flash. - -The fir-trunk forked near the summit; it was to this point that father -carried me, and dropped me in the niche between the two boughs. Instantly -he was off again to fetch Rusty. Before our enemies had noticed what was -happening, and while they were still arguing as to which of them should -do the climbing, all we three youngsters had been deposited together in -our lofty refuge. - -A scuffling noise and the sound of heavy breathing came from below. One -of the gang had begun the ascent of the tree. Mother looked at father in -a sort of dumb agony. She was palpitating with fright, and her dark eyes -were large and brilliant with terror. - -‘Can we reach another tree, Redskin?’ she asked tremblingly. - -But father knew better, and signified, ‘No.’ They two might have done it -themselves, but carrying us the jump would be too long to risk. - -From far below the bumping, scuffling noise slowly grew louder and -nearer. It was a long way up to the first bough of the fir-tree, and -the climber—it was the same one again—was obliged to swarm the scaly -red trunk. We could not, of course, see anything of him, for the matted -tangle of crooked branches below, with their foliage of thick, dark green -needles, formed an impenetrable screen. - -I cannot even now remember that long wait in the sunny tree-top, while -ever from below the unseen danger crept upon us, without an unpleasant -thrill, and I know that both my brother and my sister shared my feelings. -The worst part of it all was the sight of the terror of our father, who -had always been to us a pattern of bravery. The fact was that he realized -the position, which we younger ones did not do fully. He was only too -well aware that we were trapped. He and mother might have easily escaped -by descending to the longer branches below, and thence jumping into a -spruce which grew close by; but they would not desert us, and both -remained clinging tightly to the main trunk just beside us. - -The hollow in which my brother and sister and I were placed gave us -complete shelter from below, but there was only just room for the three -of us. Father and mother were forced to expose themselves. The fir was, -as I have said before, a very large tree—quite seventy feet high—old, -thick, and gnarled, and the boughs were of considerable thickness near to -its very summit. Father no doubt understood that our bulky enemy would, -if he had the pluck, be able to pursue us right up to our lofty perch, -and was aware of our almost hopeless position. - -Slowly, very slowly, our persecutor came upwards. The branches, once -he was among them, were so close and thick that he evidently found it -difficult to force his way between them. Every now and then he would stop -and puff and blow; then the creaking of large boughs and the cracking of -small twigs announced a fresh effort on his part. - -At last he was only separated from our second nest by a very small -interval. Yet he had not discovered it was empty. The others kept yelling -out questions to him, but he made no reply, only forced his way through -the tree, which, I am bound to say, was very thick indeed. - -More scrambling. Then he caught sight of the nest and redoubled his -efforts. But when he was nearly up to it he reached up his arm, and -without the slightest fear that he might be bitten as his companion had -been, thrust his huge hand into it. The result was a savage exclamation. -Angrily he seized the empty nest, tore it out, and sent it flying down as -he had done the other. - -By this time the others were a little tired of waiting, and began to -scatter out from the tree to try to spy us themselves. Common sense must -have told them that we had only left the nest when we heard them, and -could not be far, and that we could probably be seen somewhere in the -surrounding boughs. A few moments’ suspense, and then the awful warning -shout again told us we were discovered. The man was still in the tree, -though some way below, and by pointing and gesticulations they directed -him where to go to find us. So he came panting up again, the thinner -branches swaying and rustling beneath his weight. After a very few -moments his head appeared in the greenery below. He was of a different -type from the others, taller, black-haired, and sallow-faced. It did not -take him many seconds to see us, and he quickly pulled himself up towards -us. - -With his eyes fixed on mother, he came rapidly upwards. Mother crouched -where she was on a small branch, very close to the extreme summit of the -tree, watching our enemy’s every movement. By a lucky chance the main -stem hid us three youngsters from his sight. I think that father and -mother must have purposely placed themselves on the other side from us -with the express object of drawing the boy’s attention away from their -helpless babies. - -When he drew near he paused, and pulling a red cotton handkerchief from -his pocket, deliberately wrapped it round one hand. Then, getting a good -grip with the other, he edged outwards and made a sudden rapid grasp at -mother. My heart almost stopped as I saw the great hand extended. But -quick as he was, no human can hope to rival the lightning action of a -squirrel’s muscles, and before the grasping hand touched her the little -lithe red body flew into the air as though driven by a spring, and, -flashing downwards, landed fully twenty feet below, and disappeared into -the thickest part of the tree. - -With a violent exclamation the tormentor turned his attention to father, -who was only a foot or two further away, and crouching on the extreme -outer end of a bough. Evidently he intended to make sure of him, for -he worked himself round so as to get between father and the tree, and -managed it so well that he seemed to me to have cut off all chance of -escape. I think he must have actually touched father’s tail, when the -most unexpected thing happened. Instead of jumping outwards, which, as -the bough tip projected a good way, would in all probability have ended -in a fall to the ground, into the very hands of the three watchers below, -father leaped straight towards the boy, landing actually on his shoulder. -This startled him so much that he very nearly let go altogether, and if -I had not been in such a panic I could have laughed at his fright. Then, -before the boy could recover himself, another quick bound, and father was -out on another branch, ten feet away, quite out of reach of his would-be -captor. - -[Illustration: FATHER LEAPED STRAIGHT TOWARDS THE BOY LANDING ACTUALLY ON -HIS SHOULDER] - -A torrent of language worse than any magpie’s burst from the fellow’s -lips, as he turned and scrambled after father again. He might as well -have tried to catch a will-o’-the-wisp. Every time he got near enough -to make a snatch, father would make another nimble jump, all the time -artfully luring his pursuer lower down the tree and away from our -hiding-place. - -The game went on for a good ten minutes, and by the end of that time the -enemy was dripping with perspiration and speechless with fury. His rage -was increased by the jeers of his friends below. At last he gave it up, -having made up his mind it was not much of a game to be made a fool of by -a squirrel and mocked by the onlookers. - -He dropped quickly from bough to bough, and presently I heard his heavy -boots thud on the ground. But before he had reached the foot of the tree, -both our parents were back with us. Then the sound of loud wrangling came -up to us. Surely now they would go; but no! we were not safe yet. - -There was further talk, and then the whole four spread out in a circle -round the fir-tree. Presently, with a loud whizzing sound, some heavy -object came hurtling up past us. It struck a twig near the summit of the -tree and clipped it like a bullet. Thud! Another struck the main stem -just below us with a force that sent the bark flying in a shower. Then -we saw what those lead-weighted canes were for. - -A third squailer passed only a few inches above father’s head. He called -to mother: - -‘They’ll kill us if we stop here. Come along; take Hazel and follow me.’ - -In an instant he had snatched me up and was scuttling down the trunk. It -was wonderful how exactly he knew which branch-end stretched furthest -towards the spruce which was our next neighbour. Out along it he ran, and -using the natural spring of the bough to help him, made a gallant leap -outwards and downwards, legs and tail wide spread to assist him in his -flight. - -The air hissed past my ears, and then with a little thud we landed safely -in the spruce. But his gallant jump had been seen by those greedy eyes, -and excited shouts came from below. - -Then—ah, even now I can hardly bear to speak of it! As father was in the -very act of running up the branch towards the thick centre of the tree -and comparative safety, there came a cruel thud, and he and I together -were whirling through the air. - -Crash! we came to the ground with a shock that knocked my small senses -out of me, and before I could pick myself up a hard hand had closed over -me. I turned and, with the instinct of despair, fixed my teeth deep in a -horny finger. There was a yell, and I was again flung to the ground with -a force that almost killed me. I knew no more for many minutes, and when -I woke again to stunned and aching misery, I was lying helpless in a sort -of bag, which smelt horribly of something which I now know to have been -tobacco. The bag was being shaken up and down with a steady swing; but -I, almost beside myself with pain and flight, did not attempt to move or -free myself. - -Suddenly the motion stopped abruptly, and the hand was poked cautiously -into the bag. It was carefully protected this time by a handkerchief, but -I had no longer spirit left to bite. Out I was pulled and held up before -the gaze of all the four robbers, who were seated at ease on a mossy bank -on the outer side of the hedge close by the gate of our coppice. The -very first thing that my eyes fell upon was the body of my poor father -lying limp upon the bank, his white waistcoat dabbled with crimson stains -and his brilliant black eyes closed in death. I felt a cold shiver run -through me, and the stupor of despair clutched my beating heart. I hardly -even had strength left to wonder what had become of my dear mother and -my brother and sister. - -They passed me from one coarse hot hand to another, and their voices grew -louder and louder as they disputed who should have possession of me. - -They then went on to blows, when suddenly the quarrel was brought to an -abrupt end in a most startling fashion. - -Leaping over the hedge out of the coppice behind came two tall, -smart-looking boys, a startling contrast to the four loutish hobbledehoys -around poor little me. - -One of them, pointing at me, demanded in a ringing voice where they had -got me from. - -Three of the four cads stood sheepishly regarding the new-comers, and -said never a word; but the one who had climbed the tree faced them boldly -enough, answering impudently. - -The new-comer strode up to him. He was evidently master here, and the -others were trespassing, and they knew it, for they slunk back. Yet, in -reply to his reiterated commands, the lout who was boldest snatched me -up and refused to part with me. He was so big and strong that he seemed -a giant, and I felt I should die there and then. I closed my eyes and -gave myself up, but in a minute I was down on the bank once more, and -the two—the new-comer and the great rough fellow—were fighting hard, with -coats off and red faces. - -The sound of the blows that followed, the tramping of feet, the hard -breathing of the combatants, nearly deprived me of the few senses that -remained to me, and I noticed little of the details of the fight—only -it seemed to last a long time, and once I saw the schoolboy flat on his -back. But he was up almost as soon as down, and they were at it again -hammer and tongs. - -The giant made a rush head down, like a bull, but the other jumped back, -and there followed a rattle of blows as my champion’s fists got home on -the lout’s hard head. But the squire’s son did not wholly escape. The -huge fist that had grasped me so roughly caught him on the right cheek -and drove him back. - -One of my champion’s eyes was closing, his right cheek was turning livid, -and there was blood on his broad white collar when they faced one another -again. But the ruffian for his part, though not so badly marked, was -breathing like a fat pug dog and seemed unsteady on his legs. To do the -fellow justice, he had pluck, for he wasted no time in making a last -attempt to rush his opponent. For a few moments it was all that the other -could do to guard his head against the swinging fists. Then—it was all so -quick that one could hardly see what happened—there was a crack like the -sound two rams make when they charge one another, and the giant tottered -for a moment, his arms waving wildly, then fell like a log and lay quite -still. - -The other new-comer counted loud and slowly ‘One—two—three—four’—up to -ten. But the fellow on the ground did not move. - -‘That’s the finish,’ he said. - -He turned to where I lay, with hardly a breath in me, a little limp body, -and picking me up, handled me tenderly. - -Terrified as I was, the change was grateful to my miserable, aching -little body. He offered me to the victor in the fight, who had by this -time got into his coat again, but he declined. - -‘Put him in your pocket, Harry,’ he said to his brother. ‘My hands are -too hot to hold him.’ - -He was quite right. Let me here give a word of advice to all those humans -who keep any of my race as pets. Don’t hold us in your hands. In the -first place, it frightens us desperately, and in the second, it is bad -for us. A squirrel rarely lives long in captivity if he is constantly -handled. I speak from experience, and I can assure you that, much as I -grew to love my dear master and my other human friends, I was never happy -in their hands, though I never minded being kept in their pockets. - -Harry put me carefully in the inside pocket of his jacket. It was dark -and warm, and, utterly exhausted, I curled up and lay quiet, and so I was -carried away and left the home of my babyhood. It was long before I saw -it again. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -THE PLEASURES OF IMPRISONMENT - - -I was aroused from a sort of stupor between sleep and exhaustion by being -picked out of my snug retreat and held up for inspection before a third -person, a sweet-faced lady, whom I afterwards came to know well and love -as the mother of my dear master, Jack Fortescue, and his brother Harry. - -She looked at me pitifully when her son had quickly explained the events -of the morning. Her fingers were long and slim and cool, and, poor limp -little rag that I was, I never offered the slightest resistance to her -gentle grasp. She took me straight through a side door into a long, -low, shady building with wood-lined walls, and in a minute or two I was -placed in a nest of soft hay in a good-sized box covered in front with -close wire-netting. Too worn out to trouble my head about the amazing and -perplexing change in my circumstances, I simply curled up with my tail -over my nose and went sound asleep. - -It was Jack who woke me. I must have been asleep for a long time, for -now the sun was pouring in through the western windows. The first thing -I realized was that I was desperately hungry, and that the little saucer -which the boy had pushed gently into the cage had a most appetizing -odour. But my sleep had given me fresh life and strength, and quiet as -his movements were, I remember that I was desperately frightened, and -cowered down, shivering, burrowing close in the hay. - -Jack seemed to understand perfectly, for he closed the door again very -softly and moved away. Presently the silence restored my confidence a -little, and I ventured to peep out. The saucer was quite close to my -nose, and, hunger overpowering my fright, I crawled up and tasted the -mixture. It was bread and milk, soft and well cooked. I finished it very -rapidly, and then, feeling much refreshed, went to sleep for a second -time. - -Once again before dark Jack came and fed me, and this time brought me a -couple of ready cracked nuts, as well as the bread and milk. - -Well fed and cared for as I was, I shall never forget the misery of that -first night. I don’t suppose that at that very early age I actually -remembered much of what had happened during the past eventful day. What -I did feel was a sort of horror of loneliness. Instead of the whole five -of us snuggling warmly together in our well-lined drey, I was here in -this box, which was many times larger than our nest, absolutely alone. -Every time I went to sleep I would wake up again with a start, vaguely -feeling round for my mother and the rest, and shivering miserably in my -unaccustomed solitude. - -At last morning came, and it was hardly broad daylight before Jack -arrived in his nightshirt and carried me off, cage and all, to his -bedroom, where he put me on the window-ledge in the sun and offered me -nuts. At first I was much alarmed; but he was so gentle that I gradually -got over my terror, and sat up and nibbled the nuts fairly happily. - -I will pass over the next few days. My new master fed me assiduously, -and very soon I lost all fear of him, and the minute I saw him would -make for the door of my comfortable little prison, and wait eagerly -for the dainties which were sure to be forthcoming. Every morning he -changed my bed and gave me fresh hay, which makes far the best bedding -for any of our tribe. During the day my cage was brought down into the -bowling-alley, where several other pets were kept, and at night Jack -took me up to his room, so that I might not be frightened by servants -dusting in the morning. - -At last there came a morning when Jack’s hand, instead of offering me -the usual nut, gently grasped me. Frightened, I turned at once and bit -him sharply. I don’t suppose my small teeth did much damage, for he only -laughed, and, lifting me right out of the cage, placed me on his bed. The -white counterpane was so very different from anything which I had ever -felt under my claws before, that at first I was too much surprised to -move, and remained perfectly still. Presently, however, Jack popped a nut -down in front of me. That, at any rate, I understood, so I sat up on my -hind-quarters, cracked it, and, first carefully removing the brown skin -from the kernel, made short work of the dainty. - -Hoping for more, I gained confidence and proceeded to explore. First I -caught my claws in the little projecting tufts of the counterpane, and -heard Jack laughing gently as I shook myself impatiently free, giving a -little squeak of disgust. Presently I discovered a cavity that looked -dark and inviting. You know a squirrel’s besetting sin is curiosity. He -always wants to know the ins and outs of everything. Any object which he -has not seen before fascinates him, and I am afraid to say how many of -my friends have paid for their inquisitiveness by getting into serious -trouble. So I crawled down, and finding it delightfully warm and dark, -made my way under the clothes to the very foot of the bed, where, as I -was very comfortable, I went sound asleep. - -On the next morning my master turned me loose again, this time on the -floor, and after a fresh access of timidity I again found nuts. There -were more than I wanted, so, obeying a natural instinct, I ate what I -could, and hid the rest in various convenient receptacles. - -Soon I began to look forward to my daily outing, and took great delight -in exploring every corner of the room. I well recollect what a shock -I got the first time I reached the window-sill. Outside was a great -elm-tree, whose branches reached within a few yards of the window, and -the sight of the green leaves waving gently in the early morning breeze -roused in me strange longings. I made one jump, and striking full against -the glass, fell back half stunned and terrified almost out of my wits at -the strange transparent barrier. Jack picked me up at once, and placed me -safe in the darkness and warmth under the bedclothes, where I had time -to recover from my fright. - -Soon he took to letting me out at bedtime, and I had a grand scamper -before the light was put out. The window-curtains were my favourite -resort. They were so easy to climb, and had such splendid folds and -crannies for hiding nuts in. I would race across the curtain-pole, -rattling the rings as I went, down the other curtain, round the room full -tilt, and finish up with a good hunt in all the corners for nuts which -I had concealed the day before and forgotten all about. I rarely went -back to my cage to sleep, though it was always open and ready for me. A -fold in the window-curtain was my usual place of repose, and another pet -perch was an old band-box on the top of the wardrobe. It was half full of -tissue paper, which possessed a strange fascination for my young mind. I -tore it all up fine with my sharp teeth, and made a most delicious nest -with the bits. - -When the night was chilly I generally snuggled under Jack’s bedclothes, -and always, first thing in the morning, so soon as daylight came, I would -make for the bed, and working my way gently down between the sheets, curl -up close against Jack’s toes. Sometimes he was so sleepy that he would -not wake up and play when I wanted him to; then I would emerge on to the -pillow and gently nibble the tip of his nose. - -This never failed. ‘Confound you, Nipper!’ (he always called me Nipper), -he would mutter drowsily, and then make a lazy grab, which I always -eluded with the greatest ease, and with two bounds would land on the end -of the bedstead, and, perched there, scold him until he sat up and threw -a sock at me. - -He was never rough, and never lost his temper with me, although I am sure -that I was aggravating enough at times. It must have been trying when he -pulled on his boots in a hurry and found a couple of nuts wedged tight -in each toe. I do not think that a boy and a squirrel ever became better -chums. We were simply devoted to one another. The only dull times for me -were when Jack and Harry were busy with their tutor, during which hours I -was usually in my box in the bowling-alley. - -There, as I think I mentioned before, the Fortescue boys kept several -other pets. There was a large white cockatoo with a lemon crest, named -Joey, which frightened and puzzled me horribly until I came to understand -its odd faculty of imitating every person and animal about the place. It -would ‘miaouw’ like a cat, a most disturbing sound, for every squirrel -hates cats next to hawks and weasels; would bark so realistically that -Mrs. Fortescue’s white Pomeranian was always stirred up to reply, and -the two would go on and on, the wily old bird always starting up afresh -whenever the dog stopped, until poor Pom nearly had a fit and grew -quite hoarse. I shall never forget the first time he imitated me to my -face. It gave me a most severe shock, for he did it so well that for a -moment I believed that one of my relations was actually in the room. One -thing I liked him for: he was devoted to Jack, and invariably bade him -a grave ‘good morning’ when he brought my cage down before breakfast. -He lived on a perch, to which he was chained by one leg, and up and -down this he would sidle by the hour, with one eye cocked for mischief. -Sometimes, when all was quiet, he would talk to himself in a language -quite unlike that which my master and his family used. The boys said it -was some African lingo which Joey had learnt ages ago in his native land. -Altogether a most uncanny bird! - -Harry had a number of pet mice in wire cages. They were not the least -atom like any of the mice I had ever seen in the wood. These were of the -queerest colours—piebald—and some of them had marks on their backs just -the shape of a saddle. Uninteresting I called them, but Harry was very -fond of them, and used to take them out and let them run all over him. - -In the darkest corner of the long, low room was the one creature that, -from the first moment I saw it, interested me more than all the others -put together. All day long it lay hidden in its hay bed and never moved, -but slept quietly as a dormouse in its winter nest. In fact, I never -set eyes on it at all until one night in August, when the evenings had -begun to draw in and I happened to be left a little later than usual in -the bowling-alley. No sooner had the room become dusk than I heard from -the tiny cage a little twittering, more like a young bird’s voice than -anything else, and presently caught sight of a dainty little head poked -out of the hay, with two of the largest, most liquid black eyes I ever -saw. I gazed in wonder, for the animal was so like myself that I felt -sure it was a squirrel, though I had never dreamed that any squirrel -existed so tiny as this. - -Just then in came the two boys together. - -[Illustration: HE IMITATED ME TO MY FACE] - -‘Hulloa!’ cried Harry, ‘Lops is awake. Bring Nipper to have a look at -him, Jack.’ - -Jack took me out of my cage, and I jumped as usual on to his shoulder and -nibbled his ear by way of a kiss. He walked across to the other cage and -set me down in front of it. - -‘Mr. Lops,’ he said with mock gravity, ‘allow me to introduce Mr. Nipper. -This is a small cousin of yours, Nipper, and he comes from Mexico. As you -see yourself, he’s a sad character—sleeps all day and only wakes up at -night.’ - -I was so lost in surprise that I sat quite still, gazing through the fine -wire mesh at my new acquaintance. I have always had a fairly good opinion -of my own looks, as every well-bred squirrel should have, but, upon my -word, he put me out of all conceit with myself. He was the tiniest, -daintiest, quaintest creature I ever set eyes on. No bright red about -him, but though his coat was darker and greyer than mine, it was as soft -as fine velvet, and beautifully groomed. His head was perfectly shaped, -his ears pricked like my own, and his eyes very large and amazingly -bright. But the oddest thing about him were the folds of loose skin which -extended in a thin membrane from all his four legs back to his body. When -he jumped from the upper, story of his cage to the lower, they spread -out almost like the wings of a bat; but when he was sitting still, they -folded up so that they did not in the least spoil his beautiful shape. I -must say that I felt quite envious, for I thoroughly understood that a -squirrel built like that could jump ever so much further than I or any of -my family could. We English squirrels can, at a pinch, clear as much as -three yards in a straight line. We always spread our legs wide when we -jump as well as keeping our tails stretched straight out, and that is why -we can leap from great heights and reach the ground unhurt, for we drop -parachute fashion. But as for these American cousins of ours, the flying -squirrels, they can jump from the top of one tree, and sliding through -the air like a soaring hawk, reach another tree fifty feet or more -away at a height from the ground only slightly less than that of their -starting-point. - -Lops—which Jack said was short for Nyctalops, or ‘seer by night’—and I -had many a chat afterwards. He told me of his old home in sunny Mexico, -not a nest such as I was born in, but a cavity in the trunk of a vast -live oak or ilex, from whose boughs long weepers of grey Spanish moss -trailed towards the brown palmetto-stained water below; of the hot sun -and of the furious tropical storms which lashed the deep river into -white foam; of the paroquets, with their brilliant plumage of green and -red and blue, which screamed harshly among the upper branches at dawn; -of the rusty-hued water-vipers which coiled sluggishly on the steaming -mud in summer. He told, too, of the perils from great hawks three times -as large as any we know in England, from long, thin tree-snakes wrapped -unseen round the branches; and I shuddered when he talked of fierce -wild-cats as much at home among the tree-tops as on the ground. It must -have been a wonderful country and a wonderful life, so different from -our northern island as to be almost beyond my imagination to picture it. -All day the land slept breathless beneath the blazing sun, with nothing -moving except the birds, the fox-squirrels, and the lizards; and during -those hours Lops and his family slept in the dark recesses of their -wood-walled fortress; but when the sun set the forest woke to life. Deer -came down to the river to drink; peccaries rooted in droves among the -bases of the mighty trees; sometimes a great bear came prowling along, -uttering now and then a deep ‘woof’ when any unaccustomed sound disturbed -him. Up above opossums and racoons moved silently to and fro among the -tree-tops; great owls whirled on soft wings, hooting dismally; while all -night long—especially in the hot season—the endless chirr of crickets, -the pipe of tree-frogs and the deep booming of bull-frogs filled the air -with a never-ending concert. Other sounds there were, rarer, but far more -terrifying. Enormous bull-alligators, floating like logs with only their -gnarled heads and the ridges of their rugged backs above the water, would -bellow with a roar that shook the forest; or, again, from some hidden -recess of the deepest woods the blood-curdling shriek of the tawny puma -would ring hideously through the night. - -Poor Lops! Though cared for as few pets are—fed with dainty pecan-nuts -and other delicacies from his far-off home across the ocean, and though -he loved his mistress Mabel, Jack’s sister, devotedly—yet he was never -happy as I was. The damp and cold of our climate oppressed him, and most -of his time he spent curled up tightly among the soft bedding of his -cage. Then, too, he was a creature of the night, and it was only after -dark that he would wake and want to play—and at that time, except for an -hour or two, there was no one to play with. I felt very sorry for him, -and so, too, were Mabel and the boys. I am sure that if they could they -would have set him free again among the great tropical forests that he -loved so well, and always mourned for, though only I knew how deeply. - -As for me, life ran most pleasantly. I grew plump on the good food I -was supplied with. My coat became long and sleek, and my tail, which -had been a mere furry appendage like that of a little colt, grew into -a glorious brush of richest red-brown, long enough and thick enough to -cover me completely when I curled up to sleep. Jack was very proud of my -looks, and used to groom me all over with a little brush—a process which -I soon grew very fond of. We two came to understand one another most -marvellously. I could always tell him what I wanted, whether it was food, -or a game, or to be allowed to creep into his coat-pocket and go to sleep -there. - -One day he opened my cage, slipped me into his pocket, and walked off, -and when he took me out again I was out of doors once more! - -I cannot tell you how it affected me. You know, we wild creatures—born -wild, I mean—never quite forget our rightful heritage of freedom, and -here, for the first time for many weeks, I found myself out in the open. - -Jack was seated on a wooden bench under a clump of evergreen shrubs in -the midst of a great expanse of smooth-shaven lawn. It was August now, -and the sun poured down hotter than ever it had been in those June days -in the wood. Big bumble-bees droned lazily by; a robin was perched on -the bare ground at the foot of an _arbor vitæ_, cocking a soft round eye -at us; all the subtle, fascinating odours of summer were in my nostrils. -I gave one spring from his knee on to the back of the bench, and sat -there, head high, snuffing the sweet air, and quivering all over with -excitement. Jack never moved, and for the moment he passed completely out -of my remembrance. My brain was crammed to bursting with half-forgotten -instincts and remembrances which crowded in upon me. - -So I sat for perhaps half a minute; then a little breath of summer breeze -swayed a bough above me, and on the impulse I sprang. Oh, the delight of -feeling it yield and swing beneath me! I darted inwards to the trunk, -and with one clattering dash was up at its slender summit twenty feet -above the turf gazing round in wild delight. When the first ecstasy had -worn off, I set myself to explore, and, clambering down a little, jumped -into the next tree. So for many minutes I exercised my new-found powers, -taking longer and longer leaps, and enjoying myself to the top of my bent. - -But the clump of shrubs was small, and soon I had exhausted its resources -in the way of jumps. I looked around, and a little way off was a giant -elm. Ah! that would give more scope; and with my head full of its -possibilities, I turned and came down head foremost. Then, and not till -then, did my eyes fall upon my master, who sat where I had left him, -still as ever. He looked at me, but I would not heed, and dashed off -across the lawn. - -‘Hulloa, Jack! what price Nipper?’ came Harry’s voice from a distance. -‘You’ll never see him again.’ - -But the other only said, ‘You wait!’ and still sat stubbornly in his -place. - -With a rattle of claws on rough bark I was up the elm like a flash, and, -half crazy with joy, went leaping and corkscrewing round and round, -sending a couple of tree-creepers off in a terrible fright. I think they -must have taken me for a cat. I played for a long time, and still Jack -sat on the bench. He seemed to be deep in a book, and after a time I got -quite cross at his apparent lack of interest in my proceedings. It was -getting late, and the trees threw long, dark shadows across the lawn. -The breeze had died down, and, except for the chirping of sparrows in -the ivy and the low whistle of some starlings in the distance, all was -very still. A sense of loneliness began to oppress me, and at last I came -creeping down, and, reaching the lower branch, once more looked across -towards my master. - -‘Nipper!’ he called softly; and in a trice I was on the ground and -lopping across towards him. - -Suddenly, and without the slightest warning, there was a sharp ‘yap-yap,’ -and a dirty white-and-tan beast rushed out of the shrubbery behind me. On -the instant I was running for dear life. - -I saw Jack bound to his feet and come tearing across towards me. But -instead of running straight to him, I made for the nearest tree—a small -ornamental evergreen. The dog—it was the gardener’s terrier—wheeled, -and was after me like a shot. He was travelling nearly twice as fast as -I, and his feet were drumming so close behind me that it seemed nothing -could save me. Each instant I expected to feel those snapping teeth close -upon me. - -There was a sudden crash, and the sharp ‘yap-yap,’ changed to a terrified -howl. Jack had hurled his book with all his might and with such good -aim that the dog, hit full in the side, had been bowled completely over, -giving me time to gain the shrub and safety. - -‘Poor old Nipper!’ said Jack softly, as he picked me shivering out of the -little tree and stowed me safely inside the breast of his coat. ‘We won’t -run any more risks of that sort, will we, old chap?’ - -Indeed, the fright was so severe that I did not get over it for some -time. It gave me a good lesson, and the next time my master let me out I -did not venture far from him. - -Soon after this I had another adventure which came very near to closing -my career abruptly. One dull rainy morning I was loose as usual in Jack’s -bedroom. Just as he had almost finished dressing, his brother, whose room -was on the same floor, opened the door and called to my master to come -and help him to find one of his mice which had got loose and disappeared. -Jack ran out, carefully closing the door behind him, and leaving me to -play by myself. A few minutes afterwards one of the maids, thinking no -doubt that Jack had finished dressing and had gone down to his early -morning lesson with his tutor, came in to turn the bed down and tidy up. -She never saw me, and I paid no attention to her, for I was busy under -the dressing-table with some nuts. - -It was some minutes after she had gone away that I became conscious of an -animal moving softly about the room, and a spasm of terror seized me, for -though I could not see it owing to the hangings of the dressing-table, -instinct—that sixth sense which informs us of danger—gave me warning of -desperate peril. - -Crouching back as near to the wall as possible, I lay there absolutely -still, listening with beating heart to the almost noiseless footsteps -which came gradually nearer and nearer. I could tell by the soft snuffing -that the animal scented me, and terror almost paralysed me. Closer -and even closer came the creature, and presently the hangings of the -table rustled, and as they were pushed aside a whiskered head appeared, -and two eyes that glowed luminous green in the dim light glared upon -me. Stiffened in my corner I watched the cat crouch for a spring, her -gleaming eyes fixed greedily upon me, while her tail waving quickly from -side to side, made a soft tattoo on the carpet. Those cruel green eyes -absolutely fascinated me, and for the moment I could not have moved even -to save my life. - -Suddenly came a loud crash. The door left open by the maid had blown to -in the strong draught from the open window. The noise startled the cat -almost as much as it did me, and for the moment she took her eyes off -me. The spell was broken and I ran for dear life. As I passed under the -hangings and out into the open I heard her heavier, larger body strike -the very spot where I been crouching, and with another spring she came -out from under the table and landed barely her own length behind me. One -wild bound to the right and I was inside the fender; another, and my -enemy’s outstretched paw actually grazed my tail as I bolted clean up the -chimney, and a snarl of disappointed rage gave me the glad tidings that I -was for the moment safe. - -It was lucky, indeed, for me that the chimneys of the Hall were of the -wide, old-fashioned brick type unprovided with dampers. Had it not been -so, and had my refuge been the modern, narrow, perpendicular form of -grate, it is certain that I should never have been alive now. As it was, -the worn, old brickwork gave me footing of a kind, and I never stopped -until I had reached the chimney-pot, which barred further progress. -The soot nearly choked me, and made me cough and sneeze violently. My -foothold was most precarious and I was in deadly terror that I might slip -and go tumbling right back into the jaws of my enemy. Indeed, I have -rarely spent a worse quarter of an hour than I did then. - -Suddenly I heard the door below open. Sounds came to me almost as clearly -as if I had been in the room. - -‘Nipper! Nipper!’ I heard Jack call, but I was too frightened to come -down. - -‘Why, where on earth has he got to?’ my master continued in a surprised -tone, and then I heard him moving about the room looking for me. - -The cat, no doubt, had taken refuge under the dressing-table again when -she heard the door open, for she knew as well as possible that she had no -right in the bedrooms, her proper place being the kitchen. There was a -rustle as Jack raised the hangings, and then he saw her. - -For the moment there is no doubt but that he thought she had killed and -eaten me, and grief and fury possessed him. I heard a smothered squawk of -terror, and even in my plight rejoiced that my enemy was feeling a little -of the fright she had given me. Then there was a crash. Jack had flung -the beast clean out of the window into the elm opposite. I heard him go -to the door again, and there was something in his voice as he shouted to -his brother to come that made me shiver all over, but not with fright. - -Harry came rushing into the room, and I am bound to say his voice was -almost as queer as that of my master. - -I was recovering slowly from my terror, and the sound of Jack’s voice was -giving me confidence. Also my present refuge was horribly uncomfortable, -and the black soot making me feel perfectly miserable, so I turned with -the intention of making my way downwards again. You know we squirrels -always descend head foremost, holding on with our hind-claws. But I had -hardly begun my descent when a bit of hardened soot or plaster gave -way beneath me. I made a desperate but quite useless effort to recover -myself, and next thing I was sliding helplessly down the steep slope at a -pace which increased with every foot I fell. - -Thud! And I landed in the grate amid a perfect avalanche of soot. Jack, -who was sitting on the bed looking more miserable than I had ever seen -him before, sprang to his feet as if electrified, and cleared the -intervening space with a bound. - -‘Nipper, Nipper, is it you?’ he shouted, and regardless of his smart, -clean flannel suit picked me up and positively hugged me in a transport -of delight. Then he examined me all over to make sure that I was not -hurt, and after that I was only too glad to be allowed to crawl into his -pocket and feel that there, at any rate, I was safe. - -The worst of it came after breakfast, for I was too filthy to be able to -clean myself. Such a miserable, draggled little object I was, black as -any sweep! My master got a basin of warm water and washed me all over—a -process which I remember I strongly objected to, and resented by nipping -his fingers sharply. But he was firm, and presently I was back again in -my cage, which was placed before the kitchen fire, and Jack himself kept -watch over me until, once more dry and clean, I was fit to return to the -bowling-alley. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -A DAY IN RAT LAND - - -It was about this time that an unaccustomed quiet seemed to be settling -upon the Hall and the demesne. There were less people about, no visitors, -and some familiar faces among the servants were missed. I had never seen -much of the Squire himself, but in these days he seldom came into the -bowling-alley at all, as he had been used to do in the earlier days of my -captivity. Even the boys seemed to have grown quieter. They laughed less -often, and frequently I saw them talking to one another with grave faces. - -At times I had an uneasy conviction of something wrong, but it was only -a passing impression, for I, at least, never suffered in any way. Every -fine day Jack took me out of doors, and I had a scamper in the clump of -shrubs to which, ever since my narrow escape from the terrier, I was -careful to confine myself. And as for food, no squirrel could have fared -better. My master was always bringing me fresh delicacies. One day it -would be a cob of Indian corn, which grew to perfection under the south -wall of the kitchen garden, and which I enjoyed vastly, ripping off -the thick green husks and pulling the kernels out one by one. Another -morning he would pick me a fine summer apple, its sunny side delicately -tinged with streaky red, while he was always discovering new nuts for -my delectation. Once, I remember, I made myself quite ill with the rich -greasy kernel of a huge Brazil-nut. A very pet delicacy of mine in which -I was often indulged was a piece of hard ship’s biscuit. There were few -other eatables which I enjoyed so much. Now and then I was given a morsel -of banana, and perhaps my greatest treat of all was a few of the black, -oily seeds of the sunflower. - -So things went on until the time that the blackberries began to ripen. -Then, one warm sunny morning Jack got up very early and dressed quickly. -I wanted to play as usual, but he seemed to have no time, and I was -quite hurt at his apparent neglect. As he took me in my cage to the -bowling-alley the Squire was in the hall. I had never seen him there so -early. He looked old, and worn, and there were new lines in his face, -while his hair and beard seemed greyer than I had thought them. - -‘Be quick and have your breakfast, Jack,’ I heard him say. ‘Your train -goes at nine, remember.’ - -‘All right, dad,’ returned the boy. ‘Take care of Nipper while I’m gone.’ - -Then, when he had put me in my place in the bowling-alley just opposite -old Joey’s perch, he did a very unusual thing—took me out again and -stroked me. Then he put me back very gently and hurried away. - -The morning passed; but when afternoon came and I looked for my master, -as usual, there was no sign of him. I scratched vehemently at my -cage-door, but no one came. Only old Joey made rude remarks and began to -mimic me, so at last I retired in a very bad temper, and curling up in my -hay began to wonder whether Jack had forgotten me. You see we had never -been separated for a single day, and I could not in the least understand -his absence. - -At last some one came in, and I jumped out eagerly. But, to my great -disappointment, it was Harry, not Jack, who came up and opened the door -of my cage. ‘Poor old Nipper!’ he said, and held out his hand, inviting -me to come with him. - -I came eagerly enough, for I had the idea that he would take me to my -master. The two brothers were so nearly inseparable that I could not -imagine one being long away from the other. He did not, however, carry -me out of doors, but up to his own room, where he turned me loose and -offered me biscuit. But I am afraid he found me a dull companion, for I -was listening the whole time for Jack’s familiar footstep, and did not -pay much attention to his friendly overtures. At last he took me back to -the bowling-alley and shut me up again, and there I moped sulkily for the -rest of the day. - -Night came on, and no Jack. I could not eat, but sat awake all night, -hoping for and expecting my master. Next morning Harry came to feed -me, and was horrified when he found that I had not eaten my supper. He -brought me every delicacy that he could think of, and at last, just to -please him, I ate a nut or two. That evening he was taking me up to his -room again, but as we got to the door I hopped out of his pocket and -scampered off to Jack’s door. He let me in, and though it was a fresh and -bitter disappointment not to find my master, yet I felt a little happier -among the familiar surroundings, and plucked up spirit enough to dig out -a nut which I had hidden in his big bath-sponge and eat it. So that night -Harry turned me loose in his brother’s room. I went to bed in a pocket of -one of Jack’s old coats which hung against the door, and tried hard to -imagine that my master was wearing it. - -It was morning when I poked my head out. There was the smooth, white, -empty bed, and still no sign of Jack. Presently the maid came in, and -not seeing me, opened the window to air the room. After she had gone I -clambered out of the coat-pocket and began aimlessly wandering about the -room. Presently I found myself on the window-sill, and, catching sight of -the elm branches waving close by, with one spring I was in the tree, and, -running down the trunk, rapidly reached the grass. Outside the shadow -of the tree the wide, smooth lawn sparkled with thick dew. I had never -been out so early before, and I greatly disliked the cold wetness of the -grass. But so anxious was I to find Jack that I hardly thought of the -discomfort, and I made my way with all speed to the bench where he so -often sat. - -But he was not there. All was deserted and strangely quiet; only the -thrushes hopped past searching for their breakfast of worms, and a robin -sang from the sunny summit of a clump of evergreens. - -Often I had perched upon Jack’s shoulder as he strolled round to the -stables to see his pony Tarbrush. To visit the stable was the next idea -that came to me, and keeping as close as possible to the friendly shrubs -and trees, I worked quickly round through the garden till I came to the -belt of laurels which lay between the back premises and the stables. - -I felt happier when I was off the ground and among the branches of the -shrubs, and climbing quickly through them, soon came to the gate of the -stable-yard. - -There were cats here. I had seen them on my previous visits, and under -any other circumstances nothing would have induced me to venture alone -into the long, paved yard. But anxiety to find my master swallowed up all -other considerations, and dropping from the laurels, I made straight for -the door of Tarbrush’s stall. - -There was no one in sight. Only from a stall on the other side came the -hissing of a groom busy about a horse. - -Imagine my dismay to find Tarbrush’s loose-box empty! So, too, were the -other boxes in the same building. The place was absolutely deserted and -deathly still. Feeling more lonely and miserable than ever, I turned -uncertainly. I did not know where to go or what to do next; then I -remembered that there was one other place where Jack had sometimes taken -me—an old and long-disused stable at the far end of the yard, where his -sister Mabel kept her hutches of tame rabbits. - -The place was large and cool and dark. The windows had long ago been -boarded up, and the back was shaded by thick shrubbery, through which the -early sun had not yet pierced. I moved just inside the door, and sat up, -listening keenly. But all that I could hear was the munch, munch of the -rabbits’ teeth as they ate their breakfast of crisp leaves and roots. -There was no human in the place. - -At that moment a new sound broke upon my ear, a slight rustling, brushing -noise. Then, before I could even turn, a large tabby cat came round the -corner of the doorway. It was my old enemy, the same who had so nearly -caught me in Jack’s bedroom. She was walking very slowly, rubbing her -arched back against the wall as she went, and, terrified as I was, I had -sense enough to see that she had not yet noticed me. I did the only thing -I could—crouched down close against the wall and remained there still as -a hare in her forme, hardly even breathing. - -For a moment I fancied that she would pass on. But I had forgotten her -keen sense of smell. Suddenly she threw her head up and began snuffing -the air; then with one quick bound leaped inside the doorway, and stood -there perfectly still glaring about her with great, round green eyes. - -I did not wait, but ran for dear life. As I started so did she, and to -the best of my belief she jumped clean over me. I certainly felt the wind -of her paw as she struck at my head. - -In the old stable the mangers and racks were still in place and the -ruinous remains of the partitions of the stalls. More by good luck than -anything else, I chanced upon a worm-eaten oak post at the end of one -partition and bolted up it. It led straight up through a gap in the -ceiling, and I thought I was safe. I was sadly mistaken. This cat was -almost as good a climber as I, and up she came at my very brush. - -Scuttling up the wall of the loft, I reached a cross rafter, not twice my -own length ahead of my hunter. The cat was not quite so quick in getting -on to the rafter as I was, and that gave me a short start. - -A patch of sunlight came through a glassless window under the gable at -the far end, and instinctively I made for this, jumping frantically from -rafter to rafter. There was no time for plans. It was just one wild dash -for any chance of safety. - -The rafters were not very wide apart, not too far for me to jump from one -to another with fair ease. But they were rough-hewn and narrow at the -top, and the heavier cat could not get a foothold so quickly as I; so I -gained all the way to the window. The second rafter from the window was -a very narrow and awkward one. Even I found it hard to balance myself -upon it. As I did so, I caught a glimpse of something hanging from the -last rafter, the only one left between me and the window. It was a -peculiar-looking, pear-shaped object, grey in colour, rough in texture, -and in size rather larger than my body. I knew well enough what it was, -though in my fright I barely noticed it. Next instant I had landed -just above it, then, gathering all my powers for a longer leap than -any before, launched myself towards the window-sill. I just succeeded -in reaching it, only to find that the opening was covered with wire -netting. I was hopelessly trapped. - -Hot-foot after me came the cat. She could jump as well or better than I, -but, as I said before, the narrowness of the beams bothered her. When -she reached the narrowest, the second from the window, she had all she -could do to keep her balance. The result was that her next jump was a -trifle short. Her fore-paws clutched the beam, but her hind-feet failed -to reach it, and struggling desperately to pull herself up, she drove her -hind-claws deep into the pear-shaped object which hung exactly below her. - -Instantly there arose a deep-toned buzzing, and the air was thick with -a cloud of furious wasps. There followed a perfect squeal of pain and -terror, and my enemy, covered with a swarm of the fierce little stinging -insects, dropped with a resounding thump on to the boards below, and fled -like a mad thing, pursued by scores of angry wasps. - -The wasps rose to the very roof; they were all round me. I made one -frantic scramble up the rusty netting, found a hole, squeezed through -anyhow, and just as the first wasp landed on my back and drove a vicious -sting through my thick fur, took a wild jump in the direction of the -nearest shrub. - -The distance was too much for me. My fore-paws just touched the leaves, -and I went sailing downwards into the deep shadows beneath. Down, down -into absolute blackness, to land at last with a shock that for the -moment completely deprived me of my few remaining senses. Fortunately -for us squirrel folk and all other animals except man, we never remain -insensible for long. I was all awake again in a very few moments, and -found myself lying on a thick bed of damp, decaying leaves. It was -almost pitch dark, but a little light which leaked down from somewhere -high above showed me that I was at the bottom of a deep hole, with -perpendicular sides of mouldering brickwork. - -But this was not what set my heart beating again almost as thickly as -a moment previously. It was a peculiar, musty, unpleasant odour, which -made me instinctively spring up against the side of the hole and struggle -hard to climb back to daylight. But rough as the walls of my prison were, -my claws could get no grip, and I fell back panting and helpless to the -bottom. Again and again I tried. The brickwork was very old, covered with -close green moss and riddled with holes, and more than once I succeeded -in climbing a good distance up the sides. But I always came at last to -some place where I could find no foothold, and went sliding helplessly -down to the bottom again. - -Soon I was quite exhausted. I had eaten hardly anything since Jack left, -and the escape from the cat and the shock of my long fall had taken it -out of me badly. At last I was forced to give it up and lay at full -length breathing hard upon the sodden leaves. - -Presently came a soft rustling sound, then a slight squeak. By this time -my eyes were well accustomed to the gloom, and looking upwards, there at -the mouth of one of the holes a sharp black nose appeared and a pair of -beady, black eyes which stared at me fixedly. A moment later another nose -showed from another hole, then a third, and a fourth. More and more came -out, until the whole of the slimy old wall seemed alive with them, and -all with their keen unwinking eyes fixed upon me as I crouched helpless -in the bottom of the old dry well. - -[Illustration: THE WHOLE OF THE SLIMY OLD WALL SEEMED ALIVE WITH THEM.] - -In the woods we squirrels seldom trouble about rats. In some of the old -banks and hedgerows there are hundreds of them, but they don’t interfere -with us as they do with the earth-livers and with the birds that nest -on the ground. They cannot harm us tree-dwellers. But we do not trust -them, any more than do the rest of the woodland folk. Cruel, cunning and -treacherous, the grey Hanoverian rat is the most detested and despised of -all the animals, and the vile odour of his unclean body at once drives -away all other creatures from his neighbourhood. For myself, I have -and always had a perfect horror of rats. Mother once told us a ghastly -story of how one of our people, accidentally caught in a steel trap, -was literally eaten alive by rats. And here I was, in an almost equally -helpless case, at the mercy of a score of the carrion brutes. - -If there had been only one of them, I should not have been afraid. A -solitary rat is always a coward, but in packs they are as fierce as -weasels. For a long time they watched me without moving. The musty -carrion odour grew worse and worse. Presently there was more rustling, -and I saw the heads pushed out farther and farther from the dark recesses -in the sides of the well. Then they began to squeak. They were talking, -asking one another if it was safe to attack me. Suddenly one great brute, -as big again as I, dropped from his hole almost on top of me. Fright gave -me strength to make a last bid for life. I made another wild dash at the -side of my prison, and instantly the rats all vanished. This time I was -lucky enough to find a piece of wall rough enough to give me foothold, -and though my claws slipped again and again, yet each time I managed -somehow to save myself, and at last reached a deep, square niche in the -wall where a number of bricks seemed to have fallen out. Here there was -room to sit, and I had sense enough to stay where I was and rest before -trying anything else. - -My rush had only frightened the rats for the moment. Very soon the -rustling and squeaking began again, and louder than before. The heads -reappeared, and as each came out the keen nose was turned upwards and the -beady eyes fixed upon me again. Two or three sprang down into the bottom -of the well and began snuffing about. I saw several little ones appear. -All the rats were very quiet and leisurely in their movements. Evidently -they felt perfectly certain that I could not escape. I could see them -licking their greasy lips in anticipation of their meal. - -Certainly I was better off in one way. I had climbed so high that now -I was above their ring of holes. But above me the brickwork was less -decayed. There was no foothold at all. Plainly I could not possibly -climb any higher. Even if the rats did not come after me where I was, -it was only a matter of time before I was starved out and dropped down -amongst them. - -A long time passed, and though the rats still moved about at the bottom -of the well, none came near me. I saw the sunlight begin to pierce -through the shrubs above, and patches of light shone on the rusty iron -railings which surrounded the top of the old well, and even gleamed -on the green moss which coated its sides. But none reached me where I -crouched, shivering in the cold and damp. - -A dog barked somewhere up above, and then at last I heard human footsteps -pass across the crackling leaves close to the well mouth. They were -Harry’s. I shivered all over with excitement, and gave the little bark -which was my call to Jack; but evidently he did not hear me, and the -steps passed on, and all was quiet again. Even the rats had stopped -squeaking, and most of them had gone back to their holes. Only the old -buck who had jumped down at first was sitting in front of his hole below -and opposite me, seemingly half asleep, but really keeping a watchful eye -upon me. - -The sunlight slowly faded, and the shadow of the stable fell across the -mouth of the well. Night was coming—night, when the rats would surely -attack me. I was desperately hungry, though I do not think that just then -I could have eaten the finest nut in the coppice. At last the first star -twinkled overhead. For some time the rats had been moving again. I could -hear them, though I could not see them. The bustle increased with the -darkness, and there was more squeaking. - -Presently I heard something climbing towards me. It was the father rat. -Of that I was certain, though I could not see him. He came up slowly but -steadily, and I shook all over with fresh panic. - -All day I had sat quite still in my nook, staring upwards in the hope of -seeing Jack’s head up above. I had not even once taken a look round my -place of refuge. Now, as my enemy came stealthily nearer I backed into -the recess. The hole ran in further than I had supposed, and I went in -twice my own length before touching the brickwork. - -Suddenly there was a slight snuffing sound. The rat was over the edge, -and right upon me. What happened next I hardly know. I made a blind, -panic-stricken rush, and found myself wedged between two bricks. The -rat’s jaws closed upon my brush. I struggled madly, and suddenly I was -free and scuttling away down a sort of tunnel. Away I went, bumping -against the top and sides, but still finding room to run. - -Seemingly the great rat had been unable to squeeze through the narrow -aperture in which even my small self had been caught for the moment, but -at the time I do not think that I knew that. My one idea was to run, -and run I did, plunging blindly on and on through the black dark like -a rabbit with a stoat at its scut. I remember very little about that -horrible tunnel or how I got through it. I only know that it was wet and -slimy in places, and that it seemed as though I could not breathe. If it -had not been for the fear of the rat I should never have been able to go -on. But I fully believed that the bloodthirsty monster was behind me all -the time, and each instant expected to feel the sharp teeth close upon -me; so, breathless and suffocating, I kept on, until at last there was -a break in the darkness, and next instant I tumbled headlong out of the -mouth of a drain-pipe into the muddy bed of a dried-up pool. - -I was so absolutely exhausted that there I lay, quite unable to stir -brush or claw. If any prowling cat or weasel had happened upon me I could -not have lifted a paw to get away. But nothing did molest me, and after -a long time I managed to struggle out of the mud and up the bank on to -a patch of grass. When I looked round I found that I was in the Hall -kitchen-garden. - -I knew my way from there to the house, and slowly and wearily dragged -myself back. I made for the elm by Jack’s window, climbed up it, and, -finding a nook in a fork between two boughs, curled up, and was fast -asleep in a moment. - -In the morning I saw that the window was wide open, so, jumping in, I -climbed upon Jack’s bed and curled my muddy little body up on the pillow. - -There Harry found me, and I am bound to say that Jack himself never made -as much fuss about me as his brother did on that occasion. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -BACK TO THE WOODLANDS - - -About four in the afternoon of the next day I was lying half-asleep in -my cage in the bowling-alley when a sound in the distance made me spring -up, quivering all over with excitement. Next moment the door burst open, -and in rushed Jack. He never even waited to take off his hat or gloves, -but ran up the long room, and flung open my cage door. With one bound I -was on his shoulder, nosing him and biting his ears and hair in a perfect -transport of delight, and I think he was just as glad as I was. - -Presently his sister’s voice called him from behind. He turned and kissed -her, and with me still on his shoulder, followed her to the Hall, where -the Squire and Mrs. Fortescue were at tea. - -After this Jack and I became more inseparable than ever. He had -holidays—these days—and I simply lived in his pocket. The next afternoon -there was great excitement. I heard every one congratulating Jack, -though of course I did not in the least comprehend why his mother and -sister hugged and kissed him, and the Squire solemnly shook hands with -him. It was just as well for me that I did not realize what had happened, -or those lovely September days would have been the most miserable -instead of the happiest in the whole of my life; for Jack had passed an -examination with the result that in a few weeks he would have to go and -live and work in London—a dreadful place, I understand—where it is all -houses and no trees, where the sun never shines, and where the only wild -creatures that exist are those cheeky, chattering thieves, the sparrows. - -Harry, too, was always with his brother at this time, and they talked -more than I had ever known them to do before. - -The two were very serious one day, lying on their backs beneath the -trees on the lawn while I ran all over them both impartially. And from -the way in which they turned to me and caught me up every now and then, -as well as because I heard my own name frequently spoken, I came to the -conclusion the conversation had something to do with my fate. And there -was no doubt it had, for it was after this time they all left the Hall, -and when I visited it again there were strangers—but I mustn’t go on -too fast. I fancy Jack urged Harry to keep me while he himself was away, -and Harry shook his head; perhaps he was afraid I might mope away, as I -did before in Jack’s absence, and end by dying. Anyway, a gloomy silence -settled again between the brothers. At last Jack started up and waved -his hand energetically in the direction of the wood; then, springing to -his feet, he called to me to come to him. I had leaped away in affright -at his sudden movements, to which I never could get accustomed, but I -returned again at once. Jack had quite sense enough to know squirrels -mate for life, and the young ones usually stay with their parents all -the winter; and he knew, what I did not, that mother and Hazel and Rusty -would still be in the coppice to greet me, and teach me all the wild-wood -lore, even though my father was dead. - -The brothers argued for some time over my prospective fate, but I did -not really understand until later, when their actions showed me what -they meant. I had leaped from Jack’s shoulder during this weighty -conversation, and was enjoying myself hugely, tearing round and round the -two boys, and making an occasional dive into Jack’s pocket after the nuts -and grains of wheat and maize which were always to be found there. But, -after all, I was not taken away to the woodlands at once. - -Three or four days later Jack again got up very early, and as he dressed -I could hear out on the drive a great grinding of heavy wheels. As Jack -hurried down he took me on his shoulder instead of putting me in my cage. -His brother joined him on the stairs, and they walked down side by side, -as solemnly as two old crows. - -The hall was full of crates and matting, and men in green baize aprons -were turning everything upside down. Outside, in the ring, were great -vans almost as big as cottages. The boys hardly wasted a glance on these -things, but hurried past, and next moment were striding away across the -dewy grass of the lawn. - -I was amazed at being taken out so early, but all the same very much -delighted, and sat on my master’s shoulder chattering with joy. Neither -brother spoke, but walked steadily on under the long morning shadows of -the tall elms until they reached the ha-ha which cut the garden off from -the park. Jumping down the sunk fence, they turned to the right, passed -under the shadow of the wall of the kitchen-garden, and along beside the -laurel plantation beyond. A wicket-gate led through the park fence and -into a large field, in which red cattle were grazing. - -Strange memories began to stir in my breast as a line of tall, thick -timber came in sight on the far side of the meadow; and when my master -jumped the little brook and walked up over some broken, sandy ground -where the white scuts of rabbits bobbed among the bracken, towards the -tall magpie hedge beyond, my heart was beating so violently that I could -only sit quite still upon his shoulder and stare about me in a sort of -mazed bewilderment. - -On through the gate, and at once we were plunged into deep, damp -coolness. All the half-forgotten odours of moss and bracken and rotting -wood, and a hundred other woodland scents, rose to my distended nostrils -and almost overpowered me. Just then I could not have moved for the life -of me. - -Harry was the first to break the silence. - -‘That’s where I saw the little beggars the other day, Jack,’ he said -softly, and pointed to a tall beech-tree whose leaves, just beginning -to yellow with the first chill of autumn, hung motionless in the still -morning air. - -Then they both seated themselves on a mossy log and waited, still as -two dormice. The wild things of the woods, frightened into silence at -these early morning intruders, gradually regained confidence. A rabbit -popped out of his hole and began feeding on the close turf, on which the -autumn dew-spangles gleamed in a patch of sunshine which struck through -the leafy canopy overhead. A shrew-mouse, intent on some business of his -own, bustled noiselessly across the path; a woodpecker started his tap, -tap, tap, as he industriously probed a rotten branch for his breakfast of -fat grubs; two jays began calling harshly, and presently the flicker of -their brilliant blue plumage glanced through the greenery. As for me, I -had crept off Jack’s shoulder, and, sitting up straight on one end of the -log, was struggling desperately to take it all in. - -The boys never moved nor spoke, but presently Harry touched his brother -gently, and pointed very cautiously towards the beech-tree. I, too, -was gazing with all my eyes up into the tree, my heart throbbing more -violently than ever, for down the smooth grey bark a patch of red-brown -fur was softly stealing with slow, deliberate steps, clutching tightly at -unseen footholds with outstretched claws. The boys saw him, and so did I, -but we none of us moved. As for me, my feelings were beyond words. - -Nearer he came, and now I saw that he was almost my own double. His head -was stretched out at right angles to his body, and his eyes, bright -as two jewels, were fixed upon me with intensest curiosity. Presently -he reached the lowest bough, and there stood motionless as I was, and -staring at me with a strange intensity. The calls of kindred were -clamouring in my veins, and all of a sudden the spell was broken. Without -one backward look at my dear master, I jumped from the log, raced across -the ground between it and the tree, and with one rattle of claws was up -on the huge, lowest branch. - -But behold! the apparition which had attracted me had disappeared, and I -stared round in fresh wonder. Suddenly came a little sharp cry, and down -from the leaves above me dropped—my mother herself! She gave a sharp bark -of astonishment. - -Then I remembered! A mad transport of joy thrilled me through and -through, and with one wild dash I tore away up the tree, corkscrewing -madly round and round the huge trunk in the way we squirrels have when -joy is beyond expression. - -Mother was with me, and next instant a third squirrel joined in our mad -frolic. It was my brother Rusty, the squirrel whom I had seen first of -all, and had failed to recognize after our long separation. Before I -reached the top, yet a fourth frantic dot of red fur was flashing round -and round, barking madly, and I knew her for my sister Hazel. I think -we were all quite mad with joy for the time being, and we never ceased -our crazy scamperings until, quite out of breath, we landed all together -in a fork among the branches high up in the leafy summit of the tall -beech-tree. There we sat and began a talk that lasted I don’t know how -long. It was the most curious thing. I had been away from them all so -long, and become so accustomed to human talk, that I could hardly make my -family understand my adventures, and they, on their part, were surprised -beyond measure that any of the humans, whom they had so long looked upon -as their hereditary enemies, could possibly have been so kind to me. -But at last they had all my story, and then, and not till then, did the -recollection of Jack come back to me. - -When I announced my intention of going down again to find my master, -mother evidently thought I was quite out of my senses. - -‘But you have escaped. Surely you do not want to go back to live in your -prison!’ she urged. - -[Illustration: THE BOYS NEVER MOVED OR SPOKE.] - -I explained all over again what a good friend he had been to me, how he -had saved my life, how he had fed me with all sorts of dainties; indeed, -I strongly recommended her and my brother and sister to come with me. -There was plenty of room, I said, and I waxed enthusiastic over the -unlimited supplies of nuts, and fruit, and grain without any trouble in -looking for them. - -It was not the slightest good. Mother declared that the notion of living -inside burrows—for that was her idea of a house and its rooms—was -altogether detestable, and only fit for rabbits and humans, and would -most certainly kill her in a very short time. All I could do, after much -urging, was to persuade my family to come down to the lower branch and -watch me go and talk to Jack. - -Rusty was quite ready—he always had a bold, determined streak about him; -but mother and Hazel hung back. When we got down, there was my dear -master sitting where I had left him, all alone. Harry had left. His face -lighted up when he saw me hopping along the branch above him, and he gave -the little whistle I knew so well, and stood up. Running to the pendent -tip of the branch, I made a flying leap, and landed clean on the top of -his cap. - -‘Why, Nipper, Nipper,’ he said, taking me on his hand and stroking me -fondly, ‘I almost thought you had forgotten me!’ - -I nibbled his finger lovingly by way of apology, and signified that I was -quite ready for a nut. It was promptly forthcoming, and then as I ate it -he put me down on the log, and walking softly towards the tree, turned -out two pockets stuffed with the finest hazel-nuts, and piled them by -handfuls into a hollow as high as he could reach. - -Then he sat down again beside me, took me up and talked to me, and petted -me for a long time. At last, very slowly and reluctantly, he put me back -on the branch from which I had leaped down. - -‘Good-bye, old chap,’ he said in a queer, unsteady voice, and suddenly -turned and walked quickly away. - -To say that I was astonished would be putting it mildly. I was absolutely -thunderstruck, but after a minute made up my mind it was some new kind of -game, and prepared to follow. - -‘Scud! Scud!’ I heard mother call, but I paid no attention. Running along -the branch as far as it would bear, I made a flying leap into the next -tree. It had been my dear father’s boast that he could travel from one -end of our coppice to the other without once touching ground, and indeed -I found no difficulty in doing the same. I was so excited that I thought -nothing of jumps of six times my own length, for Jack was walking very -fast, and I was in a dreadful fright that I might be left behind. - -At the gate he turned and saw me. He stood a moment irresolute, then -quickly vaulted the gate and started off across the field. At this I grew -quite desperate, and dropping into the hedge scuttled along it, reached -the gate-post, and sitting straight up gave one sharp bark. At that my -master turned again and hurried back. - -‘Oh, Nipper, why can’t you go home?’ he muttered, and picking me up, -walked very fast back to the big beech-tree. - -‘Good-bye, once more, old fellow,’ he said stooping over me, and suddenly -I was startled by a drop like rain falling on my head. - -Looking up in amazement, I saw my dear master’s face twisted as though in -pain; but before I could make up my mind what was the matter, he suddenly -pitched me gently back into the hollow where he had put me before, and -brushing his sleeve across his face, fairly ran away down the path. -Before I well realized what had happened, he was lost to sight among the -trees. - -As soon as I recovered a little from my astonishment, I started a second -time for the gate; but before I reached it Jack was half-way across the -field, and travelling so fast that I knew I could never catch him; and -besides, I had always been terribly afraid of the ground ever since my -escape from the terrier. - -I don’t think that ever in my life have I felt so utterly miserable as -when I realized that my master had abandoned me. You see, I could not -understand it at all, and my one sensation was an utter and overwhelming -loneliness. Gradually, too, I became frightened. I had never been -alone out of doors before, and this was all so different to the Hall -garden. The field seemed a vast green desert, and behind me the wood an -illimitable rustling mystery full of unseen perils. How long I sat there -straining my eyes after the vanished form of my master I do not know, -but what roused me at last was a sudden rustle behind, which made me -start violently. However, it was only Rusty, who had followed me, and -was seated on a swinging hazel-bough in the hedge, staring at me in a -perplexed fashion. - -‘What’s the matter, Scud?’ he asked at last. - -I told him I felt very forlorn now that my master had left me. My brother -could not believe that I wanted to follow him; such a thing was quite -beyond his comprehension. - -When I assured him it was true, Rusty looked as solemn as if he was now -certain that I had quite taken leave of my senses. - -‘What! You want to go back and live in those burrows when you’ve got all -the wood to roam in!’ he exclaimed. ‘I’ll be shot if I can understand -you! Do you mean that you’d rather spend your time all alone in a place -you can’t get out of than go foraging round with us all day as free -as—as’—Rusty’s imagination failed him, and he paused—‘well—as free as a -squirrel, for there’s no other creature in the woods that is as free as -we are.’ - -I reminded him that I was used to being protected, and had never -experienced anything but the utmost gentleness from Jack and his family. - -‘Yes, I know. I’m sure he is quite different from those red-faced brutes -who broke our nest down and killed poor father,’ replied Rusty. ‘And he -has left us nuts enough for a month. But all his kind are so big and so -dull. They can’t climb trees like us, or jump;’ and my brother made a -splendid spring down to my side just to show what he could do. ‘It’s no -kind of life for a squirrel. My brush, but I should have taken the first -chance to run off and come back home!’ - -Then he gave a sudden low cry of warning, and instinctively I followed -him as he bounded back into the thick of the hedge just as a hen -sparrow-hawk stooped like a falling stone out of the blue above, reaching -the grass by a tuft of gorse a little way out in the field. There was a -sharp cry, cut short almost before it was uttered, and then the feathered -robber rose again, bearing in her crooked talons the struggling form of -a linnet. A few small feathers floated away through the still, warm air, -and all was over. The hawk sailed away towards a distant tree with her -meal tight clutched between her claws. - -It was long since I had seen one of these everyday woodland tragedies, -and it made me realize with a shock that now I had myself only to depend -upon, with no strong human hand to aid me. Frightened and unhappy, I -followed Rusty quietly back into the heart of the coppice, and that night -saw me one of a furry ball of four, curled in a hole in the heart of the -great beech. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -A NARROW ESCAPE - - -I did not forget my master and settle down to my old out-door life -at once. Every morning for many days I visited the gate at the end -of the wood-path, and sat there or in the hedge beside it, straining -my eyes across the meadow in the hope that Jack might come back once -more. But never a sign of him or Harry did I see, and though, as the -leaves began to fall, it was quite easy to view the roof of the Hall -across the shrubberies, no smoke rose from the tall, twisted red-brick -chimney-stacks. - -How good mother was to me in those days I well remember. She encouraged -me to tell her all I could of the Hall and its people, and all the -incidents of my captivity, and she alone of my family seemed thoroughly -to sympathize with me in my longing for my lost master. - -Hazel, too, was very dear and good, and would listen with the greatest -interest to my long yarns. She was a sweet little thing in those days, -very small, but extremely well built and active, and, for a young -squirrel, of a peculiarly rich colour. Rusty, however, had little -sympathy with my longings. He was already a large, powerful squirrel of -an extremely independent turn of mind, and most extraordinarily bold and -fearless. Mother was in a constant state of anxiety about him, for he -would go off on long expeditions quite alone, sometimes not coming home -till nearly sunset, and ever since father’s death mother had been nervous -as a hare when any of her children were out of her sight. - -As for me, I soon became thoroughly at home in the wood, and could climb -as well as either my brother or my sister, though I was at first by -no means so adept at taking shelter as the other two. I had grown so -accustomed to many sights and sounds ordinarily alarming to one of our -tribe, that mother had often to scold me for exposing myself heedlessly -to view on the rare occasions when people walked through the wood, and -she had to show me all over again the tricks of lying out flat on a bough -so that I could not be seen by passers-by, or of supporting myself on a -trunk beneath a sheltering branch when danger in the shape of a hawk -threatened from above. - -The good and plentiful food with which I had always been supplied at the -Hall had made me fat and strong beyond what squirrels usually are at my -age. There was very little difference now between me and Rusty, though -originally I had been smaller. It was lucky for me that I had been turned -loose just at this special time of year, for autumn is, of course, the -squirrel’s harvest, and food was particularly plentiful that season. Nuts -were ripening among the yellowing leaves; acorns were to be had for the -picking; the beech-trees were full of mast, and when we tired of these -there were spruce-seeds and berries of every description. - -Earlier in the year larch, fir, pine, and spruce tips had been our main -sustenance, but these were now getting dry and old, for it was past the -season of evergreen growth, and so we left them alone and fed almost -entirely on nuts and seeds. - -About this time we had several days of soft warm rain, and after them -part of the horse pasture which adjoined the coppice on the other side -from the Hall was thickly dotted each morning with little white buttons, -which mother explained to me were mushrooms. We used to steal down -across the wet grass in the mornings, brushing through the gossamer -spiders’ webs till our chests and paws were white with them, and feast -royally on the tenderest and daintiest of the mushrooms, sometimes -getting terrible frights when the village children who came to fill their -baskets saw us, and clapped their hands to make us run. - -Mother was a wonderful forager. I remember one morning how she stopped on -the bank where the beech-trees grow thickest, and after snuffing a moment -or two, began to dig rapidly in the soft, black, loamy soil. Presently -she nosed out some little round objects covered with a dark skin, and -pushed one over to me. Never have I eaten anything more delectable than -my first truffle. I can find them myself now as well as anyone. - -Other fungi too were plentiful after that rain. Some grew under the -trees, some on rotten logs, others out in the open. Some were good to -eat—better even than mushrooms—but others were poisonous. Mother never -passed a new one without showing us which were fit to eat and which were -not. There was a brilliant scarlet kind which she warned us against -strongly; well I remember how she scolded me one day because just for -fun I pulled one up, and stuck it stalk down in a fork of a tree. I did -not repeat the experiment, for it left a bad taste in my mouth for hours -afterwards. - -About this time my coat began to change. Squirrels that are born early -in the spring have fur of a greyish-brown hue very like the coats that -old squirrels put on in winter, but we, being June kittens, had summer -suits of red-brown without any ear tufts, or any hair on the palms of -our hands. First, my tail changed and grew darker, much heavier and -more bushy. It turned to a blackish-brown, quite different from its -previous bright chestnut-red hue. My coat, too, began, but more slowly, -to lose its ruddy tint, and to assume its winter colouring. I became dark -brownish-red on the head and back. My white under parts changed to grey, -which spread along my sides. It also grew longer, softer and warmer, and -my ear tufts began to show. During the summer a squirrel has but a few -hairs on the points of the ears, but winter brings a thick tuft a full -inch in length. - -We squirrels have a strange peculiarity. We are the only living -creatures, so far as I know, who change our coats twice a year and our -tails once only. As I have said, we change our coats in spring and again -before the cold weather, but our tails once only—in autumn. A healthy -squirrel looks at his best in late September and early October, for at -that time his new brush is extremely bright, while his new grey-brown -coat is rich and long. Both fade during the cold weather, the fur -especially becoming during long frosts of a yellowish rusty hue. There -are, I believe, some squirrels, near relatives of our own, living in -Canada, who turn almost white in winter. But as—luckily for ourselves—all -we squirrels have the sense to sleep away most of the cold weather, we -have not the same need to conceal ourselves by assuming the colour of the -snow, as have Arctic hares and foxes and many other animals which are -obliged to work and forage for a living during the hard weather. - -But I was talking about the good times we had that autumn and the various -delicacies we used to hunt. After the rain which brought such a crop of -mushrooms, we had a week of wonderfully warm, soft, hazy weather, but -then the wind switched round into the east, and for the first time in my -life I understood what cold was. It blew bitterly, with a hard grey sky, -and the trees being still full of leaves, the noise of the gale through -the coppice was one long roar, the great boughs swaying, creaking, and -complaining bitterly. Very glad we were, when night fell, to snuggle -all four close together in the hollow in the beech hole which mother had -selected as our abode after the destruction of our second nest! It was -a very convenient residence, considering that it was a ready-made one. -Some winter storm of years long past had torn away a large branch at its -junction with the trunk, and rain and weather had rotted the scar till at -last a hollow was left large enough to hold a dozen of us. Once it had -been full of water, but a green woodpecker boring its nest in the trunk -below, the moisture had drained away through the rotten fibres, and now -it was dry as a bone, and formed as convenient and comfortable a retreat -as any dreyless family of squirrels could possibly desire. - -The gale lasted two whole days and nights, and then it cleared and left -a hard blue sky from which the small white flecks of wind-cloud vanished -one by one, and on the fourth morning we woke to find the grass white -with hoar frost and a keen tang in the air which filled us with a wild -delight in the mere fact of being alive. Rusty, Hazel and I sallied forth -and tore round and round like three mad things, flinging ourselves from -bough to bough, rattling up and down the huge trunk and wide-spreading -branches, playing all manner of practical jokes on one another. - -Mother watched us indulgently, but when, quite out of breath, we at last -came back to her, she announced that the time had arrived to begin the -collection of our winter stores. - -‘Now that you have no father,’ she said, ‘you must help me in the work, -for remember there is nothing worse than to be caught by bad weather -unprepared, and without many stores of food.’ - -That was the first real work that I ever did. It seemed odd, when we -reached the nut bushes at the edge of the coppice, not to choose the -plumpest nuts, and sit and eat them on the spot. I think, indeed, that -we all began by doing so, and mother did not interfere until we had each -had a good breakfast; but afterwards she kept us steadily to work. I -am afraid that we needed a good deal of superintendence to keep us up -to the mark, but mother set us such a good example that we were shamed -into doing our best. At first I was under the impression that we were to -carry all the nuts back to our beech-tree home, but mother laughed when I -suggested this, and told me that it was quite unnecessary to do anything -of the kind. After looking about a little, she chose a long hollow under -a gnarled old blackthorn trunk at the bottom of the hedge, and here, -and in other similar cavities, we stored a goodly supply. Towards noon -mother told us that that was enough for the day, and while she and Hazel -went back home, Rusty and I decided to go for a little round on our own -account. - -Working down the hedge, we came upon a patch of thick brambles from which -the blackberries were falling from over-ripeness. A greedy cock pheasant -below was simply stuffing himself with the fallen berries and those near -the ground. For a joke Rusty crept up quietly, and then, making a sudden -bound, alighted almost on the handsome bird’s head. Off he went with -a terrific whirr and flutter across the big meadow, and Rusty, with a -malicious gleam in his eyes, sprang back to my side. - -Presently we found ourselves at the coppice gate, and instinctively -I stopped and gazed across the meadow towards the Hall. The wind had -brought many leaves down, and the long, low, red-brick building with its -steep tiled roofs, stood strongly outlined behind the thinning fringe of -its oaks and elms. - -I don’t know whether it was the keen, brisk air, or what, but suddenly -the idea came to me to visit the old place once more, and on the spur of -the moment I suggested it to Rusty. - -For a moment my brother looked blank. Adventurous as he was, the idea -of crossing more than a quarter of a mile of open grass land rather -staggered him. You know we squirrels will make journeys of any length -provided we can travel through the tree tops, and so long as a tree is -handy we have no objection to short trips across country from one to -another; but none of us care about open ground. We can run at a good -speed for a short distance, but there is no cover in grass. There we are -absolutely at the mercy of any hungry hawk, while weasels have a nasty -trick of popping out suddenly from rabbit earths or drains. Then, too, -there is no escape from the gun or rabbit rifle of any pot-hunting man or -boy, while poaching dogs or cats are another source of really desperate -peril. - -However, Rusty was not the sort to think twice of danger, or to be -outdared by the brother whom he had secretly despised as a ‘tame’ -squirrel. I saw his teeth set and a sudden sparkle in his eye. - -‘All right,’ he remarked, and that was all. He was out of the hedge and -over the ditch before me, and leading the way at a great pace across the -pasture. - -We did not keep to the path, but made off to the left, where an irregular -fringe of trees grew along inside the hedge which cut off the pasture -from the road leading between the Hall and the village. Great luck -attended us. Beyond a few rabbits we saw no sign of life, and when we -got close enough to the trees to take refuge if any danger approached I -breathed more freely, and I feel sure that Rusty was equally relieved. -Racing along among the rustling dead leaves, we crossed the brook near -the culvert under the road. The rivulet was so small that it was no -trouble to jump. Then we found ourselves in the park, and here we had -to take to the open again. The fine clumps of timber which dotted it -here and there were our islands of refuge, and we ran from one to the -other, the same good fortune attending us during our whole journey. From -the last tree we steered for the kitchen-garden wall, and keeping along -the bottom of this, reached the sunk fence. Once up this, and I was on -familiar ground. - -A long narrow plantation of Kentish cob-nuts bordered the wall which -divided the kitchen-garden from the lawns, and in this we were soon -snugly ensconced. - -‘My teeth! Did you ever see such nuts?’ exclaimed Rusty, staring in -wide-eyed amazement at the great russet-coloured cobs which hung in -profusion among the brilliantly tinted leaves. - -‘Oh yes, I’ve eaten lots of them,’ replied I, with conscious superiority. -‘Try them. They’re uncommon good.’ - -Rusty needed no second bidding, but set to work, and cutting the tip off -one of the largest nuts, was soon discussing its fat, white kernel with -a gusto which proved that he thoroughly agreed with me in my estimate of -the quality of cobs. I joined in, and we made a most delicious luncheon. -From where we sat the lawn and part of the house were in full sight, and -all the time I kept a watch fill eye upon the clump of evergreens where I -had been used to play, in the hope that I might see the familiar figure -of my dear master in his rough tweeds, and his cap on the back of his -head, sauntering across the lawn. - -Alas! there was no sign of him nor of any of the Fortescues. Had I known -it, half the length of England separated me from the nearest of my old -friends. After a time, however, some one did stroll out upon the terrace -walk. He was a complete stranger—a short, fat man, with red cheeks and -mutton-chop whiskers. He wore a grey bowler, tipped far back upon his -head, his thumbs were stuck in the armholes of his gaudy waistcoat, and -a long, black cigar was held between his thick lips. He was gazing round -him with a complacent air of proprietorship which in some indefinable -fashion annoyed me intensely. - -Suddenly he took the cigar from his lips and shouted loudly, ‘Simpson!’ A -man with a bill-hook in his hand came hurrying round from the shrubbery -behind the house. - -The stout man pointed to Jack’s and my pet clump of evergreens. ‘Those -shrubs are untidy, Simpson. They want clipping up. Get to work on ’em at -once!’ And, to my horror and disgust, Simpson began chopping and carving -away at the deodars and arbor vitæ, lopping all the boughs up a man’s -height from the ground, and turning the pretty shrubs into the stiff, -unnatural likeness of the toy trees in Jack’s youngest brother’s Noah’s -Ark. - -Then, as I looked about me, I began to see that many things had been -changed. The laurels were cut close and flat; a number of fine limbs had -been sawn from the elms; several new beds of weird pattern had been cut -in the splendid century-old turf of the lawn; the gravel paths were all -fresh swept; everything had a painfully overtidy appearance. - -Presently one of the drawing-room French windows was pushed open, and -a third person appeared on the scene—a boy about Jack’s age, but how -strangely different! He was short, like the elder man, and had the -appearance of having but just stepped out of a band-box. His cord -riding-breeches were as immaculate as his white cuffs and tall white -collar; his brown boots quite gleamed in the autumn sun, and he wore new -dogskin gloves. Strolling over towards his father, he began to talk, but -we were too far away to hear what they said. After a short time they both -turned and came across the lawn towards the kitchen-garden door. - -‘I say, Scud, hadn’t we better hook it?’ suggested Rusty. But I was so -interested in these new people, who seemed to have usurped the place of -my dear Fortescues, that foolishly I replied: - -‘No; they’re not coming near us. Keep still, and they’ll never see us.’ - -The pair had nearly reached the garden door when I heard the boy exclaim -something, and they changed the direction of their walk in the direction -of the hazels. A swish of bent branches shortly followed. - -The distance from the garden door down to the angle of the garden wall -was not more than thirty yards, and I knew very well that, thick as -the bushes were, there was not a ghost of a chance of our remaining -undetected if they came poking about in this fashion. - -‘Come on, Rusty!’ I muttered, and we at once made off as quietly as we -could. Unluckily for us, while the stout man was poking his head among -the branches, puffing and blowing as he did so like a broken-winded -horse, the boy had walked on down the path, and next moment his shrill -voice rang out: - -‘I say, father, here are two beastly squirrels stealing nuts. Keep an eye -on ’em while I get my gun.’ - -He was off across the grass at a pace one would not have credited him -with, and we, aware that any attempt at further concealment was useless, -went off also at top speed. - -What we both dreaded was the long open space at the bottom of the -kitchen-garden wall, where it abutted on the park. However, there was no -shirking it. If we stayed where we were we would be caught like rats in a -trap. It was Rusty who made the jump first out of the bushes and down the -sunk fence, and as I followed him I heard the fat man shouting hoarsely: -‘Quick, they’re running away!’ - -How we scuttled! Even a terrier would have had his work cut out to catch -us. There was no cover at all until we reached the far end of the long -line of wall, and we strained every nerve to gain the hedge which ran -at right angles from the end of it, separating the park from the road. -The distance was not much more than seventy yards, but it seemed like -a mile as we tore along. Fresh shouts behind us spurred us to almost -super-squirrel efforts. Hardly five yards were left when suddenly—bang, -and a sound like hail pattering on the ground behind us. Next second, and -with simultaneous bounds we were in the hedge, but before we could get -through it and into shelter on the far side the sound of another shot -rang through the calm autumn air, and this time with better aim. Leaves -flew in the hedge, and a sharp blow on the head sent me staggering, -nearly causing me to lose my foothold. - -‘Come on, Scud. We must cross the road,’ called Rusty at that moment; -and with a fine jump he was across the ditch and out on the white, dusty -surface. - -Recovering myself, I followed, and found that, though my head was -singing, I could still run as well as ever. - -Luckily there was not a soul in sight, so we crossed the road in safety, -plunged through the opposite hedge, and found ourselves in a plantation -of young larches about twenty feet high. Through these we went as hard -as ever we could pelt, until, quite exhausted, we came to rest somewhere -in the thickest depths, and, climbing into one of the largest trees, lay -panting and tired out on an upper bough. For a minute neither of us could -move; then suddenly Rusty, glancing at me, exclaimed: - -‘Why, Scud, you’re hurt!’ - -‘Yes, something hit me,’ I answered faintly. - -In a moment the good fellow was licking my wounded head. A pellet of -shot, it seemed, had glanced along my skull, cutting the skin and going -right through one of my ears. The wound bled a good deal, but it was not -a serious one, and after I had got my breath back, and after my heart -had ceased thumping as though it would burst, I felt very little the -worse, and announced that I was quite ready to start home. But Rusty, -more cautious, refused to move. - -‘That fellow with the gun may be waiting in the road for us,’ he said. -‘Much better stay here a bit. The shadows are still short, and we shall -have plenty of light for our journey home.’ - -His advice seemed good, so we waited where we were for an hour or more. -My wound stopped bleeding, but my head was very sore. It was not, -however, so badly hurt as my feelings. That I should have been shot at -and nearly killed in the garden of the Hall seemed beyond belief, and -what made it worse was that I had impressed on Rusty over and over again -that whatever the dangers in our coppice, the Hall grounds, at any rate, -were a safe refuge. One thing I was deeply grateful for—that he had not -been harmed. With all the intensity of my squirrel nature I hated the -intruders who had put the insult upon me. How I longed that Jack might -have been there to take vengeance on our persecutors! - -[Illustration: CLIMBING INTO ONE OF THE LARGEST TREES, WE LAY PANTING AND -TIRED OUT.] - -Rusty, good fellow that he was, forebore to add to my self-reproaches by -any remarks about what had happened. When I made some sort of apology -for bringing him into trouble, he merely smiled, and, licking his lips, -said: - -‘I shan’t forget those nuts in a hurry. Wouldn’t mother like a few of -them!’ - -At last, when the shadows were beginning to lengthen towards the east, we -made a move. Under Rusty’s direction we worked back very quietly through -the plantation to the edge of the road, and took a careful survey from -the top of the tallest tree. All was still, the only sounds that broke -the quiet of the windless autumn afternoon being the scrape of Simpson’s -saw as he lopped away branches from the Hall trees, and the distant -‘Gee!’ and ‘Haw!’ of a ploughman at work in a field to the right of the -larch plantation. - -We crossed the road again, and resolved that though the distance was -considerably greater, we would stick to the hedge all the way, and not -trust ourselves again to the open grass. Fortunately for our peace of -mind, the road along the side of which we were forced to travel was quite -deserted, and, keeping as much as possible in the centre of the hedge, -we slipped along at best pace. Of course, it was not by any means easy -travelling, for in places the quickset was so thick and close that we -were forced to take to the ground for short distances. Ground near a -hedge is always most dangerous, for an old hedgerow, especially one with -high banks either of earth or stone, is the chosen home of the stoat and -the weasel, and both these bloodthirsty little terrors are quite as much -at home among the branches of a thick hedge as even a squirrel. - -More than half of our journey was covered in safety, and when we reached -and crossed the brook we began to feel as though we were almost home. -But we were not to escape without further adventure. A little way past -the brook, just as we were nearing the timber which I have mentioned as -running in an irregular row along the inside of this part of the hedge, -there came a piece of holly so thick and close-cropped as to be quite -impenetrable except very close to the ground. It would really have been -wiser to have cut out across the field to the nearest of the trees, but -we had had such a scare that we shirked the open. Rusty, leading as -before, had got half-way through the holly, when I saw him stop short, -and then, with a little warning cry, make a quick bound upwards into -the thickest heart of the holly. At the same moment the tangled ivy -which covered the bank below became alive with little beady eyes and -snake-like, sinuous forms. We had run right into a whole pack of weasels -hunting together, as is their custom on autumn afternoons. - -I was after him like a flash, but the brutes had seen us, and came -swarming up the close-set stems, hard at our heels. Under ordinary -circumstances we could have cleared them in half a dozen bounds, but here -we were at a shocking disadvantage. Above our heads the holly was like -a wall, and it was all we could do to force our way through the stiff, -glistening, dark-green leaves. I remember plunging along desperately, -almost mad with fright, my eyes half-shut to protect them from the sharp -prickles, and my nostrils full of the horrible, musky odour of our eager -pursuers. - -Then suddenly I was out of the darkness and on the top of the hedge, -scratched, breathless, my wounded ear bleeding again. But where was -Rusty? I could not see him, and a horrible fear almost numbed me. Just -in front the branches were shaking, but it was too thick to see what -was happening below. Anxiety overcoming terror, I made a dive forward -into the tangle from which I had just escaped with much difficulty, and -almost as I did so there came Rusty’s head out of the thicket. His eyes -were bright with fright, and he dragged himself forward slowly, as if -something were pulling him back. Instantly I saw that a weasel had him -by the tail, its sharp teeth buried in the thick, long hairs. Without -thinking twice, I plunged down and snapped with all my might at the -fierce brute’s head. My long front teeth sank deep into the back of his -neck, and I felt them grate on his skull. His jaws opened and he fell -backwards, knocking over the next of the pack in his fall. - -Relieved of the weight, Rusty shot upwards, and with half a dozen -tremendous bounds was out of danger. As I followed him, a third weasel -gained the top of the hedge, and, throwing its long body high into the -air, like a snake in the act of striking, tried its best to seize me. I -heard its needle-like, white teeth snap and caught a glimpse of its red -eyes gleaming fiercely; but I was too quick for it, and, as it fell back -disappointed, I was off in Rusty’s wake at a speed that defied pursuit. -Regardless of concealment, we tore along the top of the hedge until level -with the trees, then, turning off to the left, reached the timber, and so -from tree to tree towards the coppice. - -The sun was just setting when two worn-out, scratched, frightened, and -very disreputable-looking squirrels reached the old beech and made -humble confession to their mother of all that had happened to them -during that adventurous day, and, after a thorough good scolding, were -at last forgiven and permitted to sup on beech-mast and curl up with the -rest of their family snug in the heart of the great beech trunk. - -After this day I found that Rusty treated me with far more consideration -than he had ever shown before. He dropped his jeers about ‘tame’ -squirrels, and showed in his silent way that he was pleased to have my -company in his wanderings abroad. I forgot to say that, though his brush -looked a little lopsided for a time, the hair soon grew again, while my -wound healed rapidly; but I still have a small hole through the left ear -where the shot passed, to remind me of my narrow escape. - -For the next few weeks mother kept us very busy, helping her to collect -winter stores. These consisted almost entirely of hazel-nuts, acorns, and -beech-mast, all of which were very plentiful. We made small hoards in -many different places, a very necessary precaution, for if—to use Jack’s -expression—we were to put all our eggs in one basket, we should stand a -very good chance of starving in hard weather. There are plenty of thieves -in the woods. Rats and mice are the worst—absolutely conscienceless, -both of them. Then there are the nut-hatches, who have a wonderful trick -of ferreting out nuts hidden in holes in timber. Again, snow may cover a -ground-hoard too deep to reach it, or even hide it altogether, so that -it is impossible to find it at all. People who abuse us, because we -occasionally do a little pruning among the tips of the evergreens, should -remember that we are the greatest planters in the country. I suppose -that quite one in three of the ancient oaks that England is so proud of -have sprung from acorns hidden by squirrels in autumn, and either lost -or not needed during the winter. So, too, have countless beech-trees and -nut-bushes, and not a few pines and firs into the bargain. - -As we worked at our stores we often met others of our race intent upon -similar business. The nuts of our coppice were famous for a long way -round, and were so plentiful that there was enough for fifty families if -they cared to come for them. We enjoyed seeing these visitors, and had -great games with them. - -And so day by day, as the leaves fell and the night frosts became more -frequent and more sharp, we worked and played and generally enjoyed life -quite undisturbed by any outside interference. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -THE GREY TERROR - - -Gales and cold rain prevailing, we spent much of our time indoors, while -the wind roared through the coppice, and clouds of dead leaves whirled -through the air, settling in rustling drifts in every hollow. The bracken -was long ago brown and dead, but the blackberry leaves, though purpled by -the frost, still clung with their accustomed obstinacy to the stalks, and -provided thick cover for the pheasants. The old beech-trees were nearly -bare, and, indeed, all the trees except the evergreens, especially those -on the west side of the wood, had lost their leaves; only the oaks had -foliage still to boast of, and most of this was brown and withered. - -But it was only November, and we young ones had as yet no idea of -retiring for the winter. On fine days, especially when frost was in the -air, we were as frisky as ever, and had magnificent games among the heaps -of dead leaves. It was the greatest fun possible to take running headers -from the long, bare tips of the beech boughs, falling on the soft, -elastic cushion of leaves, in which one completely disappeared, just as -a water-rat does in a pond. Under the leaves the ground was still thick -with ripe beech-mast, so there was no need as yet to infringe upon our -winter stores. There were pine-cones, too, by way of change, and fallen -hazel-nuts, though these were getting scarce now that not only we but our -distant cousins, the dormice, had been getting in winter stores. - -Our own preparations for winter were quite complete. The last piece of -work had been to line our home thoroughly with dry moss, and partially -to stop up the entrance which had been so large that, when the wind blew -that way, it made cold draughts whistle round inside. For this work we -young ones collected the material while mother did the building, and -Rusty and I gathered useful hints for the future. - -All these days, when the air was still, or the wind blew from the -direction of the Hall, we could hear in the distance the clink, clink -of axes—a novel sound in this country-side, where the Squire and his -forebears before him had had the true Englishman’s love of timber, -and thought not twice but many times before cutting down a single -tree. But for a long time our solitude was not invaded, except by a -few school-children picking late blackberries or nuts, or a labourer -returning from his work along the wood-path. Then, one fine morning early -in November, when Rusty and I were having our usual morning scramble, -the sharp report of a gun sent us skurrying to the nearest refuge, which -happened to be a tall fir-tree not far from the coppice gate. Bang -again!—this time closer. Rusty looked out but dodged back with great -rapidity. He intimated to me that the young murderer from the Hall had -appeared and that he, Rusty, didn’t mean to move until he disappeared. - -Bang again! A cock pheasant came whirring up past us, rocketing high over -the tops of the trees, and a second dose of shot, hopelessly too late, -sent a shower of twigs scattering from the tree just over our heads, and -made us cower the closer against the trunk. - -Steps came trampling past beneath us, and the firing became fast and -furious. Every living thing took cover, or, if it had wings, departed -as fast as they would carry it. The racket did not last long, and, as -we found out later, the bag was not a large one. The Hall’s new tenants -were not good shots, and their new keeper, who had supplanted old Crump, -did not know his business. As soon as the noise had died away we made -the best of our way home, and found mother and Hazel, who had been lying -close at home, extremely relieved to see us safe back once more. - -Several times again before the winter the solitude of our coppice was -invaded by the same party—the little stout man with the mutton-chop -whiskers, his white-collared, pasty-faced son, and a tall keeper with a -ginger beard. But after their first two visits none of the coppice people -paid much attention to them beyond sitting tight in cover. The very -pheasants—stupid fellows as they are—made jeering remarks about their -inability to kill anything unless it happened to be fool enough to sit -still to be fired at. - -What did cause much more serious alarm was the rumour of a new and -most dangerous enemy. The news came to us through a strange squirrel -whom Rusty and I met one cold bright morning rummaging among the deep -beech-leaves for a breakfast of mast. The poor fellow had a nasty wound -at the back of his neck, and looked thin and miserable. He was so nervous -that when he heard us coming he bolted wildly up a tree. We called to -him, and, looking rather ashamed of himself, he came back and met us. - -‘What’s up?’ inquired I. ‘We’re not going to eat you. Come down and -finish your breakfast.’ - -‘Ugh! don’t talk of eating!’ he answered in trembling tones. ‘You -wouldn’t if you’d been so nearly eaten as I was three days ago;’ and he -showed us his wound. - -‘Weasel?’ Rusty asked. - -‘No—much worse.’ - -‘What, not a fox?’ - -‘I’m not quite fool enough to sit on the ground and let a fox catch me,’ -retorted the stranger. ‘It was a wild-cat.’ - -‘Wild-cat!’ exclaimed I. ‘Why, I’d no idea there were any left in these -parts!’ - -‘No more had I,’ put in Rusty. ‘Mother says that a very old squirrel once -told her that his father had seen a wild-cat, but that’s ever so many -years ago. There are none left now.’ - -‘None left!’ returned the other angrily. ‘Very well; all I say is, wait. -Your turn will come.’ - -He was clearing out in a huff when I stopped him. - -‘Wait a minute. I want to hear all about it. Anyone can see you’ve been -badly mauled. Come with us up into our beech-tree, and I’ll find you a -better breakfast than this half-rotten stuff; then you can tell us all -about it.’ - -After a little more persuasion, he cooled down and accompanied us, and -we all heard his story. It appeared that a week before he and one of his -brothers had visited a Spanish chestnut they knew of at some distance -from their home, which was in a large wood about a mile away, when, -without the slightest warning, a great cat had sprung out of a patch -of dead bracken close by, and with two quick swings of her terrible -paws bowled them both over. Our new acquaintance owed his life to the -fact that he had seen the enemy coming just in time to duck, and, -consequently, had received the full force of the blow upon his neck -instead of his head. But even so he had been stunned, and had recovered -his senses only in time to see the savage beast running rapidly away -among the underbrush with the dead body of his brother swinging limp -between her powerful jaws. Knowing that she would come back for him, he -had summoned all his remaining energies, and succeeded in climbing into -a pollard oak and hiding in a knot-hole in its spreading top. From there -he watched the robber return, moving noiselessly across the dead grass -and leaves on velvet-cushioned paws; noted the grey coat, stiff and -coarse, the short tail, broad head, and small, close-rounded ears; had -seen her search snuffing among the dead leaves, moving round and round -in impatient circles, and shivered in his terror. But fortune was good -to him, for after a time, which seemed endless, the cat, tired of her -vain search, had at last turned, and with tail straight up padded softly -back the way she had come. But it was not until nearly sunset that the -wounded squirrel had made shift to crawl home, sore and aching, and there -he had lain for two whole days. Alas! the tale of his sorrows was not yet -told. On the third day his mother went out about midday to bring in some -food, and never came back! Towards evening his father had gone to search -for her, and returned at dark with the terrible tidings that the same -stealthy fiend had captured her too. He had found some gnawed bones and -her brush—that was all! - -By this time the whole wood was in a state of panic. Rabbits, pheasants, -and squirrels, all had suffered alike. The cat, it was said, was only one -of a family who had taken up their abode in an immense hollow hornbeam -in the centre of the wood. A regular reign of terror set in, and our -new friend, whose name was Cob, together with his father and his sister, -the only survivors of the family, had decided to emigrate before worse -happened. - -We were all very sorry for the unfortunates. A worse time for squirrels -to emigrate could hardly be imagined, for, of course, they had been -forced to abandon all their winter stores and their nest, which had been -strengthened against the cold weather. It was now too late in the season -to collect a proper provision, and they stood a very good chance of -starving if the winter should turn out a severe one. You will understand -that we young ones, who had never yet been through a winter, were not -able to realize quite how serious the misfortune was; but mother, who had -seen the snows of three years, thoroughly comprehended the situation, -and at once bade Rusty and myself do all we could to assist the unlucky -family. Next morning we paid a visit to their temporary quarters, a -large untidy hole in a hollow oak, and after first showing them where -the last few nuts were to be found in the ditch below the hazel-bushes, -set to work to discover better quarters for them. Of course, by this -time we knew our coppice from end to end. There was not a tree we were -not familiar with from root to topmost branch. But after a good deal of -consideration and discussion, we decided that the best refuge was another -hole lower down in our own tree. It was one that mother had thought of -seriously, after father’s death, as a residence for ourselves, but had -decided against as being rather too small. However, we found on making -a thorough examination that the wood on one side of it was so rotten -that it could easily be dug out, and then the hollow would be amply -large enough to accommodate the three wanderers. They, on their part, -were devoutly grateful for the trouble we had taken on their behalf, and -thanked us most cordially. Cob’s sister, whose name was Sable, a little, -dark-furred creature, quite touched me by her shyly-expressed gratitude. - -Autumn was now far advanced, and we had had several very sharp frosts. -Except for the oaks, to which their dead, dry leaves still clung, -the trees were bare. Rusty and I took our morning exercise among the -denser foliage of the evergreen firs and larches, of which there were -fortunately a good number in our coppice. I say fortunately because, -where these trees are handy a squirrel need never starve even in the -hardest weather. Not that squirrels are given to starving. Unless owing -to some quite unforeseen and unusual accident we are as well able to -fend for ourselves even in the hardest winters as any inhabitants of the -woodland. - -The migrant birds had all left long ago, and the woods were quieter -than of old. Not that there was not plenty of life remaining. The -wood-pigeons still pecked among the beech leaves for mast; great tits -and tomtits moved restlessly among the branches of our beech; flights of -long-tail tits talked softly in the tops of the evergreens. Finches of -many kinds—greenfinch, chaffinch, bullfinch, and even a few hawfinches, -feasted on the hawthorn berries which hung thickly on the bare hedges, -and began to take their toll of the fast-reddening holly. The privet -and mountain-ash berries were gone long ago. These form the pet dessert -of bird life, and are always cleaned up almost before they are ripe. -So, too, was the sticky scarlet fruit of three gnarled old yews which -stood in a little group all by themselves just beyond the rabbit-warren -where the ground sloped towards the brook. Thrushes and blackbirds still -visited their’ dark recesses, but more from habit than for any other -reason. - -Redwings and fieldfares fed in small flocks across the open ground, and -shared with the starlings and rooks the insect food of which they are -so fond. The grass, no longer green but browned at the tips by frost and -sodden from lack of sun, had ceased to grow, and feed was becoming short. -I noticed that the cattle had taken to the higher ground instead of -feeding along the brook; and that in the mornings when the frost-dew hung -thick on the meadows, they wandered along the hedgerows, picking drier -mouthfuls from the bank. - -Some of our acquaintances had already retired for the winter. The -hedgehogs were no longer to be seen making leisurely progress along the -hedge-banks; they had all gone to sleep deep in leaf-lined crevices -under the blackthorn roots; the dormice had followed their example, and -curled themselves up for the winter in their delicately woven globes of -grass and fibre. Mr. Dormouse is a heavier sleeper than we are, yet not -above rousing for a square meal if the sun comes out warm and bright on a -January morning. Snakes, slow-worms and lizards had all disappeared long -ago, and would not move again for more than four months. I had not seen a -bat for a fortnight, and I fancy the last of them had joined his comrades -hung up in the church-tower or in Farmer Martin’s thatched barn, stiff -and motionless like dead game in the Hall larder. - -Field-mice showed when the sun came out, dodging about on the surface -of the dead leaves, apparently very busy, and yet never appearing to -accomplish anything in particular. But they would soon follow most of the -four-legged denizens of the coppice into winter-quarters, and leave the -bare woods to the birds, the rabbits, and the cunning, hungry fox. - -Of the wild-cat, the terror of the neighbouring wood, we heard nothing -at all; and though I often talked of her with Cob and his sister, we did -not imagine that there was much chance of her raiding so far from home. -Cob gradually recovered from his wound, and, as food was still fairly -plentiful, he grew fat and strong again. - -Nothing occurred to disturb the even tenor of those last few days before -winter set in in earnest; and the silence that reigned in the coppice -was broken only by the cheery song of the robin, the low twitter of the -tits, and occasionally the clear pipe of the missel-thrush. Then came a -day when the wind turned to the north-east, and a new biting, penetrating -chill filled the bleak air. - -For the first time in my experience mother absolutely refused to leave -the nest. - -‘Children,’ she said drowsily, ‘it’s going to snow. I feel it in my -bones. Close the door with moss and let us sleep.’ - -Pushing a bunch of moss into the opening, she curled herself into the -deepest, darkest corner of our snug retreat, and almost instantly fell -into a sleep deeper than ever we had seen or dreamed of. Squirrels, you -must know, are never still for more than a few minutes at a time in their -ordinary sleep. I know that, whenever I wake at night, and that is very -often, especially now that I am no longer young, some of my family are -always moving their legs, twitching about like a dog that lies before -the fire and hunts rabbits in its dreams. But this was a different -thing, this sleep of mother’s—she lay like a dead thing on her side, -her splendid brush curled round and over her, and, as we watched, her -breathing seemed to slow until it became almost imperceptible. - -We, too, felt strangely drowsy; but yet, with all the curiosity of youth, -would not yield to it, so anxious were we to see this snow of which we -had heard so often. The wind whistled in stronger and stronger gusts, -making weird wailing sounds among the bare branches; the sky, already -one uniform mass of greyish cloud, grew duller and thicker, while up to -windward a darkness like that of the winter twilight began to cover the -land. Rusty and I, peering out through a small hole in the moss, saw -the great trees bending and swaying in the increasing blast, while the -dead leaves raised by the wind rustled and rattled in brown clouds along -the ground below. Then suddenly, and as if by magic, the whole air was -swarming with little white atoms, which whirled and fluttered silently -in a mad dance. Thicker and thicker they came till the sky was blotted -out, and even the trees close by were nearly hidden behind the waving -white veil. All along the eastern edges of the beech-tree limbs lines of -pure white appeared and grew, while the dry leaves below stopped their -rustling as they vanished, hidden beneath a carpet whiter than fallen -hawthorn petals. To us, who had never seen the like before, it was a -wonderful sight, and we gazed and gazed as if we should never tire. But -gradually the drowsiness of the snow-sleep came upon us and mastered us, -and, whether we would or no, closed our eyes. Rusty slipped limply back, -and lay like a dead thing beside the quiet forms of Hazel and my mother. -I remember vaguely pushing back the plug of moss into position, and then -I, too, fell back and sank away into a long, delicious, dreamless slumber. - - * * * * * - -It may have been a day, or a week, or, for all I know, a month before I -woke again. My sleep had been so deep that for a full minute I was quite -unable to realize where I was or what had happened, and I lay contentedly -still in that pleasant, dreamy state between sleep and wakefulness. Then -my eye was caught by a tiny brilliant sunbeam, which, striking through -some minute interstice in the mossy door, made a little path of golden -light in which little motes of dust danced gaily across our hollow -retreat. - -Slowly recollection returned, and with it a feeling of perfectly ravenous -hunger. Struggling up out of the deep hollow in my mossy bed into which -I had sunk, I stretched, yawned, and, looking round, saw Rusty with one -eye open gazing at me with a drowsy, puzzled expression. Mother and Hazel -were still wrapped in deepest sleep. - -I barked to wake Rusty; but he only blinked at me without speaking, until -at last I leant over and nipped his ear. That woke him. - -‘Weasel take you, Scud!’ he growled, starting up. ‘Your teeth are sharp.’ - -I told him I was simply starving. - -‘Come to think of it, so am I,’ he said, stretching and yawning in his -turn. ‘Let’s go and get some grub.’ - -‘Hadn’t we better wake mother and Hazel?’ I suggested. But Rusty thought -not, since they were so sound asleep. Standing up on my hind-legs, I -pulled away the plug of moss that closed the entrance, and sprang out, -with Rusty close at my heels. What a sight met our eyes! Even hunger was -forgotten in amazement. The rays of the morning sun shining from a sky of -clearest, palest blue were reflected back from one universal dazzle of -white. Below us the ground was an even plain of snow, which had covered -up and hidden grass, dead fern, fallen branches, ant and mole heaps—all -the irregularities to which our eyes were accustomed—under its deep -smooth carpet. From the bare branches of the beeches and oaks the snow -had melted and fallen away, but the evergreen boughs still bent under -heavy loads, from which in places long, transparent icicles drooped. It -was freezing hard, for the surface of the snow sparkled with crystals of -ice, which shone more brilliantly even than dewdrops in the slanting -rays. No breath of air stirred under the cloudless heavens, and the wood -had a new stillness which was almost awe-inspiring. - -But, oh, the air! Cold as it was, it had a dry tingle which set the -blood fairly racing in our veins, and every moment increased our already -ravenous hunger. Recovering from our amazement at the strange novelty of -all around us, we bounded off together, intent on a store of beech-mast -which lay beneath a twisted root of our own old beech. - -It was a queer sensation, that first landing upon the snow. So hard -frozen was it that our light weights made no impression upon it -whatsoever. You would have needed the skill of a fox to find our tracks. -Rusty was the first to reach the spot where we had made our store. - -‘Snakes’ eyes and adders’ tongues!’ he exclaimed—Rusty was sadly given to -the use of bad language—‘this white stuff has covered it all up, and I’m -hungry enough to eat a sprouting acorn.’ - -‘Dig, you duffer!’ I answered him, and together we set to work, our sharp -claws sending the crisp snow flying in clouds behind us. Suddenly the -crust gave way, and we both tumbled through, one on top of the other, -into a good sized hollow beneath. At first Rusty was much annoyed, -considering it all my fault. However, as soon as he discovered that we -were actually on top of our larder, he recovered, and began with all -speed to scratch out the mast from the nooks and corners in which it had -been stored. - -Some people will tell you that a squirrel never hides two nuts in the -same place, but this is not quite the fact. As I have said before, we all -have a very natural objection to piling a whole score of nuts or other -provender together in one place; for then, if any marauder does come -along, he naturally gets the whole lot. But it must not be imagined that -a separate hiding-place is made for each single nut or acorn. No; when we -discover a good place for a larder, such as the hollow I am now speaking -of, we often put quite a quantity of food into it, poking each separate -morsel into a different crack or corner. - -That was a royal feast. I am quite certain that neither Rusty nor I had -ever been so hungry before in the whole of our short lives; and this -makes me suspect that we had been asleep for at least a fortnight, or -possibly more. At last Rusty, after a vain rummage in the furthest -corner of the hollow, turned on me: - -‘You greedy pig, Scud, you’ve eaten the last bit of mast!’ - -‘Well, you are a good one!’ I retorted, laughing. ‘I don’t mind betting -you a chestnut that you’ve eaten more than me.’ - -‘Anyhow, there’s nothing left here,’ replied Rusty in a very aggrieved -tone. ‘At this rate our stores won’t last long.’ - -‘There is any amount left,’ I told him, ‘and it seems to me that -travelling is safer and better than ever. We’ll go round and hunt up some -of those hazel-nuts under the hedge next time.’ - -‘All very well if this weather lasts,’ grumbled my brother, who always -loved a grievance. ‘But suppose it melts. Mother said it often did. Then -the grass will be all wet and beastly, and the ditch probably full of -water. Or suppose more snow falls; then everything will be covered up.’ - -‘’Pon my fur, you’re as bad as a frog!’ I retorted. ‘Never was such -a squirrel to croak. Come along out of this dark hole. I want some -exercise.’ - -As we crawled out a bark hailed us from above, and there was Cob sitting -out on a low branch over our heads. - -‘I say, you fellows,’ he cried, ‘this is jolly, isn’t it? - -‘Ripping!’ I answered. ‘Have you had a feed?’ - -‘Yes, I’ve had some mast; but we haven’t much, so I thought of going over -to the fir-trees and looking for some cones.’ - -‘Right you are. We’ll come too. I’m still hungry enough to eat the most -turpentiny cone in the coppice.’ - -So the three of us scuttled off across the crisp surface, and after -satisfying ourselves with pine-kernels and a little of the inner bark -from the branch tips by way of dessert, proceeded to rouse the wood with -a thorough good scamper. We had the whole place quite to ourselves except -for the birds. The wood-pigeons seemed as cheerful as usual, and the tits -were busy pecking along the branches. But I must say I felt sorry for the -robins, the thrushes, and blackbirds, and most of the other feathered -creatures. The poor things seemed to have no life left in them. They sat -huddled up in the sunshine with their feathers all fluffed out, till they -looked twice as big as usual, but evidently they were all pretty hungry. -Birds, you know, do not suffer much from cold directly, but when there -is hard frost, and especially when frozen snow covers the ground, they -have to go on very short commons. Those that feed on the grubs that -live in tree trunks do well enough, and, of course, the sparrows and -finches visit the rick and farm yards, and so provide for themselves. It -is the berry and worm-eating birds who are worst off in weather of this -kind. The hips and haws do not last long, and in really severe frost the -holly berries also disappear, leaving only such untempting food as the -hard dark ivy berries. Worse than all is the lack of water, and I fancy -as many birds perish from thirst during a long frost as from all other -causes put together. - -When the low sun began to drop towards the west the cold increased, and -we three hurried home and went to sleep again. But a day or two later the -same brilliant sun called us again, and this time we resolved to pay our -promised visit to the hedge by the hazel bushes, where we had buried the -first of our nuts. At our special request Cob accompanied us. He, good -fellow, as I discovered, was half-starving himself, in order to keep a -supply for his sister and father, in case they woke up, so I consulted -Rusty, and we agreed that we would take him with us and stand him a good -feed out of our nut-store. - -When we reached the place, we found, much to our disgust, that the ditch -was quite full of snow, which had drifted in from the field. There was -nothing for it but to begin a regular quarrying job, and very hard work -we found it. Cob worked like a mole, and but for his useful assistance -we should hardly have succeeded in reaching the treasure stored beneath -the old thorn stump. As it was, we must have been digging fully two hours -before we at last hit upon the right spot, and what with the keen air -and the hard work we were pretty sharp-set by the time the plump brown -beauties were unearthed. - -‘Great water rats!’ exclaimed Rusty, driving his strong front teeth -through the glossy shell of his first nut, and jerking away the pieces -with quick, hungry tugs. ‘This is fine! All the sun and none of the wind. -Just the place for a good feed and a rest.’ - -‘All the same, I hate being on the ground,’ said Cob, uneasily glancing -round at the steep walls of snow which surrounded the little white pit -which we had dug, and at the bottom of which we sat feasting. - -Rusty uttered a disdainful snort. - -‘What’s to hurt us here? A weasel wouldn’t trust himself in this dazzle -of snow, and foxes don’t prowl in the daytime, let alone in a sun like -this.’ - -‘Oh, I know it’s foolish,’ answered Cob humbly. ‘But I’ve been that way -ever since the time that I had that escape from——’ - -His voice died away in a sharp choking gasp. Looking round in some -surprise, I saw him staring upwards, a frozen horror in his wide eyes. -Following his glance, I saw glaring down upon us through the hedge two -cruel green orbs set in a wide grey face. It did not need the short ears, -the stiff whiskers, or the rows of sharp white teeth, bared in a hungry -grin, to tell me that I was looking upon the terror of the woods, the -wild-cat of Merton Spinney. - -The awful head was hardly a yard away. Its owner had crawled up unseen -on the far side of the hedge—that is, inside the coppice, for we were in -the ditch outside—and having got wind of us, was endeavouring to creep -through unseen and unheard, so as to pounce upon us unawares. It was the -lucky chance of our having Cob with us, whose hearing was acute beyond -either Rusty’s or my own, that gave us that needful second’s warning. -Without it there is no possible doubt but that I should never have been -alive to tell this story. - -One often says ‘quick as a cat,’ but it would be just as correct or more -so to say ‘quick as a squirrel’; and I am quite certain that hardly half -a second elapsed between the moment I set eyes on the cat’s head emerging -from the briers and the bound which landed me six feet out of the hole -along the ditch to the left. With the best intentions in the world no -one of us could have helped the others, but would only have sacrificed -his life uselessly if he had tried to. Thinking over the matter since, -I have often wondered why the cat did not pounce straight upon Cob, who -has confessed that he was so badly frightened that he never jumped until -both Rusty and I were clear out of the hole. The fact remains that she -did not do so. A rustle of quickly moved branches, and then a series of -soft, padding sounds behind me, proved that I had been selected as her -dinner—an attention which, as you may imagine, I could very well have -dispensed with. - -[Illustration: TWO CRUEL GREEN ORBS SET IN A WIDE GREY FACE.] - -I was badly frightened—there is no use denying it—but I did succeed in -keeping my wits about me. In the open, of course, I was no match for -her. Her springs were of tremendous length, far greater than mine, for -a cat—like all her tribe—can travel at tremendous speed for a short -distance. Aware of this, I turned sharp back through the hedge to my -right—only just in time, for her cruel teeth snapped not an inch from my -brush as I dived through the heart of the hedge. Being smaller than she, -I gained a few yards in the passage through the close-set branches, and -tore off across the frozen snow at top speed towards the nearest tree. -There was no time to pick or choose; I had to take the first that came, -and here luck was against me, for it was a tall but slender birch which -happened to stand some little distance apart, the nearest tree to it -being a beech some fifty feet away. - -Up I went with a rush, again missing death by a sort of miracle, for my -enemy launched herself at me like a shot from a catapult, striking the -bark not the length of my body below my brush. She clung there a moment, -and then fell back with a baffled snarl, and for a moment I thought -she had given it up. But I suppose she was very hungry, or perhaps too -enraged at her first failure to abandon the chase, for the next moment -she drew off a few yards, and, coming at the tree with a rush, clattered -up it, her sharp talons ringing against the rough bark. - -Naturally my first impulse was to run out towards the beech and jump into -it. Could I have done this I should have been safe, for the cat would -have had to return to the ground in order to reach the beech-tree. But -when I gained the outer end of the birch branch I found to my horror that -the gap was full three yards—a terrible jump to risk at any time, but -almost certainly fatal if I missed my footing, for before I could recover -myself the hungry brute would most infallibly have leaped down upon me. - -Now I was in a tight place indeed, for already the lithe, grey form of my -cruel foe was stealing out along the branch to which I clung, her heavier -body causing it to sway and vibrate beneath me. It seemed as though I -must take the jump, and chance it. Suddenly I noticed that the cat had -stopped. She was lying close along the branch, her hungry eyes glaring at -me, her pink tongue slowly licking her lips. It was clear that she was -afraid that if she came further the bough would not bear her weight. - -This gave me a moment’s breathing-space, time to glance round and see -if any other avenue of escape was open. At once I noticed another birch -bough to my left, and a little higher, but still within fairly easy -distance; and on the impulse I sprang, landing full upon it. At this the -cat, with another blood-curdling snarl, turned quickly back towards the -trunk, but before she could reach it I was off into the very topmost -twigs of the birch. Here I felt sure that I was safe, at any rate for the -time, for I did not believe the cat would venture so high. To my horror -she set herself to follow, and, taking such risks as I never dreamed she -would dare, she came slowly but stealthily on my track. All I could do -was to crawl out to the thinnest tip that would bear me, cling there, and -wait. - -With horrible pertinacity she followed to the very top of the trunk, and, -stationing herself in the last fork that would bear her, crouched there, -apparently determined to wait and starve me out. - -I was at my wits’ end, for there seemed no possible avenue of escape. -I might remain where I was, you will say, and trust to tiring her out. -True; but supposing she refused to be tired out? Remember, it was -freezing hard. She could endure the cold; I could not. Sooner or later -my muscles would grow numb, and I should fall either on to the ground -or right into her jaws. Another thing (I may as well confess it), I -was frightened—so badly frightened that this in itself was actually -paralysing my powers. After a few minutes I began to feel as though some -unexplainable impulse was forcing me to turn and gaze into those fierce -green eyes. I had sense enough to be aware that, once I did this, it was -all up. I should become fascinated, and drop right into the cruel jaws -that waited so hungrily below. - -Against this suicidal impulse I fought with all my might, but in spite of -my best efforts it grew upon me until I began to feel that I could endure -the torture no longer. It seemed as though it would be a relief to put -an end to it, even if it meant ending my life at the same time. The cat -seemed to know this, too, and lay below me, stretched at full length, -still as the leafless branch on which she crouched. - -I was actually turning; in another second I should have yielded as weakly -as a miserable house mouse, when suddenly a sharp bark resounded from the -beech-tree near by. The cat stirred, and for the moment I was saved. - -I looked in the direction of the sound. There was Rusty only a few yards -away in the beech. Cob was close behind him. Rusty cried out to me -sharply: - -‘Do you see that bough-tip straight below you?’ - -‘Yes,’ I answered dully. - -‘Can you drop to it?’ - -‘I’ll try.’ - -‘Don’t be a fool! You’ve done much bigger things than that. Here’s our -plan: We’ll start barking at the cat and take her attention off you while -you drop. It’s a possible jump from the bough below across to this tree, -and you’ll have plenty of time, for the cat will have to climb down the -trunk. Do you understand?’ - -‘Yes,’ I replied faintly. - -I had been in such a queer dazed condition that I had never even noticed -the possible avenue of escape which Rusty pointed out. Looking down, it -seemed a perfectly terrific drop. Indeed, it was something like twenty -feet, and if I missed it there was another thirty to the frozen snow -beneath. - -‘Are you ready?’ came Rusty’s voice, sharp and threatening. - -‘Yes,’ I said again. - -A chorus of perfectly frantic barks and squeaks broke out at once. I -heard my enemy move uneasily, and, summoning all my courage, I let myself -go and dropped. - -I struck the branch beneath, fair and square. Alas! its twigs were thin, -elastic, and slippery with frozen snow. A wild grasp with all four paws -failed to stop me. Down I went to the ground below. - -Oddly enough, this was where my luck turned. If I had fallen on to the -hard frozen surface I should almost certainly have been too stunned to -move at once. As it was, I alighted on a spot where only a thin coating -of powdery snow covered a deep soft cushion of dead leaves. Before the -cat was half-way down the birch trunk I was in the beech-tree. - -Rusty and Cob were awaiting me. - -‘Good squirrel, Scud!’ cried my brother, in tones of such warm praise as -absolutely astonished me, for I was intensely ashamed of myself for my -cowardice, and for having had such a tumble. - -However, there was no time to waste. With Rusty leading, we were away -through the beech into the next tree, and so across the coppice at full -speed. The cat, lashing her tail with rage, followed for a while across -the snow beneath, and once or twice started climbing again after us. -But we were most careful to keep in the thickest part of the wood, and -whenever she climbed we merely jumped to the next tree. Soon she tired of -this—for her—unprofitable pursuit, and stole softly away. - -Not until we had watched her out of the coppice and away along the hedges -in the direction of Merton Spinney did we venture to return to our -respective homes, where we shut ourselves up snugly and went to sleep -again. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -I FIND A WIFE - - -After the coming of the grey terror you may imagine how careful we -were. We took no more risks of any kind, and when we went out for food -invariably took the precaution first to post a sentinel in the nearest -tall tree to give good notice of danger. The cat came no more, but all -the same, this precaution in all probability saved the lives of Rusty and -myself. The snow had lasted a long time, but as the weather was sunny -and bright we were out most days. One morning, as my brother and I were -hunting out some nuts in the centre of a thick part of the hedge, we -heard Cob’s cry of warning from an oak near by. Neither of us had any -idea from which direction the danger was approaching, but we both were -at the top of the hedge in the twinkling of an eye. Only just in time, -for almost as we left the ground a gaunt red beast bounded on to the -very spot which we had left. He was so close that I distinctly heard -his sharp teeth click together like the snapping of a steel trap. He -looked up with a hungry gleam in his eyes, but quickly recognizing that -he had missed his meal, Master Reynard wasted no time in vain regrets, -and trotting sharply off down along the hedge, soon disappeared in the -distance. A fox is not particular in snowy weather. All is nuts that -comes to his hungry maw. - -Yet we were fated to hear once more of our deadliest foe. The snow had -gone; cold rain and heavy gales succeeded it, and then one day dawned so -mild and soft and sunshiny that even mother and Hazel woke. - -‘Come, children,’ said mother; ‘we will go and get some breakfast. Open -the door, Scud.’ - -I was in the very act of doing so, when the heavy report of a gun at some -distance made us all jump back. A minute later there was a rattle of -heavy claws up the trunk of our beech-tree. The sound was unmistakable. - -‘The cat!’ I muttered; and we all sank back shivering with fright. - -Right past our closed door came the sound, and up into the boughs above. -We could only crouch as still as four mice. If the grey terror found -the nest—and her keen nose would tell her that quickly enough—we were -absolutely at her mercy. - -‘Shall we make a bolt for it?’ muttered Rusty in my ear. - -‘What’s the good? She’s above us. She’d be certain to get one of us -before we could clear,’ I answered. - -All was quiet again, but our suspense was almost unendurable. Ha! what -was that? I could distinctly hear heavy footsteps on the ground below. -They seemed to be circling round the base of the tree. Then they stopped, -and absolute silence reigned. - -Crash! A tremendously heavy report, followed by an unearthly scream. -Bump, bump! Something was falling from bough to bough above; then a heavy -thud. - -‘Ha! ye poaching rascal!’ came a voice from beneath. - -Curiosity could be restrained no longer, and, lifting the moss a little, -I poked my nose through. I could have barked for sheer joy, for there -was the tall, ginger-whiskered keeper in the very act of picking up a -blood-stained grey form which lay limp and lifeless on the dead leaves at -the foot of the tree. The grey terror was no more! - -Nothing worth chronicling happened during the rest of that winter. Early -March, I remember, was cold out of the common, so we did not emerge from -our winter home until later than usual. At last the frost departed, -and one morning I woke up, and, instead of waiting as usual for Rusty, -sallied out alone. It was exquisitely bright and sunny, with a soft -feeling in the air. A gentle westerly breeze stirred the twigs, all red -at the tips with new buds, and drove across the blue sky soft rolls of -light, smoky cloud. Tiny spikes of green were pushing out through the -withered tufts of last year’s grass, and the birds were singing as I had -never heard them sing before. - -As I ran along the lowest branch of the beech, whom should I meet quite -suddenly but Cob’s sister, little Sable. She looked at me in her pretty -shy way, murmuring a gentle ‘Good morning,’ and it suddenly occurred -to me how extremely pretty she was. I wondered vaguely why I had never -before noticed the dainty grace of her shape, the softness of her coat, -and the jewel-like brilliancy of her eyes. We sat still, gazing at one -another for quite a minute; and then suddenly, with a roguish flick of -her brush, she bounded past me and away to another branch, where she -stopped short and looked back over her shoulder with a mischievous -twinkle in her eyes. After her I dashed in full pursuit, but she was gone -again before I could reach her. - -In those days I rather fancied myself at running and jumping, but I don’t -mind saying that I never had a harder chase to catch any squirrel in my -life. She was so extraordinarily quick at dodging and turning that we -were both quite out of breath when at last I came up with her. - -That was the beginning of my courting of my dear wife, but I can tell you -that I had no easy task before me. She was the most coquettish little -thing, and just when I was beginning to whisper tender speeches in her -pretty pointed ears, off she would go with a flick and a spring, and -lead me such a dance that I would angrily declare to myself that she -did not care a bit for me. You see, I was very young in those days, and -not learned in the ways of the fair sex. At other times she would hide -herself in some cleft or knot-hole, and leave me to search for her by the -hour; then, when at last I found her, she would say with an air of the -greatest surprise: - -‘Were you looking for me, Scud? Oh, I didn’t know. What a pity!’ - -There was worse to follow. One fine morning, some days later, Sable -actually consented to come and play down on the grass. We were enjoying -a fine game when, all of a sudden, a strange squirrel, one I had hardly -seen before—he came from a family who lived quite at the other end of the -coppice—appeared on the scene, and, running up to my lady as coolly as -you please— - -‘Good morning, Sable,’ he said, without so much as looking at me. ‘Won’t -you come up to the fir-trees? I know where there are some specially -tender shoots.’ - -This was a little too much for me. - -‘Who in hazel-nuts are you?’ I inquired, coming up with my brush straight -over my head and all my teeth showing. The beggar pretended not to see -me, and began talking to Sable again. Well, if he didn’t see me he felt -me, and pretty quickly, too. I went for him on the spot, rolled him -over, and got my front teeth well home in his ear. For a minute it was -hammer and tongs. We whirled round and round, the fur flying in every -direction. He was strong, and snapped viciously, but I never let go, and -though he marked me once, the end of it was that he was only too glad to -break away and run. I chased him for some distance, and then came back, -only to find that Sable had calmly gone home. I was so cross with her -that I left her alone for the rest of that day, sulking by myself up in -the fir-trees. What made it worse was that Rusty came and laughed at me -mercilessly. - -‘You don’t catch _me_ playing the fool like that,’ he jeered. ‘A bachelor -life’s good enough for me, thank you.’ - -Next day Sable was as sweet as sugar, and we agreed to be married and set -up house together. - -The next great question was the location of our future home. During the -past winter I had seen so plainly how great were the advantages of a hole -in a trunk that I quite determined to find similar quarters. As I have -said before, I knew the coppice from end to end, and it struck me that -there was a beech-tree not far from the gate which might suit us. So off -we went to have a look at it. - -On the way we noticed two squirrels fighting savagely on the ground, with -a third sitting demurely by, and watching the combat. I had seen half a -dozen such fights in the past few days, and did not pay much attention, -but Sable suddenly stopped and sat up straight. - -‘Don’t you see who it is, Scud?’ she exclaimed, intensely amused. - -I looked again, and to my utter astonishment, who should the topmost of -the two be but my brother Rusty. - -‘My whiskers, but I’m sorry for the other!’ I laughed. - -Rusty was a terrific fighter, and, indeed, we had not long to wait before -his rival broke and ran for dear life, Rusty after him. - -Everything went well that happy day. We found a hole high up in the -beech-tree bole which, with a little hollowing out, made a simply perfect -residence. It was close under a large branch, which gave splendid -protection from the weather. We wasted no time in setting to work, and -by evening had scraped out enough of its rotten sides to make a chamber -about nine inches each way. Next day we lined it with dry leaves and grey -moss, which we stripped from the lower part of the trunk. - -But our labours were by no means at an end. Squirrels are rarely content -with one residence, and my experience, short as it had been, had made me -plainly understand the advantage of having several. Crossing over into -a larch on the opposite side of the path, we built a drey on a large -flat bough at a good height above the ground. This was all of selected -sticks, and was well roofed in. It had a hollow floor and a conical roof, -the sticks composing the roof being carefully interlaced in order to -keep out the rain. It had an entrance on the east side and a bolt-hole -on the west, and to close the doors at night, or in cold weather, we -provided plenty of moss and soft grass fibre to make stoppers. The only -incident of note during these pleasant days was my getting a horrid -fright through accidentally digging up a slow-worm which had not yet -left its winter-quarters in the hedge bank where I was pulling up grass -roots. Ever since my adventure with the viper I have had a perfect horror -of snakes. Not, of course, that a slow-worm is a snake, or in any way -dangerous, but still, it looks detestably like one. - -It seemed odd at first, only two of us in our new home, instead of -the four who had snuggled together during the long winter in the old -beech-tree. But we were far too busy to be dull, and we often saw mother -and the rest of our relations. Mother was very pleased with our match, -and equally so with the two others in our family, for not only had Rusty -found a wife, but Cob and my sister Hazel had set up housekeeping -together. - -It used to amuse me, the air of proprietorship which Sable exhibited in -our tree. I really believe that she considered the whole of it belonged -to her, root, trunk, and branch. Any stranger squirrel who ventured to -intrude had a bad time indeed. He or she was promptly chased off the -premises without any ceremony whatever. - -It was one day in April that our four babies were born. Ugly little -beasts, I called them, quite hairless, blind and helpless. But when I -ventured to remark as much to my wife there was a regular upset. You -might hardly believe it, but she turned me out neck and crop, and for -the next few days I never ventured home for more than a few minutes at a -time. It was difficult even to persuade Sable to leave the little beggars -long enough to take her meals. Early spring is none too easy a time -for squirrels to find food in any case, and we were forced to subsist -principally on the young shoots and bark of pine and fir trees. It is -this habit which gets us such a bad name with keepers and foresters, but -we do not do half so much damage as we are credited with. - -One day, when I was out alone foraging, I met Rusty looking very fat and -happy. - -‘Hulloa, Scud,’ he said. ‘You’re getting thin. Cares of matrimony, eh?’ - -‘They don’t appear to worry you very much, anyhow,’ I retorted. ‘How do -you keep so fat?’ - -‘Oh, I find plenty of food,’ he answered lightly; but there was a sort of -guilty air about him which puzzled me at the time. - -A day or two later, when I caught him devouring a nestful of the little -blue eggs of the hedge-sparrow, I understood. - -Now, eating eggs is a thing which is considered by well-bred squirrels -to be thoroughly bad form; but, after all, it was no business of mine. -Rusty was old enough to take his own course, so I said nothing about it. -I have often blamed myself since, for one bad habit leads to another; and -no doubt my brother’s indulgence in eggs that spring was the first step -which led to the sad end which afterwards befell him. - -To return to my own affairs—our kittens grew with astonishing rapidity, -and once they opened their eyes began to prove decidedly more -interesting. They were three bucks and a doe. In a month they were half -as big as myself, and their hair had grown to quite a respectable length. -Being April kittens, their coats were entirely different from the one -which I had worn during my first summer. Mine had been reddish-brown, and -I had had no tufts on my ears, but our young ones had greyish-brown coats -like the winter one which I was just beginning to discard, and they wore -smart little tufts on each ear as well as hair on their palms. One of -them, however, was much darker than the other three. - -Sable was the best of mothers, and took the greatest care of her young -family, keeping them beautifully neat and clean. Before long they grew -big enough to be taken out of the nest, and then began a very busy time -for their mother and myself. Jumping and climbing lessons were the order -of the day. Remembering how well my mother had instructed me, I took the -greatest pains to show them how to spring from one branch to another, how -to swing by one hand or foot, to fall without hurting themselves, and how -to hide instantly when any danger approached. Sometimes we took them down -on to the turf below, which was always kept close cropped by the rabbits, -and the children enjoyed nothing better than rolling about there, -tumbling head over heels, and indulging in all kinds of wild antics. - -It amused me to see how inquisitive they all were. Curiosity is, of -course, the besetting sin of the whole of our tribe, and many a one of us -has it brought to grief. Anything the least bit out of the way had to be -examined at once, and no amount of reproof ever seemed to restrain them. -Curiosity very nearly cost Walnut—for so I called the little dark chap, -who was my special favourite—his life. - -One morning I had been over to the other end of the coppice, to a -horse-chestnut tree which I knew of. Young horse-chestnut buds, I may -remark, make as good a breakfast as almost anything I know of. When I -came back I found Sable running about on the ground in a most distracted -fashion. So soon as she caught sight of me she came flying to tell me -that Walnut was missing. She was so excited that I had some difficulty -at first in making out the facts of the case. It appeared that she had -had the whole family out for a game on the grassy sward which bordered -the wood path when, all of a sudden, she became conscious that only three -of them were in sight. Walnut had completely disappeared. The others -explained that they had been playing hide and seek, and that Walnut had -been hiding. They had looked everywhere for him, but could neither find -nor hear him. - -Sending them all three back home out of mischief, their mother had set to -work to make a vigorous search, but after half an hour’s hard hunting, -had found no sign of her missing son. I joined her; and we began to -quarter out the ground systematically, she taking one side of the path, -I the other. But not so much as a hair of Walnut’s brush could we see; -and when the shadows had nearly reached their shortest, I began to feel -almost certain that some prowling weasel had caught our poor son. At -last it occurred to me that the adventurous young rascal might have gone -through the hedge into the open field, and I myself crossed the hedge -and ditch. I think I have mentioned before that near the coppice gate on -the meadow side was a strip of sandy ground with patches of hawthorn, -blackberry bushes, and gorse, which was riddled with rabbit holes. As I -wandered sadly across this, occasionally stopping to give a slight bark -or a stamp, I suddenly heard a distinct reply. In great delight I hurried -forward to a thick clump of gorse from which the sound seemed to come. -But when I reached the spot there was no sign of life. I stamped again, -and this time there was no doubt whatever about the answer. But it came -from underground! Then I knew what had happened. Walnut had evidently -tumbled into a rabbit-earth and was unable to get out. Very soon I found -the hole, and there, sure enough, in the darkness some feet below me I -saw my son’s eyes. - -The burrow was a wide and very steep one, and its sides were of extremely -soft and loose sand. It was quite plain that Walnut, having once fallen -in, could get no footing to jump or scramble out; indeed, so he told me -in tones that shook with fatigue and fright. - -I called up Sable at once, and she, clever creature that she is, -suggested that the best thing to do was to throw down pieces of grass and -stick in order to give Walnut a footing from which he might jump. It was -a long operation, but we finished it at last, and our foolish son once -more emerged to the light of day. - -‘How, in the name of pine-cones, did you ever come to get into such a -place?’ was my first angry question. - -‘I saw something white sticking out of it, father,’ he replied very -coolly, ‘and I wanted to find out what it was.’ - -I burst out laughing. - -‘Haven’t you ever seen a rabbit’s scut before?’ - -Walnut looked rather foolish. - -‘I suppose I have,’ he answered, ‘but it didn’t strike me at the time.’ - -Things went very quietly and peacefully during the early part of -that summer. There were no human intruders whatever. As I found out -afterwards, the new people at the Hall had stopped all the old footpaths, -including the field-path which led to the coppice gate. They had great -ideas on the subject of high-farming and high-preserving, but for -the present we luckily lived in comparative ignorance of these. One -or two things certainly seemed strange. Almost all the hedges in the -neighbourhood had been cut down and pleached during the winter, making -the country-side look singularly bare. Also several grass fields had been -ploughed up and planted with roots or wheat. - -The ginger-haired keeper and a boy—his son, I believe—were often in the -coppice, messing about among the undergrowth and collecting whole baskets -full of pheasants’ eggs. Mother was horrified at this performance, but, -as we found out later, they took them to the Hall to be hatched in -incubators. I have spoken of the amount of timber-cutting which went on -around the Hall. One day in the early spring a number of men invaded the -coppice and cut away the underbrush and tree branches, so as to make -several open rides across the wood from end to end. We were annoyed to -see so many good hazel-bushes destroyed, but as they did not cut down the -heavy timber we were not particularly inconvenienced. - -We owed that ginger-whiskered keeper a debt of gratitude for slaying our -enemy, the grey cat, but some of his performances no self-respecting -coppice-dweller could approve of. He began to set horrible gins and -snares in every direction. So far as killing off the stoats and weasels -went, this was all very well; but it was a sad and dreadful thing to -see an unlucky brown owl, the foe of nothing except mice and such-like -vermin, struggling miserably half the night in the foul jaws of a -pole-trap, with both its legs broken. Jays and magpies suffered also. I -had seen traps at the Hall, and took particular pains to point them out -to my youngsters as objects to be avoided with the utmost care. Other -young families were not so fortunate. One of Rusty’s promising sons was -missed one day, and found by his mother with his head crushed between -cruel iron teeth, stone dead. There is nothing in the world so barbarous -as the steel-spring trap. - -That spring and all the early summer were extraordinarily dry. The -hay-crop was very short, but of excellent quality, while the grain -was curiously dwarfed. Many of the flowers came out before their time, -particularly the white convolvulus and the purple scabious. The brook -in the field, I remember, ran altogether dry, and failed to fill a -large excavation which the new tenant of the Hall had had dug with the -intention of making a fish-pond. I went to look at it one day, and found -it a bare expanse of red clay, netted all over with deep cracks, in -the largest and dampest of which a few small, unhappy frogs had found -precarious refuge. - -Mother told us that she had never seen weather like it before, and shook -her head a good deal, prophesying that food would be as scanty during the -coming autumn as it had been plentiful the previous year. Certainly there -seemed good ground for her forebodings, for the oaks had hardly set any -acorns, and there was little sign of mast upon the beech-trees. It looked -as though the birds, also, would be likely to suffer, for the hips and -haws dropped before setting from the drought, the hollies and yews had no -berries, and the blackberry crop seemed as though it would be a complete -failure. - -Towards the end of July we had a spell of intense heat. We all took up -our abode in our summer drey, opening both doors in order to let the -draught, when there was any, blow through, and never stirred out except -in the early morning and late evening. We felt the heat severely; but, -after all, were far better off than the ground creatures. The grass in -the meadows outside the gate had turned quite brown, and the unlucky -rabbits were forced to travel long distances to find grazing. - -There are few things, by the bye, which a rabbit dislikes more greatly -than venturing any considerable distance from his home. The poor young -ones paid a heavy toll to the stoats and weasels during that famine-time, -for the vermin had them at their mercy when the little chaps visited the -hedgerows to look for a little greenstuff. - -The birds ceased singing almost completely, and the only place where much -bird-life was still to be seen in our neighbourhood was around the pool -down at the end of the coppice. This was almost dry, but a few square -yards of stagnant, shallow water still remained in the centre, surrounded -by a wide space of mud dotted all over with the footprints of dozens of -different species of birds, and not a few four-legged creatures as well. - -It must have been about the twelfth day of the heat, which turned out -the most sultry I ever experienced in my life. The sun rose crimson in -a crimson sky. No breath of air was abroad, and the leaves hung down -straight without a flicker of movement. The coppice was uncannily silent, -a silence broken only by the hum of insects, which rose drowsily through -the foliage; the only moving things were butterflies, flaunting on -painted wings, and a few lizards and snakes—reptiles for which no weather -seems too hot. - -All six of us lay out on the branches under the thickest shade we could -find, tongues lolling out, too listless to trouble about food or even to -talk. As the afternoon drew on, and the shadows lengthened towards the -east, I suggested to Sable that we should go off in search of supper. I -mentioned an oat-field just across the road, where I had an idea that the -grain would be ripe enough to provide an easily-won meal. - -But Sable said no; that it was still too hot for the children. That I had -better go alone. If the oats were really ripe, we would all journey there -next morning for breakfast. I never argue with my wife. My first week of -wedded life taught me that such a proceeding is an entire waste of time -and energy. So answering, ‘Very well, my dear,’ I rose, stretching and -yawning lazily, and went leisurely away towards my destination. After -all, Sable was quite right When I reached the open, the sun still stung -with hardly abated power, and the heat mist shimmered over the baking -ground. - -The oat-field had turned quite golden in the past few days, but it was -pitiful to see how short was the straw, how light the heads, and how -small the grain. I had it all to myself, and wandered about, picking -out the heaviest heads and nibbling in leisurely fashion. Suddenly a -low distant mutter of thunder boomed through the stagnant air, and it -struck me that it might be wise to make for home. But before I could -even reach the hedge there sounded a second and louder peal, and to my -amazement a quarter of the northern sky was already swallowed by a huge -mass of vapour, purplish-black in colour, and rimmed with a tumbling -edge of boiling mist white as snow. The cloud was advancing with amazing -rapidity, and as I sprang into a pollard oak at the corner of the hedge, -to get a better view, it swallowed up the sun, and a sudden darkness fell -upon the thirsty land. Then I saw that the deep bosom of the ponderous -storm-cloud was laced by constant streaks of blue and silver fire. -Such a sight is not seen once in a generation of squirrels, and it so -deeply interested me that for the moment I entirely forgot my intention -of returning home, and sat there watching the gathering tempest with -fascinated eyes. - -A great tongue of blue flame licked downwards, and a moment later the -thunder crashed in real earnest. There was a hoarse murmur in the -far distance, and I saw the tree-tops, fields away across the level -country-side, bend their tall heads as the first gust struck them. -Presently a breath of air, cold, damp, and delicious, ruffled my fur, -and, as the lightning flared again through the gloom, the first drop of -rain, the size of a wren’s egg, struck me full in the face. - -With a sudden start I realized that it was now too late to dream of -returning, and that, if I wished to avoid the worst ducking of my life, -I must seek shelter of some kind. Racing round the club-like top of the -pollard I discovered a knot hole just large enough to hold me, and into -this I forced my way—barely in time, for almost instantaneously the full -force of the tempest was upon me. One gust of wind, so fierce that I felt -the sturdy old oak quiver to its very roots, then a smashing downpour of -hail. Not ordinary hail, but lumps of ice as large as walnuts, which -almost instantaneously levelled the field of oats flat with the ground, -stripped the foliage from the trees, and danced into white drifts which -lay inches deep against the hedge bank. - -In between the hail clouds pennons of blue and white electric fire sprang -and vanished; but the clamour of the pounding ice and the roar of the -wind almost drowned the bellowing thunder. Closer and closer glared the -lightning. The hail turned to rain, which fell in solid sheets. The sharp -alternations between darkness and intense white light dazzled me so -greatly that I could hardly see. I felt stunned, deafened, and horribly -frightened. - -Of a sudden the rain ceased absolutely. Instantly the whole world was -bathed in white fire, and simultaneously the very heavens seemed to crack -with a crash that, I think, actually stunned me for the moment. When I -came to myself again it was raining almost as fiercely as ever. Flash and -crash still followed for some minutes with hardly abated rapidity and -intensity, but very soon it began to grow lighter. The storm, like most -such, was of small area, and travelling so rapidly that it passed almost -as quickly as it had come. - -[Illustration: DOWN THE NEAR SIDE OF THE TRUNK WAS A DEEP AND WIDE NEW -SCAR] - -‘My poor Sable!’ I thought as I started hurriedly homewards. ‘What a -terrible fright she and the kittens will have had!’ As I crossed the road -into the coppice signs of the storm were everywhere visible. The ground -was covered with green leaves, among which the fast-melting hail-drifts -gleamed oddly white. Every puddle brimmed, every branch dripped, and from -the meadow below the voice of the swollen brook rose hoarsely. - -I made along the hedge, crossed into the coppice trees, and rattled -rapidly homewards among the soaking foliage. A slight smoke rising in -the distance startled me, but it was without the slightest premonition -of coming misfortune that I quickened my pace, uttering a slight bark to -signal my approach. - -There was no reply, and the last part of my way I covered at full speed. -Reaching the nearest side of the path, I stopped, stared, staggered, and -nearly lost my hold. It was from our own beech-tree that the smoke was -rising. The ground below was strewn with white fragments of splintered -wood. Down the near side of the trunk was a deep and wide new scar, -blackened in the centre. - -Shaking and trembling all over, I crept up. But, no, I cannot tell you -what I saw. They had all taken refuge in the nest, and their death must -have been mercifully instantaneous. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -WAR DECLARED AGAINST OUR RACE - - -I think the shock of the disaster which robbed me at one fell swoop of -wife, family, and home must have so completely stunned all my faculties -that for a time I was unable to realize fully what had happened. I -vaguely remember wandering round and about the still faintly-steaming -ruins of the beech-tree, and calling piteously for Sable. Lucky for me -that no enemy came near. Even a boy with a catapult could have made an -easy prey of me, for all my senses were strangely dulled. - -What first brought me to myself again was a low but familiar call which -came from a small larch near by. Looking up, I could hardly believe my -eyes when I caught sight of a small dark squirrel crouching on a branch -at no great height from the ground shivering piteously. - -‘Walnut!’ I exclaimed in absolute amazement. - -I had felt so certain that the poor charred remains in my broken home -comprised the whole of my family. Was it possible that one of them had -escaped, after all? - -The poor little chap was so shockingly frightened that it was a long -time before he could give me any clear account of how he had escaped. It -appears that when my poor Sable saw the storm coming she at once set to -work to take her family from the summer drey in the larch back to the -hollow in the beech-trunk. She had been afraid, Walnut said, that the -wind might blow the drey away. The jump across the path from tree to tree -being too much for the youngsters, their mother had led the way down to -the ground, ordering them all to follow her closely. Walnut, however, who -had never seen a thunderstorm, and who, of course, did not realize the -danger, thought it would be a fine joke to remain behind. In the hurry -of the moment Sable, no doubt, never noticed until too late that he was -not with the others, and when the storm broke the darkness at once became -almost impenetrable. - -When the hail began, Walnut, terrified almost out of his senses, wished -most devoutly that he had not been such a fool, for great lumps of ice -beat through the roof of the drey, and the tree swayed so frightfully -that he expected every moment the whole nest would be torn away and sent -flying in fragments to the ground. However, it was too late for useful -repentance, so he was forced to stay where he was. Then came the final -fearful crash, and he remembered nothing more until he found himself -clinging desperately to a bough a long way below the drey. When the -weather cleared a little he had gone across to the beech-tree, but the -smoke frightened him so that he had not dared to climb. - -That night we two spent amid the dripping ruins in the larch. After the -great heat the night breeze struck bitter cold, and we lay chilled and -shivering, though too miserable to care much one way or the other. As -soon as ever it grew light we left that part of the coppice for ever. -I took my son to the extreme opposite end of the wood, and there had -the good luck to stumble almost immediately upon possible quarters. -These were in a vast oak, the boughs of which were beginning to decay -from sheer old age. In the end of one branch, broken short off by some -long past gale, was a deep hole which had evidently been formerly the -habitation of a pair of stock-doves, for the remains of their nest were -mouldering just inside the entrance. I had no spirit to build new -quarters, so with sore hearts we took possession of this shelter. Later, -when I recovered my energies a little, I collected moss to line it, and -made a dry and fairly comfortable residence. - -Of the time that followed I will not speak. But for Walnut I should not -have cared to live. As it was, I hardly took the trouble to eat, but sat -and moped from day to day, until I grew thin and bony; my coat stared, -and I looked like an old squirrel. - -But time cures all sorrows, and happily for us, just as a squirrel’s life -is shorter than a man’s, so much the more rapidly do his griefs pass -away. Walnut grew from day to day, and became a strong, handsome fellow, -well able to take care of himself. I was very proud and fond of him, and -gradually his bright companionship did me good, and amid new scenes I -began slowly to take a fresh interest in life. - -Our new home was very near to the far end of the wood path, close to -the other gate, which opened on to the road; the same road which ran -past the Hall, across the brook, to the village beyond. As I have, I -think, mentioned before, the new people at the Hall had closed this -path, padlocked the gates, and posted notices forbidding anyone from -using the short cut. This course caused intense dissatisfaction among -the villagers, and more than once I saw a passing labourer shake his -fist in silent anger as he tramped along the dusty road past the locked, -iron-spiked gate. - -It was not long before we began to realize the reason of this proceeding. -One day the ginger-whiskered keeper appeared outside the gate with a cart -loaded with coops. Unlocking the gate, he and another man carried in -the coops one by one. All our curiosity aroused, Walnut and I followed -cautiously, and watched them lay the coops down in an open glade, not far -from our oak tree, open them, and let loose dozens of young pheasants, -which scuttled about without attempting to fly, tame as so many barn-door -fowls. Next came a proceeding which interested me far more. Taking two -bags from the cart, the keeper proceeded to scatter a quantity of Indian -corn and other food about in the grass, then, picking up the coops, he -departed. - -So soon as ever they were gone, down swooped Walnut and myself, and, -sending the frightened young pheasants scuttling in every direction, -set to work on the corn. It was nearly a year since I had tasted this -delicacy, which Jack Fortescue used to give me as a treat in the old, -quiet days at the Hall. The food was a godsend to us, for, as I have -said, the supply of nuts, mast, and acorns, was of the shortest in our -neighbourhood that season. I let my mother know, and she as well as -Cob and my sister and their young ones were very soon on the spot. The -pheasants got precious little of that meal, or of many subsequent ones -which the keeper carefully brought day by day. However, they were not -much to be pitied, for the supply of ants’ eggs was plentiful all over -the coppice, and pheasants do better on ants’ eggs than on almost any -artificial food they can be given. - -I noticed that Rusty never troubled to come down to the pheasant food, -though his wife and family of three sturdy sons regularly attended our -daily free feed. I had my own suspicions, and these were confirmed when -his wife told me that he was often away for whole days together. When -she remonstrated with him he only laughed, and this made her seriously -uneasy. Rusty had grown to be the largest and most powerful squirrel that -I have ever seen in my life. No other in the wood could have stood up to -him for a minute. He was also astonishingly brave and independent, and -would venture across open fields for any distance. - -One day he said to me: - -‘Hulloa, Scud! why don’t you ever come to the Hall nowadays? I believe -you’re scared. Don’t you want another taste of those cob-nuts?’ - -‘You don’t mean to say you go there?’ exclaimed I. - -‘Of course I do. Great polecats! do you think I’ve got nothing better to -do than mess about here all day picking up a few rotten grains of corn or -green acorns?’ - -‘You ran fast enough on the day you and I got shot at,’ I retorted, -rather annoyed at his insinuations. - -‘A precious pair of young idiots we were!’ he returned scornfully. ‘I -take jolly good care they don’t see me nowadays.’ - -‘How do you manage that?’ - -‘Why, in the first place I go at dawn, before any one is about; in the -second, I don’t cut across the lawn, but round to the right of the house. -Are you game to come to-morrow morning?’ - -A longing to see the old place once more came over me. I was also anxious -to find out what Rusty was about, for I did not believe for a moment that -the attraction lay in the cob-nuts. I hesitated. - -‘Very well,’ said Rusty, taking my silence for consent. ‘Meet me at -sun-up by the pool at the other end of the wood.’ - -I won’t describe how we reached the Hall, except to say that, instead of -working down the road-hedge to the left, as we had done on the previous -occasion, we struck boldly out down the right-hand side to the large -meadow. Rusty guided me round to the home farm-buildings, which lay some -quarter of a mile to the right of the Hall. The farm and rick-yards were -surrounded on two sides by a stone wall, outside which was a strip of -laurel shrubbery. - -‘Now, you wait here,’ said Rusty with a patronizing air which I could not -help resenting. ‘I’m going over the wall for my breakfast. You needn’t -watch if you don’t like.’ - -‘Don’t be a fool, Rusty!’ exclaimed I angrily, for I thought it sheer -bravado on his part. ‘There’s nothing to eat there, except the chicken -grain you profess to despise.’ - -‘Oh! isn’t there?’ jeered my brother; and before I could say another word -he had leaped on to the wall, and with another bold spring was down in -the yard. - -It was still very early, a bright cloudless August morning, and -everything dripping with dew. The place appeared to be deserted, -although from the kitchen chimney of the farm-house a slight blue smoke -was rising. Climbing into the top of a laurel, I got a good view of the -whole yard, and watched Rusty nimbly scuttle across towards the further -buddings. Behind these he was lost to sight. - -Suddenly arose the wild cackling of a frightened hen, and next moment, to -my utter horror, there came Rusty round the corner of a shed, head up, -as bold as brass, with a young chicken swinging by the neck between his -sharp teeth. At the same moment I saw—what he failed to notice—a man, who -raised his head cautiously over the half-door of a cowshed on the far -side of the yard, and the level rays of the rising sun glinting on the -barrels of a gun. I gave one sharp bark of warning. Too late! A puff of -smoke sprang from the muzzle, the heavy report sent the sparrows up in a -chattering cloud, and of my brother no more remained than a little red -rag of broken fur stretched on the cobbles which paved the yard. - -I suppose the man with the gun could not have heard my attempted warning. -If he had, nothing could have saved me, for I was too horror-stricken for -the moment to move at all. I sat like a stuffed squirrel and watched him -walk across to where Rusty lay. ‘Well, I never would ha’ believed it!’ -he said wonderingly, holding the small bunch of mangled fur out at arm’s -length. ‘If one of them chicks has gone I’ve lost a dozen; and to think -it was this here little red rascal!’ He turned and called loudly, ‘Jim, -bring me a hammer and a nail.’ - -A tousle-headed boy came out of the back door of the farm-house with the -required implements. The man took the hammer, and deliberately nailed -the dead body of my brother against the tarred wooden wall of one of the -barns. ‘You’ll do for a warning,’ he remarked grimly as he turned away. -And, sick at heart, I dropped out of sight and made the best of my way -back to the coppice. - -Such was the end of the strongest and bravest squirrel whom I ever knew. -You must not imagine for one moment that such a crime as he was guilty -of is a common one among squirrels. It is, indeed, very rare for one of -our family to take to a carnivorous diet, but when he does fall into such -a habit he never abandons it. They say that there is a kind of parrot -in New Zealand, called the kea, which in old days, before sheep were -imported into the islands, lived entirely upon seeds and insects. But -the bird found it was easier to pick at the raw skins of newly-killed -sheep, hung out on the fences, than to hunt food for itself; and, once -it acquired a taste for blood, there was no more caterpillar-hunting for -the kea! Next thing the shepherds knew, sheep were found dying or dead -all over the ranges, the fat above the kidneys torn out by the powerful -hooked beak of this goblin bird. Now the Government has set a price upon -the head of the kea, and the outlaw lives a proscribed and hunted life. - -Far be it from the squirrels that, as a race, they should take to the -evil habit of flesh eating. But from time immemorial a few in each -generation have begun with devouring birds’ eggs; from that gone on to -eating young hedge-sparrows, redstarts, and the like; and finally, like -my poor brother, taken to larger game, such as young pheasants, ducks, or -chickens. But they seldom have the chance of long continuing such raids, -for, unlike foxes, rats, polecats, and other enemies of the poultry yard, -they do not hunt by night, but boldly in broad daylight. Consequently -they almost inevitably meet fate in the shape of a charge of lead. - -[Illustration: ‘AND TO THINK IT WAS THIS HERE LITTLE RED RASCAL’] - -Whether the man who shot Rusty told the story to the ginger-whiskered -keeper, or whether the latter himself surprised some of us feasting on -his pheasant food in the coppice I do not know, but from that very day -dated the war against the squirrels on the Hall estate. - -That same afternoon, having discharged the unpleasant duty of telling -poor Rusty’s widow of the sad event of the morning, I was roaming sadly -about our oak-tree, searching under the bark for the insects which -inhabited the rotten wood, when I heard a gun fired twice at the other -end of the coppice. At first I hardly moved, for I took it that the -keeper was merely killing a weasel or some such vermin. But when two more -shots followed quickly, and immediately afterwards the vicious crack, -crack of a lighter weapon, I was amazed, for, like all other woodland -dwellers, I was perfectly well aware that the shooting season had not yet -commenced. When the double barrel spoke again, and this time nearer, I -called Walnut, who was up in the top branches, and together we took hasty -refuge in our hole. - -We had not been there five minutes before there came a quick scuttering -of claws up the rough bark, and simultaneously the tramping of heavy feet -through the bracken at a little distance. - -I was moving to the entrance to find out what was going on when something -fairly shot into the hole, knocking me back to its farthest end. When -I had picked myself up, there was Cob lying panting, almost too much -exhausted to speak. - -‘They’re after us, Scud!’ he gasped at last. - -‘Who? What?’ - -‘The keeper and a boy. They’ve shot three of us already, and I’m -frightened to death about Hazel. I was away from home and couldn’t get -back. I saw three dead bodies.’ - -Here a gruff human voice broke in from below. - -‘Where’s the dratted little beggar got to? I seed him jump into this here -oak. He can’t be far off.’ - -‘He’s sure to be in one of the holes in the trunk,’ replied more sharply -pitched tones which I recognized at once as those of the high-collared -boy whose mark I still bore in the shape of a shot hole in one ear. -‘Climb up, Tompkins, and see.’ - -‘Climb! Thank’ee, sir. I wasn’t engaged to break my neck climbing -trees—not at my age. Tell you what, sir. I’ll go on with the gun. You can -wait here quietly, and after a bit he’s sure to come out, and then you -can shoot him.’ - -‘All right,’ answered the boy, and we plainly heard Tompkins stamping -off. Cob was crazy to get away and go in search of his wife and family, -but the boy below, who had about as much idea of woodcraft as a frog has -of flying, made such a noise moving from one foot to the other, breathing -hard and shifting his rifle about, that even a hedgehog would have known -better than to take the chances of showing himself. - -His patience was about on a par with his other performances, for in less -than five minutes he became tired of waiting, and moved off after the -keeper. - -But we heard no more shots. Bad news spreads like magic in a wood, and by -this time every squirrel of the forty or fifty who inhabited our coppice -was snug under cover, and it would have taken better eyes than those of -Ginger or his young friend to find us. After another half hour or so we -heard the far gate slam to, and knew that danger was over—at least, for -the present. Then Cob went off as hard as his legs would carry him, and -later on I was delighted to hear that he had found Hazel and his two -young ones quite safe and unhurt. - -To say that we were furious at this wanton massacre is to put our -feelings very mildly. From time out of mind the lives of the squirrels -on the Hall estate had been sacred, and except when trespassing -louts—such as those who had caused the death of my father—had attacked us -we had lived safe and happy from one generation to another. - -As a race, we squirrels are very conservative and home loving. So long -as we are not molested, the same families and their children remain in -the same wood year after year, never emigrating unless driven to do so -by over-population or lack of food. If, on the other hand, the squirrels -in any particular locality are regularly persecuted by man, always their -worst enemy, the survivors will very soon clear out completely. There -are to-day whole tracts of beautiful beech woods in Buckinghamshire, -where, though food is perhaps as plentiful as anywhere else in England, -yet hardly a squirrel is to be seen. Our race has been so harried that -they have left altogether. Modern high preserving is what we unlucky -squirrels cannot stand. Where the owner’s one idea is to get as large a -head of pheasants as the coverts can possibly carry, every other woodland -creature goes to the wall, and the keepers shoot us down as mercilessly -as they kill kestrels, owls, jays, hedgehogs, and a dozen other harmless -birds and beasts. - -Very soon it became clear that the new tenant of the Hall had declared -war against us. The pheasants, of which an immense number had been turned -down, were his only care. He used to come and strut about while Tompkins -was feeding them. As Walnut said, he only needed a long tail and a few -feathers to resemble exactly a stupid old, stuck-up cock-pheasant himself. - -Again and again during that August Tompkins with his twelve bore, and the -band-box boy with a small repeating rifle, invaded the wood and fired -indiscriminately at every squirrel they could set eyes on. But, as you -may imagine, we very soon learnt caution, and when news of their approach -was signalled from tree to tree, every squirrel in the coppice took -instant cover. Still, our enemies occasionally succeeded in cutting off -one of our number in some tree where total concealment was impossible, -and then the cruel little brute of a boy would make him a target for -his tiny bullets, often inflicting half a dozen wounds before a vital -spot was struck. Then at last the tightly-clutching claws would slowly -relax, and the poor, bleeding little body come thudding down from bough -to bough, to be pounced on by the young murderer with a yell of fiendish -glee. - -In those days I kept Walnut very close at home. Except at dawn or just -before dusk we never ventured far from cover, with the result that -neither was ever shot at. It was uncommonly lucky for us that this was -the time of most plentiful food, for otherwise, being afraid to roam far -in search of provender, we must often have gone hungry. But though, as I -have already mentioned, the early drought had caused a famine in nuts, -acorns, and mast, yet there was plenty else to eat. It was as wet now as -it had been dry in the earlier part of the year, and the steamy heat had -produced amazing crops of mushrooms and other fungi. The hedgerows, too, -which before the rain had looked thin and brown, were now full of rank, -new growth, while as for insects of all kinds, they fairly swarmed. On -the pheasant food, too, we levied regular toll. In any case, the fool of -a keeper threw down twice as much as the birds cared to eat. - -In those days our enemy was busy with other weapons beside the gun. Men -were constantly at work lopping the underbrush to keep the rides open, -while much spading went on to clear the water-logged ditches. - -September was three parts gone, and the pheasants were nearly full grown, -but as yet so tame that they had almost to be kicked before they would -use their wings. They were still fed in the small glade close below the -oak, when Walnut and I, peeping out cautiously from the end of the hollow -branch, would watch our enemy with the ginger whiskers strewing the -wheat, and then, as soon as he was safely out of the gate, make a wild -rush down and eat our fill. Pheasants are quite the most utter fools of -any birds that I know. With their great weight and strong beaks we could -have done nothing to resist had they chosen to attack us when we raided -their larder. But this never seemed to occur to them. You have only to -look very fierce and rush at him for the largest cock-pheasant to run for -dear life. - -More often than before, the new master of the Hall began to accompany his -keeper and watch the feeding process. Great hazel-sticks! the man was as -fussy as a hen with ducklings. - -However, there’s many a slip ’twixt the nut and the teeth, and our -pompous friend was not destined to have things all his own way after all. - - - - -CHAPTER X - -POACHERS AND A BATTUE - - -One still night about ten days before the end of September, Walnut and I -were roused by a light which, flashing across the opening to our retreat, -was reflected into our eyes. It passed immediately, but not before we -were both broad awake. - -Several men were trampling about close underneath the oak. - -‘Lie still, Walnut,’ I ordered uneasily, for this was something new to -me. I had never before heard men moving in the wood so late at night, -and I was at first inclined to think that there might be some new plot -of Tompkins or his satellites a-foot. Very cautiously I peered out. -There was a young moon somewhere behind the soft veil of cloud, which -covered the sky so that it was not too dark to see the figures of three -men moving cautiously across the glade in which the pheasants fed. One -carried a dark lantern, the tiny beam of light from which was what had -roused us the moment before. - -‘They’ll be in them young beeches,’ said one in a hoarse whisper. ‘There -ain’t any in the oak.’ - -I saw them all three move cautiously across into a clump of young beeches -which stood just across the glade. There they stopped, and the lantern -was flashed upwards into the low branches, its light gleaming golden upon -the yellowing leaves. A slight rustle followed, and a voice muttered: - -‘I sees ’em. Shut the lantern an’ help me fix the smudge.’ - -The three now stooped together on the ground and appeared to be gathering -dry leaves and heaping them together in a little pile. Presently I heard -the faint scratching of a match, and a small blue flame illuminated three -eager faces. Two of them were men whom I had never seen before; the third -I recognized as a labourer whom I had more than once watched shake his -fist fiercely as he passed the locked gate of the coppice. - -The man who held the match touched it to the leaves, but before they -could burst into bright flame the two others penned the little fire by -holding a couple of sacks round it. - -One of the men threw a handful of powder over the fire which at once -choked it down, making it burn with a sickly blue flame. Then they all -three stood perfectly still, hiding the fire with their sacks, but -keeping their heads turned as far as possible away from the smoke which -went wreathing up in thick columns into the foliage above them. - -Before many moments had passed there came a slight whirr, the sound of -wings beating on leaves, and with a flop, down fell a great pheasant -almost on the heads of the watchers. Quick as a cat, one of the men -reached out one arm, seized the bird, and wrung its neck. He had hardly -done so when there was another rustle and thud, and a second of our -oppressor’s pets shared the fate of the first. - -It was evident that from the stuff they put in the flame there arose -poisonous fumes that stupefied the roosting birds. - -Very soon even we could smell the noisome stuff, and Walnut wrinkled up -his nose in disgust. Even a human being, let alone a squirrel, whose -sense of smell is fifty times more acute, could easily have perceived it. - -[Illustration: A SMALL BLUE FLAME ILLUMINATED THREE EAGER FACES.] - -Presently the poachers lifted up the whole fire, which we now saw had -been built upon a small square of sheet-iron, and removed it bodily to a -fresh spot, under another tree. Here no fewer than four pheasants were -secured one after another, and then the fire was moved again. So they -went on for two hours or more, working round and round the glade. As -nearly all the pheasants roosted in this part of the coppice there was no -need to go further afield. At last, when their sack was fairly bulging -with dead game, they took their departure. - -Twice during the next three nights did the gang of poachers return, and -each time went home with a score or more of long-tails. Tompkins at last -began to miss his birds at feeding-time, and to suspect that something -was wrong. Walnut and I sat secure in our retreat overhead, and jeered at -the man’s utter stupidity. Why, even if he had no nose for the brimstone, -of which the whole place fairly reeked, there were great footprints all -over the place telling their story in large type to anyone who had eyes! -Yet the keeper absolutely walked over them without looking at them. The -very idea of poachers never seemed to occur to him. I verily believe -he thought that we had something to do with the disappearance of his -precious pheasants, for as he left the coppice he fired at and killed a -poor young cousin of ours. - -The leaves had begun to fall once more, when one day the pompous little -fat man accompanied Tompkins through the coppice. They stopped in the -glade below us, and it was evident the new tenant was uneasy. He began -peering and pointing, and questioning the keeper as if he were only half -satisfied. - -‘Oh, they’re all right, sir,’ replied the keeper hastily, in answer to -his questions. ‘You see, sir, they’ve got so big now they don’t need the -grain. They’re round in the bracken finding their own feed.’ - -The master swallowed his story like a thrush swallowing a worm. Indeed, -he was evidently rather pleased, for he thought the birds would be wild -and strong on the wing for next day. - -That same night I was wakened by gunshots. Never before had I heard a gun -fired at night, and the sound was most alarming. I thought at first that -the firing was at a distance, but just as I looked out the darkness was -lit by a flash quite close at hand. The report was, however, strangely -slight. As a matter of fact, the guns were loaded with reduced charges. - -Immediately at the report down flopped a pheasant to the ground. The -poacher gang were at work, and as time was short were shooting the -pheasants as they roosted. Pop, pop, pop! The pheasants were falling at -the rate of one a minute. There would be very few left for our stout -friend at the Hall and his swell city friends next day. Two sacks were -full. - -‘Just a dozen more,’ we heard one of them say. - -‘Right oh!’ answered another. He spoke out loud, for by this time the -gang had been so long undisturbed that they had become quite reckless, -and neglected the precautions which they had at first observed. - -The words were hardly out of his mouth before there was a sudden rush of -feet, and there came the keeper, his son, another man, and the fourth was -no other than the new tenant himself. - -Ginger recklessly rushed forward shouting. Next instant a gun cracked—I -never saw who fired the shot—and Ginger, with a hideous yell, fell -forward on his face, and lay twitching in a horrid fashion on the ground. - -I saw Ginger’s son charge forward, swinging his stick, with the other man -close behind him. I saw the poachers run for their lives, leaving the -spoil behind them. But what was the new Squire about? He never budged, -but stood there like a stuck pig; and even in the dim light it was easy -to see his legs quaking and the shivers that shook his podgy frame. - -Not until poachers and pursuers had vanished through the trees, and the -crashing sound of their running feet had almost died in the distance, did -the cowardly little man move slowly up to where his keeper lay. - -‘Are—you—much—hurt, Tompkins?’ he stammered, in shaking accents. - -Tompkins only groaned, and the stout man, kneeling beside him, fairly -wrung his hands in hopeless incompetency. At last he seemed to remember -something, and pulling out a flask from his pocket, put it to Tompkins’s -lips just as the keeper’s son and the other man returned empty-handed. - -The new Squire turned on them, storming at them for having allowed the -poachers to escape, without seeming to heed the fact that his keeper -still lay unconscious at his feet. He stamped and swore and almost -shrieked in his impotent anger. Presently his son and the other man -hoisted up Tompkins, who seemed to have got the charge in his legs, and -between them carried him off, the little stout man stalking growling -along in the rear. Then, at last, Walnut and I were left to get some -sleep. - -However, there was no peace for us. By ten o’clock next day the coppice -was full of beaters, making noise enough to rouse a dormouse, and -scaring the remaining pheasants nearly out of their feathers. Instead -of running or hiding, the silly birds immediately rose and flew up over -the trees, and then began such a salvo of firing as none of us had ever -heard in our lives before. The whole coppice was full of the sharp, sour -smell of smokeless powder, and as for us and the other coppice dwellers, -we cowered in the very deepest corners of our various refuges, and waited -with shaking bodies and aching heads for the din to cease. At last it did -stop, but only to break out afresh at the next spinney, and so on all day -round the whole country-side. - -In the afternoon, after it was all over, and just as Walnut and I were -starting out to find our evening meal, there came a fresh invasion. -It was headed by the stout new tenant, gorgeously arrayed in a check -shooting suit, which in itself was enough to scare any self-respecting -squirrel out of his wits, and with him walked five others like unto -himself. He was evidently giving them all an account, a glorified -account, of what had happened. By the way he pointed and ran a few steps, -and let fly with his fist, it seemed as if he personally must have killed -the whole gang of poachers, and they all listened attentively, though one -or two laughed behind his back. - -I learnt afterwards from Cob that he had seen a man going about with the -sacks full of dead pheasants the poachers had dropped. He had scattered -them here and there throughout the wood. This had puzzled him much, and -he had watched to see if they were left there; but, no; when the shoot -was over the pheasants were picked up again with those that had really -been shot by the guests, and in this way they made up quite a big bag. - -All this poaching business does not seem to have much to do with my -life. Indirectly, however, it had, for the new tenant of the Hall was so -angry about the poaching that on the very day after the battue he set -a whole gang to work to run barbed wire—of all awful things!—round the -whole of the coppice. Other men were put to lop the hedges close, and -two new keepers engaged. The latter were worse than Tompkins. I suppose -it was by way of justifying their existence that they walked about all -day with their guns, firing at almost everything they could see that -was not game. It became almost impossible to show our noses outside our -homes during daylight, and many an evening Walnut and I went hungry to -bed. Life became one prolonged dodging, for even when the new keepers -were not about the workmen would take pot shots with stones at any of -us they could view. Incidentally, too, they knocked over many a fat -rabbit and dozens of the remaining pheasants. But of these proceedings -their employer, intent on saving his coverts from the village poachers, -remained in blissful ignorance. - -At last there came a crisis. Walnut and I had taken advantage of the -quiet of the midday hour—the men being at their dinner—to steal out and -get some beech-mast, when suddenly a missile of some sort hissed just -above my head, cutting away a twig close above. I paused an instant in -utter amazement, for I had heard no report, when—ping! another bullet -whacked on the bark close below my feet, and there was a brute of a boy -in corduroys, his head peering from behind a trunk, and in the very act -of stretching the elastic of a heavy catapult. One quick bark to Walnut, -and we were both away as hard as we could lay legs to the branches. A -third buckshot whizzed close behind my brush as I fled. The boy, seeing -us run, at once followed and began positively showering shot after us. -It was impossible to reach home under the bombardment, and if we had not -been lucky enough to find a knot-hole in a beech just large enough to -shelter the two of us, one or other—both, perhaps—would have been maimed -or killed. - -This was the last straw. For some days a vague resolution had been -forming slowly in my brain. That night, as we crouched, almost too hungry -to sleep, in our oak-tree home, I told Walnut we could stay there no -longer, but must leave the coppice where we had so long sheltered. - -He seemed rather to like the idea than otherwise, being young and ready -for adventure. - -Very early next morning I slipped across to the old beech and told my -mother. I was anxious that she and the others should accompany us, but -this she would not do. - -‘No, Scud; I am too old to leave my home. I shall stay here and take my -chances. But you, I think, are wise to go. Waste no time in getting off, -for you must be well away before the men come to their work.’ - -A few minutes later Walnut and I had crossed the road and were hastening -away across an open field bound due north. We went that way because we -could go no other—a squirrel migrating invariably travels north. I do not -know the reason, but some instinct implanted in us ages and ages ago, -perhaps even before men began to walk erect, tells us to do so, and we -obey it, and shall obey it, thousands of years hence. In just the same -way the Norwegian lemmings march in their myriads towards the sea, and -are drowned in the salt waves in a vain, instinctive effort to reach some -place that has long disappeared beneath the waves. - -I cannot tell you all our wanderings or the perils that we encountered -by the way. Twice Walnut was very nearly caught by a weasel; once a -wide-winged hen sparrow-hawk came whistling down out of the blue as we -were crossing an open field, and we escaped only by a happy accident into -an old drain-tile which happened to lie near by. In this narrow refuge we -both squeezed our trembling bodies until the bird of prey had departed in -disgust. - -We travelled very slowly, stopping sometimes for a whole day in any -coppice in which we happened to find ourselves. Several times we almost -made up our minds to remain for good in one or other of these woods, but -always the same difficulty stood in our way. The scarcity of food was -universal. All the country-side had suffered alike from the great drought -of the early summer, and mast, acorns, and nuts alike were conspicuous -by their absence. As far as the present went, we did well enough. In -autumn a squirrel can always find food of some kind or another. - -The love of wandering was like a fever. In the course of a week or so we -two had become regular vagabonds. There was an absolute fascination in -new scenes each day and new quarters each night; and, feeling that we had -cut ourselves off for ever from all our ties, there seemed no special -object in stopping anywhere in particular. - -And yet at times I was anxious. I knew well enough that winter was -coming, and that we must settle down and find a home and collect stores -before the cold weather. - -There came a morning when the sky was full of high wind cloud, but the -air so clear that distant objects seemed but a few fields away, and, -leaving a small fir-plantation on the flank of a hill where we had spent -the night, we looked down upon a deep valley, along the bottom of which -was a long line of timber, wide in some places, narrow in others. Between -the thinning autumn foliage one caught here and there the sparkle of -running water. A mile or more down the valley, and on the far side of the -river, a large old-fashioned house, that vaguely reminded me of the Hall, -lay against the steep side of the opposite slope, with gardens terraced -to the water-edge. - -The wood behind it was all that we could have hoped, and more. Ancient -trees of enormous girth and size grew so thick and close that the -sun seldom if ever reached the thickets of undergrowth beneath their -spreading tops. Hardly a sign was to be seen of the interfering hand of -man, and though the place was full of wild life—rabbits, wood-pigeons, -and the like—pheasants were conspicuous by their absence. A peculiarity -of the wood, no doubt on account of its damp, sheltered position, was -the immense amount of ivy which covered the massive trunks with clinging -tendrils and dark green leaves. There was food too, for the oaks whose -roots no doubt penetrated far below the level of the stream, had a fair -crop of acorns, and, better still, there were hazel-bushes close along -the water’s edge which were still fairly full of ripe nuts. The place was -a perfect Paradise from a squirrel’s point of view, and my half-joking -suggestion of spending the winter in it speedily became a fixed idea. - -The first thing to do was to find a residence. This was an easy task, -for there were dozens to choose from. Walnut was very keen upon an old -magpie’s nest which he found in a huge thorn-tree, and which was still in -excellent repair even to the roof; but I had had enough of built nests, -and preferred a knot-hole in a beech. Once a squirrel takes to living in -holes in trees, he usually sticks to the same description of residence to -the end of his days. - -One fact which struck me as odd during our first day’s exploration of the -river-side wood was the almost entire absence of our own tribe. We only -saw two squirrels besides ourselves, and they were young and anything but -friendly. In fact, they both bolted before we could have a word with them. - -It was the drumming of heavy rain among the dying foliage above that woke -us at daylight next morning. The sky was one uniform grey, and everything -was soaking and dripping. We had reason indeed to be thankful that we had -found a warm dry home, for this weather looked like lasting. - -Last it did, all day long, and as there was nothing else to do we curled -up and slept. Evening came, and still it rained—harder if anything than -before. It was too wet to go out and forage, and so we went hungry to -bed. It is a fortunate dispensation that we squirrel folk can go for -long periods without food if we can find a dry place to sleep in, for I -have seldom known a squirrel who would not sooner be hungry than wet. - -Next morning it was still raining, though not so hard. Large pools lay -in every depression, and the hoarse roar of the swollen river echoed -through the soaking woods. Rain had now been falling for thirty-six hours -straight on end, and we had been all that time without a meal. - -Walnut told me he was simply starving, and must go out and find a few -acorns. - -I let him go, but, being sleepy, I did not accompany him. - -I was not at all uneasy about him, for the wood seemed safe enough, -and Walnut, now more than six months old, was well able to take care -of himself. As for me, I drowsed until about midday, and then looking -out again found that the downpour had at last ceased and the sun was -shining once more. I missed Walnut, for I was so much accustomed to his -nestling beside me; and, stretching lazily, I sallied forth to look -for him, stepping daintily along the soaking boughs in order to avoid -bringing down upon myself the great drops of moisture which hung on every -yellowing leaf. I made straight for the hazel-bushes, which we had found -on the first day near to the water’s edge; but when I came in sight of -the river I could hardly believe my eyes, so tremendous a change had the -great rain wrought. In place of the shallow stream that purled across -pebble beds from pool to pool, a broad torrent, red with the clay of the -upland fields, was raging down with appalling force and fury. Even where -the banks had been highest the flood was level with their tops, and in -many places it had overflowed them so that the nut-bushes stood up like -islands among wide backwaters where the current eddied lazily, swinging -on its discoloured surface millions of dead leaves and sticks. - -The sight fairly fascinated me, and for the moment I forgot my hunger, -Walnut, and everything else in watching the irresistible force of the -rushing torrent and noticing the speed at which the logs and sticks which -it had tom from its banks were carried downwards. - -[Illustration: ANOTHER MOMENT FOUND ME COMFORTABLY PERCHED IN THE -BRANCHES OF THE HAZEL-BUSHES.] - -But hunger soon reasserted its claims, and I began to reconnoitre for -the best means of reaching the nut-bushes and breakfast. A little -further down the stream a low, flat-topped oak extended its spreading -branches more than half-way across the flooded river, and I saw that -from the point of one of its long limbs it would be easy to drop into -a good-sized clump of hazel-bush below. No sooner seen than done, and -another minute found me comfortably perched in the branches of the -hazel-bushes cracking nuts and eating them with a naturally fine appetite -sharpened by forty hours abstinence. - -That I was on an island completely cut off on all sides by water troubled -me not at all. I was much too hungry to worry about that, for I felt sure -that I could jump back on to my oak bough, which formed a bridge to bring -me back to land again, and so I worked steadily downwards from branch to -branch. - -I was only a foot or two from the ground when a rustle among the thick, -mossy stumps below attracted my attention. Glancing down, the sight that -met my eyes almost paralysed me with horror. - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -MY LAST ADVENTURE - - -The animal which had just pushed its way out of the hollow recesses of -the hazel-roots resembled nothing so much as a weasel, but a weasel of -such giant proportions as I had never before dreamed of. From nose to -tip of tail it was nearly two feet long. The creature had a domed head, -with prominent eyes and widely arched eyebrows, giving it a strangely -sinister appearance. It was, in fact, though I did not realize this at -the time, no other than the rare and dreaded polecat, which keepers call -the foumart. - -When I first caught sight of this monster I was sitting on a bough barely -a couple of feet from the ground, and so great was my amazement and -fright that for an instant I sat staring down into the glaring yellow -eyes, unable to collect my senses at all. Of a sudden the creature -launched itself upwards with almost the quickness and ferocity of a -striking snake. Its thin lips, curled back, showed two rows of close-set -white teeth, sharp as needles, and at the same instant an abominable -odour, like that of a stoat, but far more fœtid, nearly suffocated me. - -Recovering myself just in time, I made one desperate spring, and -succeeded in reaching a twig out of reach of the brute’s jaws. But the -foumart had no idea of being so easily cheated of his meal. The branches, -thick and close-set, offered him an easy ladder, and to my horror and -alarm, he came after me with unexpected and startling speed. I completely -lost my head, and dashed away up to the top of the hazel-bush with a -recklessness inspired by terror. - -In my haste I found that I had ascended, not the main stalk of the clump, -but another not so tall. The result was that the oak branch from which -I had dropped was now a long way above me. But a rustle in the foliage -below told me that my enemy was at my heels, and nerved me to attempt the -jump. - -My claws just grazed the under side of the oak bough. I fell back, and -next moment had plunged with a splash into the swirling waters of the -swollen torrent. - -The fall carried me far below the muddy surface, but next moment I -rose, gasping for breath, and struck out vehemently. I know that it is -popularly supposed that a squirrel cannot swim, but that when he wishes -to cross a river he launches himself upon a piece of floating bark, and -using his tail as a sail, ferries himself across. A squirrel, as a matter -of fact, is a very fair swimmer, and can, and does at a pinch, cross -wide rivers in this way. Though I had never tried it before, yet I found -myself quite able to keep my head above water; but a very short struggle -convinced me that it was foolishness to attempt to make head against the -fierce current of the flooded stream. - -For I had fallen not into the placid backwater behind the nut-bush -island, but out into the edge of the main stream, and a cross current -catching me, had sent me swinging out into the very centre of the racing -river. For a few moments I beat the water desperately with all four paws -in a frantic effort to get back to the shore which I had left; but very -soon I exhausted myself so completely that I could fight no longer, and, -paddling feebly, was swept down-stream at a positively terrifying speed. - -It was now late in October, and the water was very cold. Soon I began to -feel quite numbed. Besides this, I was horribly frightened, while the -pace at which the small whirlpools into which I was constantly flung, -spun me around, made me giddy, and added to the hopelessness of my -feelings. The whole experience was so horrifying that I may be forgiven -for confessing the terror I felt. Once or twice I saw tree-roots or -projecting points of high banks forming promontories which extended out -into the flood, and so long as strength lasted I made fierce efforts to -reach them. But in each case the current, rendered the more irresistible -by opposition, mocked my puny efforts and whirled me away out into the -centre again. Once a small log, floating almost submerged, overtook me as -I battled with the stream, and, catching me across the neck, pushed me -quite under water and drove over me. When I rose once more, my strength -was almost spent, and I felt that I could not much longer continue the -useless struggle. - -I was sinking lower and lower in the water; my strokes were becoming more -feeble every moment, and it was only a question of a few minutes before -I must have sunk for good, when I suddenly caught sight of a long narrow -plank, evidently torn from some paling by the flood, sweeping down, end -on, beside me. With a last despairing effort I struck out for it, and -just before it had passed quite out of my reach, succeeded in scrambling -upon one end of it. It dipped beneath my water-logged weight, and the -current almost snatched me away. But, clinging with all my claws, I -managed to crawl along to its centre, and found to my joy that it would -support me. - -But, even so, my position was extremely perilous. The way in which the -banks flew by showed how rapid was the rush of the flooded river. Suppose -the plank caught against any obstacle, it must at once roll over and -plunge me again into the water. Happily, however, this did not happen, -and though time and again it checked and quivered, I managed to retain my -hold, and so was swept along almost as fast as a man could run. - -I passed the large house down the valley, and beyond it the river -broadened, but still ran with almost unabated speed. Soon I had cleared -the wood, and was driving along between pastures which sloped steeply -upwards from bluff-like banks. Once I saw a drowned sheep caught in the -brambles under a curve, and shuddered to think how soon the same fate -might befall me. Field after field flew by, and once more the river -plunged into the shadow of thick trees, and then a new and terrifying -sound came to my ears. It was the deep, sullen roar of falling water. - -Sweeping round a wide curve, I became aware of a long weir in front -penning the brimming river which foamed along its top, while through -the open sluice-gates the main stream plunged in a mass of yellow foam. -Now, indeed, I gave myself up for lost, for I saw that I could not hope -to survive the passage down that fierce fall. On like an arrow sped the -plank, straight for the centre of the opening, and all hope that it -might drift against the weir was gone, when, suddenly, with a jar that -almost flung me from my insecure perch, the front end of the plank struck -something hidden below the muddy water, probably a sunken stake, and -instantly was swung side on, jamming across the very mouth of the gates. -Gathering all my few remaining energies, I made a feeble leap, and more -by good luck than good management reached the top of the weir. Even then -my troubles were not over, for the weir was old and broken, and in places -the flood was actually foaming over its top. But after waiting a little -to recover my strength, I succeeded in jumping these gaps, and at last -struggled safely ashore once more. - -I was soaked as I had never been in my life before, chilled to the bone, -so exhausted that I could hardly move, and yet intensely grateful to be -once more on firm ground. Luckily for me, the sun was still shining, and -the air mild and warm for the time of year; so I crawled up into a small -tree, and lying out on a branch on the sunny side, waited for my dripping -fur to dry a little. - -My position was far from an enviable one. Here I was, in a strange wood, -far away from our winter-quarters, and separated from Walnut, without -food, friends, or a home. However, Walnut was luckily well able to look -after himself, and there was no doubt about finding food of some sort, so -I consoled myself with the thought that I would start as soon as possible -and make my way back to the river wood. - -While I sat there sunning myself I was surprised and pleased to hear a -familiar gnawing sound in a neighbouring beech-tree, and suddenly there -came into view another squirrel, a handsome fellow with an uncommonly -light coat. I called to him, and he came across in a most friendly way. - -He remarked on my dripping coat civilly, and I told him the story of my -misfortunes. - -‘Ugh!’ he shuddered, with a glance at the foaming river, ‘I wouldn’t -take a swim in that—not for a coppice full of cob-nuts!’ - -We chatted for a while, and my new friend was good enough to show me a -nice lot of fir-cones, on which I made a much-needed meal. Then I told -him that I meant to go back up-stream to the river wood, and I suppose -I must have dilated on its attractiveness, for suddenly he proposed -accompanying me. - -‘Like you,’ he said sadly, ‘I have lost my wife and all my family. I -don’t know what became of them. I was out one day feeding, and when I -came home they were all gone. There were footsteps below the tree, so no -doubt I have some ruffianly man to thank for stealing them.’ - -I was anxious to start at once, but the pale squirrel, who told me that -his name was Crab, begged me to share his quarters for the night and put -off my departure till the morning. Oddly enough, though very tired, I was -singularly unwilling to defer my start. However, he over-persuaded me. -And for him the delay proved sad indeed, though fortunate enough for me. - -Crab’s quarters were in a very odd place—in the hollow head of a large -pollard willow not far from the water’s edge. I told him that I had -never before seen a squirrel live in a willow, and he explained that he -had adopted this refuge because the ground beneath was so wet and swampy -that it choked off human intruders. By degrees I found out that this wood -was simply at the mercy of tramps and other vagabonds who camped there in -numbers. Crab showed me the ashes of their fires alongside of the rough -cart-track which ran through the coppice, and the places where they had -cut wood to burn; evidently here was the other extreme from the Hall -grounds—a country utterly neglected by its owners. Not a rabbit was to -be seen, and Crab told me that, except for wood-pigeons and small birds, -there was hardly a living thing in the wood. - -‘The gipsies even catch the hedgehogs, roast them in clay, and eat them,’ -he said with a shudder. - -‘And who are gipsies?’ I inquired, puzzled. I had never heard the word -before. - -Crab shuddered. - -‘Brown men with traps and snares, and black-haired women with red -handkerchiefs and shining earrings. Terrible people! Cleverer than -keepers, and much more greedy. Pray you may not see any,’ he ended. - -What Crab told me made me the more anxious to clear out of this -ill-omened spot, and next morning, as soon as the dew was a little off -the grass, we started. Crab did not know much about the way we had to -travel, but the river was our guide. What we both were chiefly afraid of -were open meadows over which we knew that we had to pass. However, I was -by now such a hardened wanderer that the risks of such a journey did not -trouble me greatly. - -It was an ideal autumn morning, calm, with a warm sun shining out of a -blue sky, and the rain-washed air marvellously clear. Small birds chirped -and twittered in every hedge, but I could see for myself that what Crab -had told me was true. There was no game left in the whole country-side. -Even rabbits were very scarce. The fields, too, were neglected. They were -not half drained, so that the grass was rough, and patchy with clumps of -reeds. The hedges were untrimmed, immensely high, and yet full of gaps. -The lane running parallel with the river was scored with deep ruts which -brimmed with muddy puddles. - -The tall hedges offered us excellent travelling, and we saw nobody except -a couple of farm-labourers striding along through the mud, their corduroy -trousers tied below their knees with string, and their short clay pipes -leaving a trail of strong-smelling blue smoke in their wake. - -For half a mile or so we kept the hedge alongside the lane. Then the road -turned abruptly away from the river, so we left it, crossed a meadow, and -got into another hedge which seemed to lead us in the right direction. -It brought us after a time into a large leasowe sloping to the river. -This leasowe I remember as one of the most beautiful places which I -have ever seen. The ground, dropping sharply, was thickly studded with -clumps of alder and hazel, the tops of which had been cut at irregular -interval, while the roots had grown to enormous dimensions. Each clump -was surrounded by a tangle of blackberry and brier, making a thick, -impenetrable shelter. The leaves of these various trees were all in the -full splendour of late autumn tints, and contrasted brilliantly with the -green of the grass and the myriads of scarlet hips and haws; while there -were dotted about the leasowe a number of crab-apple trees whose scarlet -leaves and red and golden fruit gave a last touch of gorgeous colouring -to the whole scene. - -There were a good many nuts, and we crossed leisurely from clump to -clump, now stopping to shell a nut, now to sample the crimson side of -a crab apple. I was tasting some over-ripe blackberries, many of which -contained the most delicious little white grubs, when Crab suggested that -it was time to push on, as we still had a long way to go, and the shadows -were almost at their shortest. - -Between us and the far hedge was a widish interval of fairly open grass, -bounded on the upper side by a regular thicket of hazel. As we crossed -this open space Crab suddenly drew my attention to a very odd-looking -erection which stood in a sort of bay in the hazel-brush. I had never -seen anything quite like it before, and, our curiosity thoroughly -aroused, we moved slowly and cautiously towards it. - -‘’Pon my claws, I believe it’s a pheasant coop,’ I said at last. - -‘There are no pheasants here,’ replied Crab. ‘Besides, it’s got no sides.’ - -No more it had. I saw that plainly as we approached it more closely. It -appeared to be a sort of sloping roof made of pieces of rough planking, -and propped above a hole in the ground. - -Suddenly Crab stopped short. ‘What’s this?’ he exclaimed. I did not wait -to explain. A delicious morsel of white bread lay before me, and I fell -upon it and gobbled it up promptly. It was more than a year since I had -tasted such a luxury. - -‘Is it good?’ inquired Crab curiously. - -‘Bet your back teeth it is,’ I said. - -‘Why, here’s another piece! I’ll try it,’ exclaimed my friend. He did so, -and approved greatly. I found a third, and presently we were racing in -short dashes up the queer-looking erection to which a trail of bread led -directly. - -Inside the dug-out hollow below the sloping roof the ground was white -with crumbs. - -‘Crab,’ I said, after a good stare at the whole thing, ‘I don’t quite -like the look of it.’ - -‘Why, what’s the matter?’ - -‘I don’t know,’ I answered. ‘All I can say is, I don’t like it. I -wouldn’t go under the roof if I were you.’ - -‘Nonsense! Why should I chuck away the chance of a feed like this?’ - -Before I could object again he had jumped down and was busily engaged -with the bread. My mouth watered. I could see no sign of danger. -There was nothing to suggest a trap. Why should not I also enjoy the -delicacies? I was on the very verge of following Crab’s example; another -second and I should have been alongside of him, when suddenly, and -without the slightest warning, thump! down came the wooden roof, and -Crab was a prisoner beneath it. At the same instant there was a crash -among the hazel-bushes, a sharp yelp, and a brown-faced, bare-legged boy, -accompanied by a large mongrel, dashed down upon me. - -I was off like a flash, and by a desperate effort gained the nearest -tree—an ancient pollard oak—which stood quite by itself at some distance -both from the hedge and the hazel-bushes. The dog bounded high against -the rough trunk, but I was safely out of his reach, and, curling myself -into the smallest possible compass, crouched in the gnarled top of the -club-like head of the tree. - -‘Watch him, Tige!’ shouted the boy, and the dog at once crouched silently -at the foot of the tree, while his master walked to the trap. From my -elevated position I could watch it all, and, what was more, see plainly -an old sand-pit behind the hazel-bushes, with a tent at the bottom of it, -two children playing outside, and a couple of ponies grazing near by. - -Wrapping his hand in his cap, the boy cautiously seized hold of my poor -friend. I, of course, supposed that he meant to make a captive of him, -but, to my horror, the young fiend wrung the unhappy Crab’s neck, and -marched off with him back to the camp. - -‘Wot you got, Zeke?’ came a gruff voice from the tent. ‘A partridge?’ - -‘’Tain’t no partridge. ’Tis a squir’l. ’E’ll ait fine.’ - -I saw the elder ruffian seize poor Crab’s dead body, and then, ‘Pity us -ain’t got another,’ he said. ‘Two on ’em ’ud mek a nutty stew.’ - -‘There’s another atop o’ oak—tree. Tige’s watchin’ un.’ - -‘Get un down!’ was the father’s order. - -‘You’ll ’ave to come an’ ’elp me,’ said the boy. ‘’Tis too ’igh for me to -climb.’ - -‘Mother, you skin this un,’ called the elder man. - -A sallow-faced woman took Crab’s body from him, and then he and his son -came up out of the pit towards the oak. - -[Illustration: THE DOG BOUNDED HIGH, BUT I WAS SAFELY OUT OF HIS REACH.] - -I gave myself up for lost. Remember, the tree was a pollard, and, having -been lopped not more than four or five years before, its branches were -thin and straight. They provided no cover at all. The crown from which -they sprung was not more than twenty feet above the ground. Once my -enemies climbed it, there was no escape; for if I ran out to the end of -a branch and dropped I should undoubtedly fall into the yawning jaws of -Tige the dog. But the instinct of self-preservation is strong. Casting -round me desperately, I saw a small crevice in the knotted trunk-top. At -first it seemed far too small to hold me, but somehow or other I forced -myself through, though I scored my sides as I did so. My claws met no -foothold, I made a grasp at thin air, and fell flop half a dozen feet, -landing upon a bed of soft, rotten wood. When my eyes became accustomed -to the gloom, I saw that the trunk was completely hollow for a man’s -height from the top. It was not quite dark, for the daylight leaked -through various small crevices, but there was no hole large enough for a -man to put his hand through. - -The scraping of boots on the rough outside bark jarred the whole hollow -trunk. Presently I heard a voice from below: ‘Where be ’e, Zeke?’ - -‘Can’t see un, vather!’ cried the boy, who was by the sound on the crown -of the oak. - -‘That vool Tige’s let ’im go.’ - -‘I’ll lay ’e ain’t,’ piped the boy. - -‘Where be ’e, then?’ - -Silence and more groping up above. I began to hope that the hole through -which I had passed might escape the sharp eyes of the boy. - -No such luck. - -‘’E’s down inside, vather. ’Ere be th’ ’ole.’ - -‘Put thy ’and down an’ pull un out.’ - -The light was cut off from above. - -‘Her’s all ’ollow inside,’ cried the boy. ‘I can’t reach un.’ - -‘Cut a stick an’ put un through.’ - -A pause, and presently a long bough came poking down, which I easily -avoided. But—worse luck!—the boy’s quick ears heard me moving. - -‘He’s here, vather. I heard un. Tell ee what. Us’ll smoke un out.’ - -Memory flashed back to the poachers and the suffocated pheasants. Now, -indeed, I was lost. In helpless terror I heard them piling leaves and -twigs below the tree, and then the click of a striking match. - -Blue fumes began to eddy through a knot-hole, but the bed of rotten wood -below me was so thick and damp that they passed over my head and I was -still able to breathe. - -I heard the man swearing, and then he called to his boy: - -‘Zeke, fetch t’ chopper. Us ’ll have to cut un out.’ - -Soon there came a pounding on the outside of the trunk which -reverberated through the hollow, jarring me horribly. The outer crust was -of no great thickness, and could not resist their blows for very long. - -Rotten wood, bits of rubbish of all kinds began to rain down upon me -through the smoke which still hung about the hollow interior of the tree. -Thinking any fate better than dying like a rat in a trap, I climbed back -up the wall of my refuge in an attempt to reach the knot-hole again. -Half suffocated and completely dazed, I did manage to struggle up to -it, got my paws on either side and tried to force my way through. Alas! -A splinter broke away from the rough wood at the edge of the hole, and -pinned me helplessly. I could get neither forward nor back. - -Fate was too strong for me. I gave up all hope, and ceased to struggle. -In another minute at most the boy would find me, and I should share poor -Crab’s fate. I heard a crash as the chopper broke through the bark below, -and Zeke’s voice: - -‘Vather, ’e be up top again.’ - -Then it seemed to me that a miracle happened. Instead of the old fellow’s -voice, the crisp, curt tones that cut the air were those of my one-time -master, Jack. - -‘Hi, you fellows, what are you about?’ - -Down dropped Zeke. There followed a crash among the bushes. A short -interval. Would Jack find me? I struggled again furiously, but in vain. -The splinter held me tight, and the only result of my efforts was -exquisite pain. - -‘I wonder what those gipsy chaps were after?’ came Jack’s voice. ‘I’d -better have a look.’ - -Fresh sounds of scrambling, and all of a sudden my master’s face over the -edge of the gnarled oak crown. - -‘Why, it’s a squirrel!’ - -Summoning all my remaining energies I gave a pitiful choked squeak, a -feeble attempt at the cry I used to call him with in the long-gone days -at the Hall. - -‘What! No, it can’t be! It’s absurd! And yet’—Jack’s voice rose to a -shout—‘by Jove, _it is Nipper_!’ I felt his hand round me, his touch as -gentle as ever. ‘You poor little chap, how did you come here? And stuck -tight, too! Never mind, poor old Nipper boy. I’ll get you out all right. -Just wait a jiffy.’ - -Out came his knife, and with the utmost gentleness he cut the wood away -all round. In another minute I was free, and safe in his hand. - -‘What, hurt, old chap? I must get it out.’ With wonderful tenderness and -deftness he pulled out the sharp splinter. ‘There, it’s not much. Only a -skin wound. How in the name of all that’s wonderful, did you come here, -half a county away from the Hall?’ - -As he spoke he slipped me into the pocket of his Norfolk jacket and -dropped quickly out of the tree. - -When he took me out again we were in the terraced garden of the house -which I had seen by the river. Jack ran up the drive and burst into the -house, shouting at the top of his voice: - -‘Harry, where are you?’ - -Next minute out ran his brother. - -If ever I longed to be able to talk man-talk, then was the time! How -astonished they all were, for Mabel and Mrs. Fortescue soon joined the -boys, and were full of the same amazement at what they considered my -strange and mysterious reappearance. I always wonder if they knew how -much stranger I thought it at the time. - -And yet it was simple enough. The house belonged to Mrs. Fortescue’s -brother, a wealthy bachelor whose hobby it was to travel all over the -world. It was he who had brought Lops, the flying squirrel, home from -Mexico, and Joey, the cockatoo, from West Africa. He had lent the -Fortescues his house, and there they were living, and there Jack had -joined them for one of his brief holidays. - -As my old master took me up to his room that night, ‘Old chap,’ he said, -‘you and I are not going to part any more, even if I have to take you -back to London town.’ - -No more we have. He did take me back to London, but it was only for a few -weeks. For the Fortescues came into some money unexpectedly. - -That is two years ago. Now we are back at the dear old Hall. The new -tenant with his band-box son, his ginger-whiskered keeper, his tame -pheasants and his barbed wire, are things of the evil past. As for me, -I live in honoured liberty in the Hall grounds. Last year I married -again, and I have three fine sons who are all nearly as fond of Jack and -his family as their father. Visitors come from a distance to see Jack’s -‘furry family,’ as they call us. We run in a body at his approach down -from the elm-trees to smother him with caresses. - -Indeed, he deserves our love. Would that all other humans were as good to -squirrels as he is. - - BILLING AND SONS, LTD., PRINTERS, GUILDFORD - - * * * * * - - UNIFORM WITH THIS VOLUME - - [Illustration] - - ANIMAL - AUTOBIOGRAPHIES - - EDITED BY - G. E. MITTON - - EACH CONTAINING 12 FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS - IN COLOUR - - SQUARE CROWN 8VO., CLOTH, GILT TOP - - PRICE 6/= EACH - - THE LIFE STORY OF THE LIFE STORY OF - A BLACK BEAR A FOX - BY H. PERRY ROBINSON BY J. C. TREGARTHEN - - With 12 full-page Illustrations With 12 full-page Illustrations - in Colour by J. VAN OORT in Colour by COUNTESS HELENA GLEICHEN - - THE LIFE STORY OF THE LIFE STORY OF - A CAT A RAT - BY VIOLET HUNT BY G. M. A. HEWETT - - With 12 full-page Illustrations With 12 full-page Illustrations - in Colour by ADOLPH BIRKENRUTH in Colour by STEPHEN BAGHOT DE LA BERE - - THE LIFE STORY OF THE LIFE STORY OF - A DOG A SQUIRREL - BY G. E. MITTON BY T. C. BRIDGES - - With 12 full-page Illustrations With 12 full-page Illustrations - in Colour by JOHN WILLIAMSON in Colour by ALLAN STEWART - - PUBLISHED BY - A. & C. BLACK, 4, 5, & 6, SOHO SQUARE, LONDON, W. - - * * * * * - - WHAT THE PRESS SAYS OF - ANIMAL AUTOBIOGRAPHIES - - (_For volumes, prices, etc., see previous page_) - -‘Embodies a realistic and highly-interesting life story of the fox as -told by the fox himself. Mr. Tregarthen knows his subject, and he knows -how to write about it. From the first page to the dramatic and pitiful -closing incident, when the hunter leaves the fox to his well-earned -rest, the interest in his sorrows and joys, his adventures, flights, and -escapes, never flags.’—_Literary World._ - -‘The story is a really fine one, full of true feeling for the wild, -easy to read, and hard to put down. It has several excellent coloured -illustrations, and will rank as one of the most desirable gift-books of -the season.’—_Guardian._ - -‘Miss Hunt undoubtedly understands cats as well as women, and she uses -her intimate knowledge with discretion; she chastens her revelations of -feline inwardness with a commendable economy and sense of fitness. Loki, -the smoke-blue Persian who unfolds the tale, is distinctly attractive. -Towards the close, indeed, the story almost rises to a problem -novel.’—_Athenaum._ - -‘He is a delightful creature, and his autobiography will appeal -to cat-lovers, as it has more than a touch of feline nature in -it.’—_Spectator._ - -‘Will charm many children.’—_Athenaum._ - -‘Mr. Robinson’s work is excellent.... Any parent who wishes to find -out whether his children take an interest in animals should place this -book in their hands; the boy who can stop reading it without reluctance -may at once be declared to have no interest in natural history. The -illustrations are good, and add much to the attractiveness of the -book.’—_Aberdeen Journal._ - -‘A work which we commend to young and old alike.’—_Athenaum._ - -‘A wonderfully interesting story—one which boys will devour with -eagerness, while their elders may learn from it much that will be new to -them.’—_Scotsman._ - -‘A curious and varied story. Will be read with unfailing -interest.’—_Educational Times._ - -‘No book could give more delight to a dog-lover than this beautiful -volume.’—_World._ - -The _Observer_ says: ‘That a great many children, and their elders, too, -take a continuous interest in the life stories of animals has been proved -again and again, and therefore the idea of this series is one which is -sure to commend itself to a large circle of readers. These volumes show -that the happy idea has been very happily carried out.’ - - PUBLISHED BY - A. & C. 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C. Bridges</p> -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -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 <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: The life story of a squirrel</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: T. C. Bridges</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: June 5, 2022 [eBook #68252]</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</p> - <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:left'>Produced by: Tim Lindell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This book was produced from images made available by the HathiTrust Digital Library.)</p> -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LIFE STORY OF A SQUIRREL ***</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_i"></a>[i]</span></p> - -<div class="front-matter"> - -<p class="larger gothic">Animal Autobiographies.</p> - -<p class="titlepage larger">THE LIFE STORY OF A SQUIRREL</p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_ii"></a>[ii]</span></p> - -<div class="front-matter box-outer"> - -<p class="center p120">IN THE SAME SERIES</p> - -<p class="center">PRICE <b>6s.</b> EACH</p> - -<p class="center">WITH ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR</p> - -<div class="box-inner"> - -<p class="center p120">THE BLACK BEAR</p> - -<p class="center"><span class="smcap">By H. PERRY ROBINSON</span></p> - -<p class="center">CONTAINING TWELVE FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS<br /> -<span class="smcap">by J. Van Oort</span></p> - -</div> - -<p class="center p120">THE CAT</p> - -<p class="center"><span class="smcap">By VIOLET HUNT</span></p> - -<p class="center">CONTAINING TWELVE FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS<br /> -<span class="smcap">by Adolph Birkenruth</span></p> - -<div class="box-inner"> - -<p class="center p120">THE DOG</p> - -<p class="center"><span class="smcap">By G. E. MITTON</span></p> - -<p class="center">CONTAINING TWELVE FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS<br /> -<span class="smcap">by John Williamson</span></p> - -</div> - -<p class="center p120">THE FOX</p> - -<p class="center"><span class="smcap">By J. C. TREGARTHEN</span></p> - -<p class="center">CONTAINING TWELVE FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS<br /> -<span class="smcap">by Countess Helena Gleichen</span></p> - -<div class="box-inner"> - -<p class="center p120">THE RAT</p> - -<p class="center"><span class="smcap">By G. M. A. HEWETT</span></p> - -<p class="center">CONTAINING TWELVE FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS<br /> -<span class="smcap">by Stephen Baghot-de-la-Bere</span></p> - -</div> - -<p class="center"><span class="smaller">PUBLISHED BY</span><br /> -<span class="smcap">A. & C. Black, Soho Square, London, W.</span></p> - -</div> - -<p class="titlepage">AGENTS</p> - -<table class="smaller"> - <tr> - <td>AMERICA</td> - <td>THE MACMILLAN COMPANY<br /> - <span class="smcap">64 & 66 Fifth Avenue</span>, NEW YORK</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>CANADA</td> - <td>THE MACMILLAN COMPANY OF CANADA, LTD.<br /> - <span class="smcap">27 Richmond Street West</span>, TORONTO</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>INDIA</td> - <td>MACMILLAN & COMPANY, LTD.<br /> - <span class="smcap">Macmillan Building</span>, BOMBAY<br /> - <span class="smcap">309 Bow Bazaar Street</span>, CALCUTTA</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_iii"></a>[iii]</span></p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_iv"></a>[iv]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter illowp53" id="illus01" style="max-width: 31.25em;"> - <img class="w100" src="images/illus01.jpg" alt="" /> - <p class="caption">SCUD.</p> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="figcenter illowp58" id="titlepage" style="max-width: 34.375em;"> - <img class="w100" src="images/titlepage.jpg" alt="" /> - <p class="caption">THE LIFE STORY OF<br /> - A SQUIRREL</p> - <p class="caption">BY<br /> - T. C. BRIDGES</p> - <p class="caption">LONDON<br /> - ADAM·&·CHARLES·BLACK<br /> - 1907</p> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_v"></a>[v]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CONTENTS</h2> - -</div> - -<table> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td class="tdpg smaller">PAGE</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc">CHAPTER I</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>MY FIRST ADVENTURE</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_I">1</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc">CHAPTER II</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>THE GREAT DISASTER</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_II">21</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc">CHAPTER III</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>THE PLEASURES OF IMPRISONMENT</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_III">40</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc">CHAPTER IV</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A DAY IN RAT LAND</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_IV">63</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc">CHAPTER V</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>BACK TO THE WOODLANDS</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_V">81</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc">CHAPTER VI</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A NARROW ESCAPE</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_VI">95</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc">CHAPTER VII</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>THE GREY TERROR</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_VII">119</a><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_vi"></a>[vi]</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc">CHAPTER VIII</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>I FIND A WIFE</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">150</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc">CHAPTER IX</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>WAR DECLARED AGAINST OUR RACE</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_IX">174</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc">CHAPTER X</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>POACHERS AND A BATTUE</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_X">192</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc">CHAPTER XI</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>MY LAST ADVENTURE</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_XI">210</a></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_vii"></a>[vii]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak">LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS<br /> -<span class="smaller">BY ALLAN STEWART</span></h2> - -</div> - -<table> - <tr> - <td>SCUD</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#illus01"><i>Frontispiece</i></a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td class="tdpg smaller">FACING PAGE</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>FATHER LEAPED STRAIGHT TOWARDS THE BOY, LANDING ACTUALLY ON HIS SHOULDER</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#illus02">32</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>HE IMITATED ME TO MY FACE</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#illus03">48</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>THE WHOLE OF THE SLIMY OLD WALL SEEMED ALIVE WITH THEM</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#illus04">74</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>THE BOYS NEVER MOVED OR SPOKE</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#illus05">88</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>CLIMBING INTO ONE OF THE LARGEST TREES, WE LAY PANTING AND TIRED OUT</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#illus06">112</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>TWO CRUEL GREEN ORBS SET IN A WIDE GREY FACE</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#illus07">142</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>DOWN THE NEAR SIDE OF THE TRUNK WAS A DEEP AND WIDE NEW SCAR</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#illus08">172</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>‘AND TO THINK IT WAS THIS HERE LITTLE RED RASCAL’</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#illus09">184</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A SMALL BLUE FLAME ILLUMINATED THREE EAGER FACES</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#illus10">194</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>ANOTHER MOMENT FOUND ME COMFORTABLY PERCHED IN THE BRANCHES OF THE HAZEL-BUSHES</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#illus11">208</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>THE DOG BOUNDED HIGH, BUT I WAS SAFELY OUT OF HIS REACH</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#illus12">224</a></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_1"></a>[1]</span></p> - -<h1>THE LIFE STORY OF A SQUIRREL</h1> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I<br /> -<span class="smaller">MY FIRST ADVENTURE</span></h2> - -</div> - -<p>It was a perfect June morning, not a breath -stirring, and the sun fairly baking down till the -whole air was full of the hot resinous scent of pine-needles; -but, warm as it was, I was shivering as I -lay out on the tip of a larch-bough and looked -down. I was not giddy—a squirrel never is. But -that next bough below me, where my mother was -sitting, seemed very far away, and I could not help -thinking what a tremendous fall it would be to the -ground, supposing I happened to miss my landing-place. -I am too old now to blush at the recollection -of it, and I don’t mind confessing that at the -time I was in what I have since heard called a -blue funk.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_2"></a>[2]</span></p> - -<p>The fact is, it was my first jumping and climbing -lesson. Even squirrels have to learn to climb, just -as birds have to be taught by their parents to fly.</p> - -<p>My mother called me by my name, Scud, sitting -up straight, and looking at me encouragingly with -her pretty black eyes. But I still hesitated, -crouching low on my branch and clinging tight -to it with all four sets of small sharp claws.</p> - -<p>Mother grew a trifle impatient, and called to my -brother Rusty to take my place.</p> - -<p>This was too much for me. I took my courage -in both fore-paws, set my teeth, and launched -myself desperately into the air. I came down flat -on my little white stomach, but as at that time -I weighed rather less than four ounces, and -the bough below was soft and springy, I did not -knock the wind out of myself, as one of you -humans would have done if you had fallen in the -same way.</p> - -<p>Mother gave a little snort. She did not -approve of my methods, and told me I should -spread my legs wider and make more use of my -tail. Then she turned and gave a low call to -Rusty to follow.</p> - -<p>Even at that early age—we were barely a month -old—Rusty was a heavier and rather slower-going<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_3"></a>[3]</span> -squirrel than I. But he already showed that -bull-dog courage which was so strong a trait all -through his after-life. He crawled deliberately to -the very end of the branch, then simply let go and -tumbled all in a heap right on the top of us. It -was extremely lucky for him that mother was so -quick as she was. She made a rapid bound forward, -and caught her blundering son by the loose -skin at the back of his neck just in time to save -him from going headlong to the ground, quite -fifty feet below.</p> - -<p>She panted with fright as she lifted him to a -place of safety with a little shake.</p> - -<p>Rusty looked a trifle sulky, and mother gave -him an affectionate pat to soothe him down.</p> - -<p>Then she told us to follow her back along the -branch, and she would show us how to climb up -the trunk home again. She sent me first.</p> - -<p>I had hardly reached the trunk end of the bough -when I heard mother utter a cry which I had never -heard her give before. It was a low sharp call. -Oddly enough, I seemed to know exactly what -it meant. At once I lay flat upon the bough, -here quite thick enough to hide my small body, -and crouched down, making myself as small as -possible. At the same instant mother seized Rusty<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_4"></a>[4]</span> -by the scruff of his neck, and with one splendid -leap sprang right up on to the wide, thick bough -on the flat surface of which our home was built. -In a few seconds she came back for me, and before -I knew what was the matter I, too, was safe in the -nest, alongside Rusty and my sister, little Hazel.</p> - -<p>Mother gave a low note of warning that none of -us should move or make any noise; and you may -be sure we all obeyed, for something in her manner -frightened us greatly. Presently we heard heavy -footfalls down below rustling in the dry pine-needles. -We sat closer than ever, hardly daring -to breathe. The footsteps stopped just below -our tree, and a loud rough voice, that made -every nerve in my body quiver, shouted out -something. From the sound of it we could tell -that the speaker was peering right up between the -boughs into our tree, and we knew without the -slightest doubt he had discovered our drey. He -must have spoken loud, even for a human, for his -companion gave a sharp ‘S-s-sh!’ as if he were -afraid that some one else might overhear and come -down upon them. It could not have been of us -he was afraid, for we, poor trembling, palpitating -little things, lay huddled together, hardly daring -to breathe.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_5"></a>[5]</span></p> - -<p>The two tormentors turned away a few paces -after a few lower-toned remarks, and I began to -think they had gone, when——</p> - -<p>Crash, a great jagged lump of stone came hurtling -up within a yard of our home, frightening us -all abominably.</p> - -<p>Mother crouched with us closer than ever into -our frail little house of sticks, which was not made -to stand the force of stones.</p> - -<p>Almost immediately there fell another mass of -whizzing stone, even nearer than the first. It -shore away a large tassel from the bough just -overhead, and this fell right on the top of us, -frightening Hazel so much that she jumped completely -out of the nest, and, if mother had not -been after her as quick as lightning, she must have -fallen over the edge and probably tumbled right -down to the ground and been killed at once. -Even a squirrel, particularly a young one, cannot -fall fifty feet in safety.</p> - -<p>Mother saved her from this fate, but the mischief -was done. The quick eyes of our enemies below -had caught a glimpse of red fur among the pale -green foliage, and they roared out in triumph, the -louder and noisier making such a row, I thought -that anyone within hearing must come rushing<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_6"></a>[6]</span> -to see what was the matter. Then they began -disputing together, perhaps as to which of them -should carry us away.</p> - -<p>We lay there nestling under mother’s thick fur, -shaking with fright.</p> - -<p>The two fellows down below argued like angry -magpies for several minutes, and at last it was -decided that the quieter one should do the climbing. -I peeped over timidly and saw him throw off his -coat, and drew back to make myself as small as -possible. Presently I heard a bough creak, and -then there followed a scraping and grinding as his -heavy hobnailed boots clawed the trunk in an effort -to reach the first branch. Once on that, he came -up with dreadful rapidity. The boughs of the -larch were so close together that even such a great -clumsy animal, with his hind-paws all covered up -with leather and iron, could climb it as easily as -a ladder. We heard him coughing and making -queer noises as the thick green dust, which always -covers an old larch, got into his throat, and the -little sharp dry twigs switched his face. But he -kept on steadily, and soon he was only three or -four branches below us, and making the whole -top of the tree quiver and shake with his clumsy -struggles. But as he got higher the branches were<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_7"></a>[7]</span> -thinner, and he stopped, evidently not daring to -trust his weight to them, and called out something -to his companion. All the answer he got was -a jeering laugh, and this probably decided him, for, -with a growl, he came on again. The tree really -was thin up near our bough, at least for a great -giant like this. The trunk itself bent, and the -shaking was so tremendous that I began to think -that our whole home would be jerked loose from -its platform and go tumbling down in ruins with -us inside it.</p> - -<p>Suddenly the fellow’s great rough head was -pushed up through the branches just below. His -fat cheeks were crimson, and his hair all plastered -down on his forehead with perspiration. I stared -at him in a sort of horrible fascination. I could -not have moved for the life of me, and, as Rusty -and Hazel told me afterwards, they felt just the -same. But mother kept her head. She was -sitting up straight, with her bright black eyes -fairly snapping with rage and excitement.</p> - -<p>The man made a desperate scramble, and up -came a large dirty paw and grasped the very -branch on which we lived. This was too much -for mother. Her fur fairly bristled as she made -a sudden dash out of the nest by the entrance<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_8"></a>[8]</span> -nearest to the trunk, and went straight for that -grasping fist. Next instant her sharp teeth met -deep in his first finger. He gave one yell and let -go. All his weight came on his other hand, there -was a loud snap, and his large red face disappeared -with startling suddenness.</p> - -<p>For a moment our tree felt just as it does when -a strong gust of wind catches and sways it. Our -enemy, luckily for himself, had fallen upon a wide-spreading -bough not far below, had caught hold -of it, and so saved himself from a tumble right -down to the bottom.</p> - -<p>I heard his companion cry out in a frightened -voice. For a moment there was no reply, and -then a torrent of language so angry that I am -sure no respectable squirrel would have used -anything so bad even when talking to a weasel.</p> - -<p>The man who had fallen was dancing about, -holding his hand in his mouth, and taking it out -to show his comrade. I watched him excitedly, -hoping that now he had been hurt he would go -away; but no, picking himself up he began again -clumsily climbing up towards us. He came more -slowly than before, trying each branch carefully -before he put his weight on it. Presently I saw his -furious face rising up again through the branches,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_9"></a>[9]</span> -and now he had something shining and sharp, like -a long tooth, clutched between his lips. I did not -know then what a knife was, but I thought it -looked particularly unpleasant. There was a nasty -shine, too, in his pale blue eyes. I could feel my -heart throbbing as if it would burst. Again his -great ugly paw came clutching up at our bough. -Fortunately he could not quite reach it. Having -broken off the branch just below us, he had nothing -to hold on to. However, he was so angry that -there was no stopping him. He got his arms -and legs round the trunk and began to swarm up.</p> - -<p>It looked as if nothing could save us now. -Mother herself was too frightened of that long -gleaming tooth to try to bite our enemy again. -She jumped out of the nest by the entrance on -the far side, and did her best to persuade us to -follow her out to the end of the branch where -we had been having our jumping lessons. But -we were much too frightened to move. We lay -shivering in the moss at the bottom of the nest, -and made ourselves as small as we knew how.</p> - -<p>The man’s head was level with the bough; he -was stretching out for a good hand-hold, when -suddenly I heard the sharp clatter of a blackbird -from the hedge at the border of the spinny, and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_10"></a>[10]</span> -immediately afterwards the crash of dry twigs -under a heavy boot.</p> - -<p>A sharp hiss came from below in warning. Bill’s -hand stopped in mid-air, just as I once saw a rabbit -stop at the moment the shot struck it. His cheeks, -which had been almost as red as my tail, went the -colour of a sheep’s fleece. He listened for a -moment, then suddenly dropped to the bough -below, and began clambering down a good deal -more quickly than he had come up.</p> - -<p>We guessed it was the keeper, who had always -left us alone, though we had often seen him about.</p> - -<p>The steady tramp of his boots suddenly changed -to a quick thud, thud; and when he saw the fellows -at the tree, he gave a deep roar, just like the bull -that lives in the meadow by the river when he gets -angry. He came running along at a tremendous -pace, making such a tramping among the leaves -and pine-needles that the blackbird, though she had -flown far away, started up again with a louder -scream than ever.</p> - -<p>The man on the ground did not wait. Deserting -his companion, he made off at top speed. But old -Crump, the keeper, knew better than to waste his -time in catching him. He had seen the boughs -shaking and he came straight for our tree, and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_11"></a>[11]</span> -shouted triumphantly as he caught sight of the -other one, who was by this time only a few boughs -from the ground.</p> - -<p>In his hurry and fright the fellow missed his -hold. Next moment there was a tremendous -thump, and a worse row even than when he had -taken his first tumble.</p> - -<p>I peeped out of the nest again more confidently, -and I thought they were fighting. But what had -happened was that the poacher had fallen right on -the top of Crump’s head, flooring him completely, -and, I should think, knocking all the breath out of -him. Then, before the keeper, who was as fat as a -dormouse, could gain his feet, the other had -picked himself up and gone off full tilt after his -friend.</p> - -<p>The keeper growled and muttered to himself -as he rose slowly. He picked up his gun and -walked round the tree, looking up, evidently -puzzled as to what the men had been after. -Then he caught sight of us, and shook his head, as -if he would have much liked to capture us himself -He certainly could not have had any friendly feeling -for us, as we bit the tips off his young larches. -But he must have had orders to let us alone, for he -did not attempt to molest us, and presently, to our<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_12"></a>[12]</span> -great relief, he too stumped off and left us undisturbed.</p> - -<p>We lay very still for a long time, slowly getting -over our fright. Suddenly mother gave a pleased -little squeak and jumped out of the nest. I -crawled out too, as boldly as you please, and -looked down. Here came father running along -over the thick brown carpet of pine-needles which -covered the ground. I know some of you humans -laugh at a squirrel on the ground. But it is not -our fault that we do not look so well there as in our -proper place—a tree. Why, even the swan, supposed -to be the most graceful thing in the world, -waddles in the clumsiest fashion imaginable when -it is on dry land! At any rate, even over flat -ground a squirrel can move at a good pace.</p> - -<p>Father was lopping along with his fore-paws very -wide apart, and stopping now and then to sniff or -burrow a little among the pine and larch needles. -In one place he evidently found something good—possibly -a nice fat grub—for he stopped, sat up -on his hind-legs, and, holding whatever it was in his -fore-paws, began to nibble at it daintily. How -handsome he looked sitting there, with his beautiful -sharp ears cocked, his splendid brush hoisted -straight up, and the rich, ruddy fur of his back<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_13"></a>[13]</span> -just touched by a stray gleam of sunshine, contrasting -beautifully with the snowy whiteness of his -waistcoat! It has always been my opinion that he -was the handsomest squirrel I ever saw, and I was -never more pleased in my life than when mother -once told me that she thought I was more like him -than any of her other children.</p> - -<p>Mother called again. Father looked up, caught -sight of her, gave a quick flick of his tail and an -answering call. Next instant we heard the rattle -of his claws on the rough bark, and almost before -I could look round here he was with us.</p> - -<p>He was full of good-humour, for he had been -over to the beech copse, and the mast, he told us, -was the finest crop he had seen for years. We -must collect a good store as soon as it got ripe.</p> - -<p>But he suddenly noticed that mother was quivering -all over, and he had not time to ask what had -upset her before she burst into an account of all -the dreadful things that had happened that morning.</p> - -<p>Then he looked very grave.</p> - -<p>‘We must go,’ he said. ‘It means building a -new house. And this tree has suited us so admirably. -I do not think that I have ever seen a -weasel near it; then, too, we are so capitally<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_14"></a>[14]</span> -sheltered from bad weather by all these thick evergreens. -In any case I shall not leave the plantation, -but I suppose we must look out for another -tree. We cannot do anything to-day; it is too -late. Now I will mount guard over the youngsters -while you go and get some dinner.’</p> - -<p>And rather uneasily she went off.</p> - -<p>The heat of the day was over, but the sun was -still warm. A little breeze was talking gently -up in the murmurous tops of the trees, causing the -shadows to sway and dance in dappled lights on -the lower branches. You humans, who never go -anywhere without stamping, and running, and talking -loudly, and lighting pipes with crackly matches, -have no idea what the real life of the woods is like, -especially on a fine June afternoon such as this one -was. Though our larch was one of a thick clump, -yet from the great height of our nest we could see -right across into the belt of oaks, beeches, and old -thorn-trees which lay along the slope below, and -could even catch a glimpse of the tall hedge and -bank, and of the sandy turf beyond where the -rabbit-warren lay.</p> - -<p>One by one the rabbits lopped silently out of -their burrows and began to feed till the close turf -was almost as brown as green. Stupid fellows,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_15"></a>[15]</span> -rabbits, I always think, but I like to watch them, -especially when the young ones play, jumping over -and over one another, or when some old buck, with -a sudden idea that a fox or weasel is on the prowl, -whacks the ground with one hind-leg, and then all -scuttle helter-skelter back into their holes.</p> - -<p>A pompous old cock pheasant came strutting -down a ride in the young bracken, the sun shining -full on his glossy plumage and black-barred tail. -Presently his wife followed him, and behind her -came a dozen chicks flitting noiselessly over the -ground like so many small brown shadows. A -pair of wood-pigeons were raising their second -brood in a fir-tree, not far away from where we -lived, and every now and then, with a rapid clatter -of wings, one of the old birds came flapping through -the aisles of the plantation with food for their two -ugly, half-fledged young ones. I wonder, by the -by, why a wood-pigeon is so amazingly careless -about its nest building. I never can understand -how it is that the young ones do not fall off the -rough platform of sticks which is their apology for -a nest. And it must be shockingly cold and -draughty, too. Birds are supposed to be ahead of -all other nest-builders, but I can tell you there are -a good many besides the wood-pigeon who might<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_16"></a>[16]</span> -take a few pointers in architecture from us squirrels, -to say nothing of our distant cousin the door-mouse.</p> - -<p>A sharp rat-a-tat just behind startled me, and -there was a big green woodpecker hanging on tight -against the trunk of our own larch with his strong -claws, and pounding the bark with his hammer-like -beak. Father looked at him with interest.</p> - -<p>‘Ah,’ he observed, ‘it’s about time we did move. -The old tree must be getting rotten, or we shouldn’t -have a visit from him.’</p> - -<p>It was all most pleasant and peaceful as we sat -there—Rusty, Hazel, and I—enjoying the gentle -swinging in the soft west wind, and waiting for -mother to come home.</p> - -<p>It was a very fine summer, that one. I have -never seen one like it since. We had very little -rain and no storms for weeks on end, and the crops -of mast and nuts were splendid.</p> - -<p>But I am running ahead too fast. The very -next day after our narrow escape from the two -loafers, father set to work to make a new house in -the fir-tree he had spoken of. Luckily for him, -there was an old carrion crow’s nest handy in the -top branches, and he got plenty of sticks out of -this for the framework. Mother helped him to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_17"></a>[17]</span> -gather some moss—nice dry stuff from the roots of -a beech, and he made a tidy job of it within three -days. Of course, he did not build so elaborately -as if he had been constructing a winter nest—we -squirrels never do. But all the same, he put a -good water-tight roof over it.</p> - -<p>Meantime mother had been keeping us -youngsters hard at work with our climbing and -jumping lessons. We all got on very well, and -the day before we were to move she actually let -me come down to the ground. It was the funniest -feeling coming down so low, and at first I cannot -say that I liked it. There was no spring in the -earth, and one did not seem able to get a good -hold for one’s claws. The pine-needles slipped -away when one tried to jump. However, after the -first novelty wore off, I enjoyed the new sensation -hugely, and my joy was complete when mother -showed me a little fat brown beetle which she said -I might eat. I tried it, and really it might have -been a nut, it was so crisp and plump.</p> - -<p>Rusty and Hazel were sitting on a bough overhead, -and as full of envy as ever they could be, for -mother had said that she really could not have -more than one of us at a time down among the -dangers of the ground, and that I was the only<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_18"></a>[18]</span> -one quick enough to look after myself if anything -happened.</p> - -<p>My quickness was fated to be tested. While -mother was scratching about the tree-roots, having -a hunt for any stray nuts of last autumn’s store -that might hitherto have been overlooked, I moved -off to see if I could not discover another of those -tasty beetles. At a little distance lay a great log, -the slowly-rotting remains of a tall tree that had -been torn up by the roots in some winter gale -many years before, and was now half buried in the -ground. On its far side was a perfect thicket of -bracken, and a great bramble grew in the hollow -where the roots of the tree had once been, and hid -the fast decaying trunk. There was a curious -earthy smell about the place which somehow -attracted me. I know now that it was from a sort -of fungus which grows in the rotten wood, and is -quite good to eat, but at that time I was still too -young to understand this. However, I went gaily -grubbing about, and at last ventured on the very top -of the log and pattered down it towards the trunk -end. Near the butt was a hollow in the worm-eaten -wood. The bramble was thick on all sides, -but there was an opening above through which a -patch of bright sunlight leaked down. In the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_19"></a>[19]</span> -middle of this dry, warm cavity was a small coil of -something of almost the same colour as the wood -on which it lay. At first I took it for a twisted -stick, but it attracted me strangely, and I gradually -moved nearer. It was not until I came to the -very edge of the hollow and sat up on my hind-legs -that I suddenly became aware that the odd -coil had a little diamond-shaped head, in which -were set two beady eyes. There was a horrible -cold, cruel look in those unwinking eyes which had -a strange effect upon me. I turned cold and stiff, -and felt as if, for the very life of me, I could not -move. Suddenly a forked tongue flickered out, -the dead coil took life, I saw the muscles ripple -below the ashen skin. It was that movement which -saved me. As the horrid head flashed forward, I -leaped high into the air. The narrow head and -two thin, keen fangs gleaming white passed less -than my own length below me, and I fell into the -thick of the bramble, the worst scared squirrel in -the wood. How I scrambled out I have no idea, -but in another instant I was scuttling back to my -mother, full of my direful tale.</p> - -<p>When I told her what had happened she looked -very grave.</p> - -<p>‘It was an adder,’ she said, shivering. ‘If it<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_20"></a>[20]</span> -had bitten you, you would have been dead before -sunset. Keep close to me, Scud.’</p> - -<p>The next day we moved into our new quarters -in the fir-tree. Personally, I never liked a fir so -well as most other trees. It is so dark and gloomy, -and you get so little sun. My own preference has -always been for a beech. An old beech has such -delightful nooks and crannies, and often deep holes, -sometimes deep and large enough to build a winter -home in—always capital for the storage of nuts. -There was no doubt, however, that the fir which -father had chosen had many points to recommend -it. It was an immensely tall tree, and thick as a -hedge, yet there were no branches close to the -ground to tempt evil-minded young humans like our -recent invaders to climb up. What was still better, -so cunningly had father chosen his site that it was -quite impossible for any evil-minded, two-legged -creatures to see us from below. Our nest was -founded on a large, flat-topped branch close in to -the thick red trunk, and only about two-thirds of -the way up to the top. Another branch almost -equally thick formed a roof over our heads, so that -we were very snug and comfortable.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_21"></a>[21]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II<br /> -<span class="smaller">THE GREAT DISASTER</span></h2> - -</div> - -<p>The day on which the great disaster befell us was -wet in the early morning, and when the sun rose a -thick, soft mist, white like cotton-wool, hung over -the country-side. Not a breath of air was stirring, -and it was so intensely still that it seemed as though -one could hear everything that moved from one end -of the wood to the other. The plop of a water-rat -diving into a pool in the stream on the far side of -the coppice came as clearly to my ears as though -the water had been at the bottom of our own tree -instead of several hundred yards away, and when -the wood-pigeons began to move unseen in the -smother, the clatter of their wings was positively -startling.</p> - -<p>We squirrel folk are not fond of wet, so we lay -still and snug in our cosy retreat until the sun -began to eat up the mist. Soon the grey smother -thinned and sank, leaving the tree-tops bathed in -brilliant light, every twig dripping with moisture,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_22"></a>[22]</span> -and every drop sparkling with intense brilliance. -Then we crept out one by one, and, sitting up -straight upon our haunches, began our morning -toilet. No other woodland creature is so careful -and tidy in its habits as a squirrel, and mother had -already thoroughly instructed us in the proper -methods of using our paws as brushes and our -tongues as sponges, and in making ourselves neat -and smart as self-respecting, healthy squirrels -should be.</p> - -<p>Suddenly a peal of distant bells came clanging -through the moist, calm air with such a vibrating -note that they made us all start. Father sat up -sharply, and mother asked him what was the -matter.</p> - -<p>He explained to us that he had learnt by experience -that when those bells rang out it was a -dangerous time for us, for all the mischievous boys -and rough fellows in the neighbourhood seemed to -appear in the woods, and the keeper was never -seen. He did not know why this should be, but -from long custom he had grown to be uneasy at the -sound.</p> - -<p>Mother shuddered sympathetically, and rubbed -against him caressingly, with a movement that told -him not to worry, and she reminded him consolingly<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_23"></a>[23]</span> -that even if our tormentors did take it into -their heads to come into the wood they would not -be likely to find us, since we had moved.</p> - -<p>But father, instead of responding, suddenly -pricked up his ears, and, signalling to us to be -quiet, listened eagerly to some sound which the -rest of us had not yet caught. For a moment he -sat up straight, as still as though stuffed; then he -turned and spoke sharply, with a warning sound -that told us to lie as still as mice, for some danger -was approaching.</p> - -<p>Sure enough, a minute later we all heard the -warning cry of a frightened blackbird, and immediately -afterwards the brushing and trampling of -a number of heavy boots through the wet grass -and fern in the distance. At once we all stretched -ourselves out tight as bark along the flat bough -which formed the foundation of our nest, and lay -there still as so many sleeping dormice.</p> - -<p>The steps came rapidly nearer, and soon voices -sounded plainly through the hush of the quiet -wood. Imagine how I shuddered when I recognized -the coarse tones of our former enemies mixed -with others equally harsh and unpleasant! They -were making straight for our part of the -wood.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_24"></a>[24]</span></p> - -<p>Shaking though I was in every limb, curiosity -drove me to peep cautiously over the edge of the -bough. The mist was all gone now, and there, -below the tall larch-tree which had been our old -home and the scene of our recent narrow escape, -stood four young louts, our old enemies and two -others about the same size and age, all craning -their necks and staring upwards through the thick, -pale-green branches. Each was carrying in his -right hand a short, flexible stick with a heavy head. -These were not long enough for walking-sticks, such -as Crump, the keeper, and other humans who sometimes -came through the wood carried; and, in spite -of my fright, I wondered greatly what they were -for. Alas! it was not long before I learnt the -terrible powers of the cruel ‘squailer.’</p> - -<p>After a good deal of argument and dispute one -of the new-comers swung himself up on to the -lowest bough. He climbed far better and faster -than the one who had tried before, and in a very -short time had reached a bough close below our old -drey.</p> - -<p>By this time I was getting over my fright a -little. I turned to Rusty, who was next me.</p> - -<p>‘What a sell for them when they find no one at -home!’ I whispered in his ear.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_25"></a>[25]</span></p> - -<p>But Rusty only grunted, and a sharp signal for -silence came from father.</p> - -<p>The bough which had been broken before -stopped the climber for a few moments, but -presently he managed to swarm up the trunk and -seat himself astride of the very branch upon which -our former home was founded.</p> - -<p>They shouted to him from below to be careful. -The fellow in the tree paid no heed, but, clutching -the trunk with one hand to steady himself, boldly -thrust the other into the nest. There was a sharp -exclamation of disgust; and he cried out furiously -that there was nothing there.</p> - -<p>They were all in great excitement, and kept -urging him to look further and to make sure we -weren’t hiding. He felt in every crevice of the -nest, and peered about in the boughs, and then, -having evidently made up his mind we had really -gone, prepared to descend.</p> - -<p>But the others called to him to look again, -so, steadying himself once more upon the bough, -he peered upward. Then he solemnly declared, -shaking his head, that there was nothing in the -tree. To prove it, with a sweep of his great -red paw, he carelessly ripped our old home from its -perch and sent it tumbling to the ground. I heard<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_26"></a>[26]</span> -mother give a little gasp as she saw destroyed in -an instant the results of so many hours of careful -and loving toil; but my own thoughts and eyes -were so concentrated upon the invader of our -rightful domain that I am afraid I hardly considered -her injured feelings. Still they would not -allow him to come down; and now came in a very -real danger. From the ground it would have been -quite impossible for them to spy us out in our new -quarters, but up the tree this fellow was on a level -with us, and had only to get a clear look between -the boughs to spy our little red bodies, which, -however much we crouched together, made a -considerable ball of fur.</p> - -<p>Climbing to his feet, he stood upright on the -bough, clinging with one arm to the trunk. It -was this movement which proved our undoing. -Standing thus, his head was clear of the dwindling -foliage near the spire-like summit of the larch, and -from his lofty perch his eye commanded the tree-tops -in the neighbourhood. A moment later his -gaze fell upon us, five small scared balls of red fur, -and his roar of triumph struck terror to our quaking -hearts.</p> - -<p>Without paying the slightest attention to the -shouted questions of his friends below, he swung<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_27"></a>[27]</span> -himself down hand over hand, and in a very short -time had dropped to the ground, and was running -across towards our fir-tree, with the others yelping -at his heels like a pack of harriers after a -hare.</p> - -<p>Mother and father exchanged a few hurried -words, but what they said I in my excitement had -not the faintest idea. Next moment father had -me by the scruff of the neck, and darted away -up into the thick and almost impenetrable top -of the giant fir. Mother, with Hazel between her -teeth, came after him like a flash.</p> - -<p>The fir-trunk forked near the summit; it was to -this point that father carried me, and dropped me -in the niche between the two boughs. Instantly -he was off again to fetch Rusty. Before our -enemies had noticed what was happening, and -while they were still arguing as to which of them -should do the climbing, all we three youngsters -had been deposited together in our lofty refuge.</p> - -<p>A scuffling noise and the sound of heavy breathing -came from below. One of the gang had begun -the ascent of the tree. Mother looked at father in -a sort of dumb agony. She was palpitating with -fright, and her dark eyes were large and brilliant -with terror.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_28"></a>[28]</span></p> - -<p>‘Can we reach another tree, Redskin?’ she asked -tremblingly.</p> - -<p>But father knew better, and signified, ‘No.’ -They two might have done it themselves, but -carrying us the jump would be too long to risk.</p> - -<p>From far below the bumping, scuffling noise -slowly grew louder and nearer. It was a long -way up to the first bough of the fir-tree, and the -climber—it was the same one again—was obliged -to swarm the scaly red trunk. We could not, of -course, see anything of him, for the matted tangle -of crooked branches below, with their foliage of -thick, dark green needles, formed an impenetrable -screen.</p> - -<p>I cannot even now remember that long wait in -the sunny tree-top, while ever from below the unseen -danger crept upon us, without an unpleasant -thrill, and I know that both my brother and my -sister shared my feelings. The worst part of it all -was the sight of the terror of our father, who had -always been to us a pattern of bravery. The fact -was that he realized the position, which we younger -ones did not do fully. He was only too well aware -that we were trapped. He and mother might have -easily escaped by descending to the longer branches -below, and thence jumping into a spruce which<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_29"></a>[29]</span> -grew close by; but they would not desert us, and -both remained clinging tightly to the main trunk -just beside us.</p> - -<p>The hollow in which my brother and sister and -I were placed gave us complete shelter from below, -but there was only just room for the three of us. -Father and mother were forced to expose themselves. -The fir was, as I have said before, a very -large tree—quite seventy feet high—old, thick, and -gnarled, and the boughs were of considerable thickness -near to its very summit. Father no doubt -understood that our bulky enemy would, if he had -the pluck, be able to pursue us right up to our -lofty perch, and was aware of our almost hopeless -position.</p> - -<p>Slowly, very slowly, our persecutor came upwards. -The branches, once he was among them, -were so close and thick that he evidently found -it difficult to force his way between them. Every -now and then he would stop and puff and blow; -then the creaking of large boughs and the cracking -of small twigs announced a fresh effort on his part.</p> - -<p>At last he was only separated from our second -nest by a very small interval. Yet he had not -discovered it was empty. The others kept yelling -out questions to him, but he made no reply, only<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_30"></a>[30]</span> -forced his way through the tree, which, I am -bound to say, was very thick indeed.</p> - -<p>More scrambling. Then he caught sight of the -nest and redoubled his efforts. But when he was -nearly up to it he reached up his arm, and without -the slightest fear that he might be bitten as his -companion had been, thrust his huge hand into it. -The result was a savage exclamation. Angrily -he seized the empty nest, tore it out, and sent it -flying down as he had done the other.</p> - -<p>By this time the others were a little tired of -waiting, and began to scatter out from the tree -to try to spy us themselves. Common sense must -have told them that we had only left the nest -when we heard them, and could not be far, and -that we could probably be seen somewhere in the -surrounding boughs. A few moments’ suspense, -and then the awful warning shout again told us -we were discovered. The man was still in the -tree, though some way below, and by pointing and -gesticulations they directed him where to go to -find us. So he came panting up again, the -thinner branches swaying and rustling beneath his -weight. After a very few moments his head -appeared in the greenery below. He was of a -different type from the others, taller, black-haired,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_31"></a>[31]</span> -and sallow-faced. It did not take him many -seconds to see us, and he quickly pulled himself -up towards us.</p> - -<p>With his eyes fixed on mother, he came rapidly -upwards. Mother crouched where she was on a -small branch, very close to the extreme summit -of the tree, watching our enemy’s every movement. -By a lucky chance the main stem hid us three -youngsters from his sight. I think that father -and mother must have purposely placed themselves -on the other side from us with the express -object of drawing the boy’s attention away from -their helpless babies.</p> - -<p>When he drew near he paused, and pulling a -red cotton handkerchief from his pocket, deliberately -wrapped it round one hand. Then, -getting a good grip with the other, he edged outwards -and made a sudden rapid grasp at mother. -My heart almost stopped as I saw the great hand -extended. But quick as he was, no human can -hope to rival the lightning action of a squirrel’s -muscles, and before the grasping hand touched -her the little lithe red body flew into the air as -though driven by a spring, and, flashing downwards, -landed fully twenty feet below, and disappeared -into the thickest part of the tree.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_32"></a>[32]</span></p> - -<p>With a violent exclamation the tormentor -turned his attention to father, who was only a foot -or two further away, and crouching on the extreme -outer end of a bough. Evidently he intended -to make sure of him, for he worked himself round -so as to get between father and the tree, and -managed it so well that he seemed to me to have -cut off all chance of escape. I think he must -have actually touched father’s tail, when the most -unexpected thing happened. Instead of jumping -outwards, which, as the bough tip projected -a good way, would in all probability have ended -in a fall to the ground, into the very hands of -the three watchers below, father leaped straight -towards the boy, landing actually on his shoulder. -This startled him so much that he very nearly -let go altogether, and if I had not been in such -a panic I could have laughed at his fright. Then, -before the boy could recover himself, another quick -bound, and father was out on another branch, ten -feet away, quite out of reach of his would-be -captor.</p> - -<div class="figcenter illowp53" id="illus02" style="max-width: 31.25em;"> - <img class="w100" src="images/illus02.jpg" alt="" /> - <p class="caption">FATHER LEAPED STRAIGHT TOWARDS THE BOY LANDING ACTUALLY ON HIS SHOULDER</p> -</div> - -<p>A torrent of language worse than any magpie’s -burst from the fellow’s lips, as he turned and -scrambled after father again. He might as well -have tried to catch a will-o’-the-wisp. Every<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_33"></a>[33]</span> -time he got near enough to make a snatch, father -would make another nimble jump, all the time -artfully luring his pursuer lower down the tree -and away from our hiding-place.</p> - -<p>The game went on for a good ten minutes, and -by the end of that time the enemy was dripping -with perspiration and speechless with fury. His -rage was increased by the jeers of his friends -below. At last he gave it up, having made up -his mind it was not much of a game to be made -a fool of by a squirrel and mocked by the -onlookers.</p> - -<p>He dropped quickly from bough to bough, and -presently I heard his heavy boots thud on the -ground. But before he had reached the foot of -the tree, both our parents were back with us. -Then the sound of loud wrangling came up to -us. Surely now they would go; but no! we were -not safe yet.</p> - -<p>There was further talk, and then the whole four -spread out in a circle round the fir-tree. Presently, -with a loud whizzing sound, some heavy -object came hurtling up past us. It struck a twig -near the summit of the tree and clipped it like -a bullet. Thud! Another struck the main stem -just below us with a force that sent the bark<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_34"></a>[34]</span> -flying in a shower. Then we saw what those -lead-weighted canes were for.</p> - -<p>A third squailer passed only a few inches above -father’s head. He called to mother:</p> - -<p>‘They’ll kill us if we stop here. Come along; -take Hazel and follow me.’</p> - -<p>In an instant he had snatched me up and was -scuttling down the trunk. It was wonderful how -exactly he knew which branch-end stretched -furthest towards the spruce which was our next -neighbour. Out along it he ran, and using the -natural spring of the bough to help him, made a -gallant leap outwards and downwards, legs and -tail wide spread to assist him in his flight.</p> - -<p>The air hissed past my ears, and then with a -little thud we landed safely in the spruce. But -his gallant jump had been seen by those greedy -eyes, and excited shouts came from below.</p> - -<p>Then—ah, even now I can hardly bear to speak -of it! As father was in the very act of running -up the branch towards the thick centre of the tree -and comparative safety, there came a cruel thud, -and he and I together were whirling through -the air.</p> - -<p>Crash! we came to the ground with a shock -that knocked my small senses out of me, and before<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_35"></a>[35]</span> -I could pick myself up a hard hand had closed -over me. I turned and, with the instinct of -despair, fixed my teeth deep in a horny finger. -There was a yell, and I was again flung to the -ground with a force that almost killed me. I knew -no more for many minutes, and when I woke again -to stunned and aching misery, I was lying helpless -in a sort of bag, which smelt horribly of something -which I now know to have been tobacco. The -bag was being shaken up and down with a steady -swing; but I, almost beside myself with pain and -flight, did not attempt to move or free myself.</p> - -<p>Suddenly the motion stopped abruptly, and the -hand was poked cautiously into the bag. It was -carefully protected this time by a handkerchief, but -I had no longer spirit left to bite. Out I was -pulled and held up before the gaze of all the four -robbers, who were seated at ease on a mossy bank -on the outer side of the hedge close by the gate of -our coppice. The very first thing that my eyes fell -upon was the body of my poor father lying limp -upon the bank, his white waistcoat dabbled with -crimson stains and his brilliant black eyes closed in -death. I felt a cold shiver run through me, and -the stupor of despair clutched my beating heart. -I hardly even had strength left to wonder what<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_36"></a>[36]</span> -had become of my dear mother and my brother -and sister.</p> - -<p>They passed me from one coarse hot hand to -another, and their voices grew louder and louder as -they disputed who should have possession of me.</p> - -<p>They then went on to blows, when suddenly the -quarrel was brought to an abrupt end in a most -startling fashion.</p> - -<p>Leaping over the hedge out of the coppice -behind came two tall, smart-looking boys, a startling -contrast to the four loutish hobbledehoys -around poor little me.</p> - -<p>One of them, pointing at me, demanded in a -ringing voice where they had got me from.</p> - -<p>Three of the four cads stood sheepishly regarding -the new-comers, and said never a word; but the -one who had climbed the tree faced them boldly -enough, answering impudently.</p> - -<p>The new-comer strode up to him. He was -evidently master here, and the others were trespassing, -and they knew it, for they slunk back. -Yet, in reply to his reiterated commands, the -lout who was boldest snatched me up and refused -to part with me. He was so big and strong that -he seemed a giant, and I felt I should die there -and then. I closed my eyes and gave myself up,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_37"></a>[37]</span> -but in a minute I was down on the bank once -more, and the two—the new-comer and the great -rough fellow—were fighting hard, with coats off -and red faces.</p> - -<p>The sound of the blows that followed, the -tramping of feet, the hard breathing of the combatants, -nearly deprived me of the few senses that -remained to me, and I noticed little of the details -of the fight—only it seemed to last a long time, -and once I saw the schoolboy flat on his back. -But he was up almost as soon as down, and they -were at it again hammer and tongs.</p> - -<p>The giant made a rush head down, like a bull, -but the other jumped back, and there followed a -rattle of blows as my champion’s fists got home on -the lout’s hard head. But the squire’s son did not -wholly escape. The huge fist that had grasped me -so roughly caught him on the right cheek and -drove him back.</p> - -<p>One of my champion’s eyes was closing, his -right cheek was turning livid, and there was blood -on his broad white collar when they faced one -another again. But the ruffian for his part, though -not so badly marked, was breathing like a fat pug -dog and seemed unsteady on his legs. To do the -fellow justice, he had pluck, for he wasted no time<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_38"></a>[38]</span> -in making a last attempt to rush his opponent. -For a few moments it was all that the other could -do to guard his head against the swinging fists. -Then—it was all so quick that one could hardly -see what happened—there was a crack like the -sound two rams make when they charge one -another, and the giant tottered for a moment, his -arms waving wildly, then fell like a log and lay -quite still.</p> - -<p>The other new-comer counted loud and slowly -‘One—two—three—four’—up to ten. But the -fellow on the ground did not move.</p> - -<p>‘That’s the finish,’ he said.</p> - -<p>He turned to where I lay, with hardly a breath -in me, a little limp body, and picking me up, -handled me tenderly.</p> - -<p>Terrified as I was, the change was grateful to my -miserable, aching little body. He offered me to -the victor in the fight, who had by this time got -into his coat again, but he declined.</p> - -<p>‘Put him in your pocket, Harry,’ he said to his -brother. ‘My hands are too hot to hold him.’</p> - -<p>He was quite right. Let me here give a word of -advice to all those humans who keep any of my -race as pets. Don’t hold us in your hands. In the -first place, it frightens us desperately, and in the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_39"></a>[39]</span> -second, it is bad for us. A squirrel rarely lives -long in captivity if he is constantly handled. I -speak from experience, and I can assure you that, -much as I grew to love my dear master and my -other human friends, I was never happy in their -hands, though I never minded being kept in their -pockets.</p> - -<p>Harry put me carefully in the inside pocket of -his jacket. It was dark and warm, and, utterly -exhausted, I curled up and lay quiet, and so I was -carried away and left the home of my babyhood. -It was long before I saw it again.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_40"></a>[40]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III<br /> -<span class="smaller">THE PLEASURES OF IMPRISONMENT</span></h2> - -</div> - -<p>I was aroused from a sort of stupor between sleep -and exhaustion by being picked out of my snug -retreat and held up for inspection before a third -person, a sweet-faced lady, whom I afterwards came -to know well and love as the mother of my dear -master, Jack Fortescue, and his brother Harry.</p> - -<p>She looked at me pitifully when her son had -quickly explained the events of the morning. -Her fingers were long and slim and cool, and, poor -limp little rag that I was, I never offered the -slightest resistance to her gentle grasp. She took -me straight through a side door into a long, low, -shady building with wood-lined walls, and in a -minute or two I was placed in a nest of soft hay in -a good-sized box covered in front with close wire-netting. -Too worn out to trouble my head about -the amazing and perplexing change in my circumstances, -I simply curled up with my tail over my -nose and went sound asleep.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_41"></a>[41]</span></p> - -<p>It was Jack who woke me. I must have been -asleep for a long time, for now the sun was pouring -in through the western windows. The first thing -I realized was that I was desperately hungry, and -that the little saucer which the boy had pushed -gently into the cage had a most appetizing odour. -But my sleep had given me fresh life and strength, -and quiet as his movements were, I remember that -I was desperately frightened, and cowered down, -shivering, burrowing close in the hay.</p> - -<p>Jack seemed to understand perfectly, for he -closed the door again very softly and moved away. -Presently the silence restored my confidence a -little, and I ventured to peep out. The saucer was -quite close to my nose, and, hunger overpowering -my fright, I crawled up and tasted the mixture. It -was bread and milk, soft and well cooked. I -finished it very rapidly, and then, feeling much -refreshed, went to sleep for a second time.</p> - -<p>Once again before dark Jack came and fed me, -and this time brought me a couple of ready cracked -nuts, as well as the bread and milk.</p> - -<p>Well fed and cared for as I was, I shall never -forget the misery of that first night. I don’t -suppose that at that very early age I actually -remembered much of what had happened during<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_42"></a>[42]</span> -the past eventful day. What I did feel was a sort -of horror of loneliness. Instead of the whole five -of us snuggling warmly together in our well-lined -drey, I was here in this box, which was many times -larger than our nest, absolutely alone. Every -time I went to sleep I would wake up again with -a start, vaguely feeling round for my mother and -the rest, and shivering miserably in my unaccustomed -solitude.</p> - -<p>At last morning came, and it was hardly broad -daylight before Jack arrived in his nightshirt and -carried me off, cage and all, to his bedroom, where -he put me on the window-ledge in the sun and -offered me nuts. At first I was much alarmed; -but he was so gentle that I gradually got over my -terror, and sat up and nibbled the nuts fairly -happily.</p> - -<p>I will pass over the next few days. My new -master fed me assiduously, and very soon I lost all -fear of him, and the minute I saw him would make -for the door of my comfortable little prison, and -wait eagerly for the dainties which were sure to be -forthcoming. Every morning he changed my bed -and gave me fresh hay, which makes far the best -bedding for any of our tribe. During the day my -cage was brought down into the bowling-alley,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_43"></a>[43]</span> -where several other pets were kept, and at night -Jack took me up to his room, so that I might not -be frightened by servants dusting in the morning.</p> - -<p>At last there came a morning when Jack’s hand, -instead of offering me the usual nut, gently grasped -me. Frightened, I turned at once and bit him -sharply. I don’t suppose my small teeth did much -damage, for he only laughed, and, lifting me right -out of the cage, placed me on his bed. The white -counterpane was so very different from anything -which I had ever felt under my claws before, that -at first I was too much surprised to move, and -remained perfectly still. Presently, however, Jack -popped a nut down in front of me. That, at any -rate, I understood, so I sat up on my hind-quarters, -cracked it, and, first carefully removing the brown -skin from the kernel, made short work of the -dainty.</p> - -<p>Hoping for more, I gained confidence and proceeded -to explore. First I caught my claws in the -little projecting tufts of the counterpane, and heard -Jack laughing gently as I shook myself impatiently -free, giving a little squeak of disgust. Presently I -discovered a cavity that looked dark and inviting. -You know a squirrel’s besetting sin is curiosity. -He always wants to know the ins and outs of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_44"></a>[44]</span> -everything. Any object which he has not seen -before fascinates him, and I am afraid to say how -many of my friends have paid for their inquisitiveness -by getting into serious trouble. So I crawled -down, and finding it delightfully warm and dark, -made my way under the clothes to the very foot of -the bed, where, as I was very comfortable, I went -sound asleep.</p> - -<p>On the next morning my master turned me loose -again, this time on the floor, and after a fresh access -of timidity I again found nuts. There were more -than I wanted, so, obeying a natural instinct, I -ate what I could, and hid the rest in various convenient -receptacles.</p> - -<p>Soon I began to look forward to my daily outing, -and took great delight in exploring every corner -of the room. I well recollect what a shock I got -the first time I reached the window-sill. Outside -was a great elm-tree, whose branches reached -within a few yards of the window, and the sight -of the green leaves waving gently in the early -morning breeze roused in me strange longings. I -made one jump, and striking full against the glass, -fell back half stunned and terrified almost out of -my wits at the strange transparent barrier. Jack -picked me up at once, and placed me safe in the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_45"></a>[45]</span> -darkness and warmth under the bedclothes, where -I had time to recover from my fright.</p> - -<p>Soon he took to letting me out at bedtime, and -I had a grand scamper before the light was put -out. The window-curtains were my favourite -resort. They were so easy to climb, and had such -splendid folds and crannies for hiding nuts in. I -would race across the curtain-pole, rattling the -rings as I went, down the other curtain, round the -room full tilt, and finish up with a good hunt in -all the corners for nuts which I had concealed the -day before and forgotten all about. I rarely went -back to my cage to sleep, though it was always -open and ready for me. A fold in the window-curtain -was my usual place of repose, and another -pet perch was an old band-box on the top of the -wardrobe. It was half full of tissue paper, which -possessed a strange fascination for my young mind. -I tore it all up fine with my sharp teeth, and made -a most delicious nest with the bits.</p> - -<p>When the night was chilly I generally snuggled -under Jack’s bedclothes, and always, first thing in -the morning, so soon as daylight came, I would -make for the bed, and working my way gently -down between the sheets, curl up close against -Jack’s toes. Sometimes he was so sleepy that he<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_46"></a>[46]</span> -would not wake up and play when I wanted him -to; then I would emerge on to the pillow and -gently nibble the tip of his nose.</p> - -<p>This never failed. ‘Confound you, Nipper!’ -(he always called me Nipper), he would mutter -drowsily, and then make a lazy grab, which I -always eluded with the greatest ease, and with two -bounds would land on the end of the bedstead, -and, perched there, scold him until he sat up and -threw a sock at me.</p> - -<p>He was never rough, and never lost his temper -with me, although I am sure that I was aggravating -enough at times. It must have been trying when -he pulled on his boots in a hurry and found a -couple of nuts wedged tight in each toe. I do not -think that a boy and a squirrel ever became better -chums. We were simply devoted to one another. -The only dull times for me were when Jack and -Harry were busy with their tutor, during which -hours I was usually in my box in the bowling-alley.</p> - -<p>There, as I think I mentioned before, the -Fortescue boys kept several other pets. There -was a large white cockatoo with a lemon crest, -named Joey, which frightened and puzzled me -horribly until I came to understand its odd faculty<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_47"></a>[47]</span> -of imitating every person and animal about the -place. It would ‘miaouw’ like a cat, a most disturbing -sound, for every squirrel hates cats next -to hawks and weasels; would bark so realistically -that Mrs. Fortescue’s white Pomeranian was always -stirred up to reply, and the two would go on and -on, the wily old bird always starting up afresh -whenever the dog stopped, until poor Pom nearly -had a fit and grew quite hoarse. I shall never -forget the first time he imitated me to my face. -It gave me a most severe shock, for he did it so -well that for a moment I believed that one of my -relations was actually in the room. One thing I -liked him for: he was devoted to Jack, and invariably -bade him a grave ‘good morning’ when -he brought my cage down before breakfast. He -lived on a perch, to which he was chained by one -leg, and up and down this he would sidle by the -hour, with one eye cocked for mischief. Sometimes, -when all was quiet, he would talk to himself -in a language quite unlike that which my master -and his family used. The boys said it was some -African lingo which Joey had learnt ages ago in -his native land. Altogether a most uncanny -bird!</p> - -<p>Harry had a number of pet mice in wire cages.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_48"></a>[48]</span> -They were not the least atom like any of the mice -I had ever seen in the wood. These were of the -queerest colours—piebald—and some of them had -marks on their backs just the shape of a saddle. -Uninteresting I called them, but Harry was very -fond of them, and used to take them out and let -them run all over him.</p> - -<p>In the darkest corner of the long, low room was -the one creature that, from the first moment I saw -it, interested me more than all the others put -together. All day long it lay hidden in its hay -bed and never moved, but slept quietly as a dormouse -in its winter nest. In fact, I never set eyes -on it at all until one night in August, when the -evenings had begun to draw in and I happened to -be left a little later than usual in the bowling-alley. -No sooner had the room become dusk than -I heard from the tiny cage a little twittering, more -like a young bird’s voice than anything else, and -presently caught sight of a dainty little head poked -out of the hay, with two of the largest, most liquid -black eyes I ever saw. I gazed in wonder, for the -animal was so like myself that I felt sure it was a -squirrel, though I had never dreamed that any -squirrel existed so tiny as this.</p> - -<p>Just then in came the two boys together.</p> - -<div class="figcenter illowp53" id="illus03" style="max-width: 31.25em;"> - <img class="w100" src="images/illus03.jpg" alt="" /> - <p class="caption">HE IMITATED ME TO MY FACE</p> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_49"></a>[49]</span></p> - -<p>‘Hulloa!’ cried Harry, ‘Lops is awake. Bring -Nipper to have a look at him, Jack.’</p> - -<p>Jack took me out of my cage, and I jumped as -usual on to his shoulder and nibbled his ear by way -of a kiss. He walked across to the other cage and -set me down in front of it.</p> - -<p>‘Mr. Lops,’ he said with mock gravity, ‘allow -me to introduce Mr. Nipper. This is a small -cousin of yours, Nipper, and he comes from Mexico. -As you see yourself, he’s a sad character—sleeps -all day and only wakes up at night.’</p> - -<p>I was so lost in surprise that I sat quite still, -gazing through the fine wire mesh at my new -acquaintance. I have always had a fairly good -opinion of my own looks, as every well-bred -squirrel should have, but, upon my word, he put me -out of all conceit with myself. He was the tiniest, -daintiest, quaintest creature I ever set eyes on. -No bright red about him, but though his coat was -darker and greyer than mine, it was as soft as fine -velvet, and beautifully groomed. His head was -perfectly shaped, his ears pricked like my own, and -his eyes very large and amazingly bright. But the -oddest thing about him were the folds of loose skin -which extended in a thin membrane from all his -four legs back to his body. When he jumped from<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_50"></a>[50]</span> -the upper, story of his cage to the lower, they -spread out almost like the wings of a bat; but when -he was sitting still, they folded up so that they did -not in the least spoil his beautiful shape. I must -say that I felt quite envious, for I thoroughly -understood that a squirrel built like that could -jump ever so much further than I or any of my -family could. We English squirrels can, at a pinch, -clear as much as three yards in a straight line. We -always spread our legs wide when we jump as well -as keeping our tails stretched straight out, and that -is why we can leap from great heights and reach -the ground unhurt, for we drop parachute fashion. -But as for these American cousins of ours, the -flying squirrels, they can jump from the top of one -tree, and sliding through the air like a soaring -hawk, reach another tree fifty feet or more away at -a height from the ground only slightly less than -that of their starting-point.</p> - -<p>Lops—which Jack said was short for Nyctalops, -or ‘seer by night’—and I had many a chat afterwards. -He told me of his old home in sunny -Mexico, not a nest such as I was born in, but a -cavity in the trunk of a vast live oak or ilex, from -whose boughs long weepers of grey Spanish moss -trailed towards the brown palmetto-stained water<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_51"></a>[51]</span> -below; of the hot sun and of the furious tropical -storms which lashed the deep river into white -foam; of the paroquets, with their brilliant plumage -of green and red and blue, which screamed harshly -among the upper branches at dawn; of the rusty-hued -water-vipers which coiled sluggishly on the -steaming mud in summer. He told, too, of the -perils from great hawks three times as large as any -we know in England, from long, thin tree-snakes -wrapped unseen round the branches; and I -shuddered when he talked of fierce wild-cats as -much at home among the tree-tops as on the -ground. It must have been a wonderful country -and a wonderful life, so different from our -northern island as to be almost beyond my imagination -to picture it. All day the land slept breathless -beneath the blazing sun, with nothing moving -except the birds, the fox-squirrels, and the lizards; -and during those hours Lops and his family slept in -the dark recesses of their wood-walled fortress; but -when the sun set the forest woke to life. Deer -came down to the river to drink; peccaries rooted in -droves among the bases of the mighty trees; sometimes -a great bear came prowling along, uttering -now and then a deep ‘woof’ when any unaccustomed -sound disturbed him. Up above opossums and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_52"></a>[52]</span> -racoons moved silently to and fro among the tree-tops; -great owls whirled on soft wings, hooting -dismally; while all night long—especially in the hot -season—the endless chirr of crickets, the pipe of -tree-frogs and the deep booming of bull-frogs filled -the air with a never-ending concert. Other sounds -there were, rarer, but far more terrifying. Enormous -bull-alligators, floating like logs with only their -gnarled heads and the ridges of their rugged backs -above the water, would bellow with a roar that -shook the forest; or, again, from some hidden -recess of the deepest woods the blood-curdling -shriek of the tawny puma would ring hideously -through the night.</p> - -<p>Poor Lops! Though cared for as few pets are—fed -with dainty pecan-nuts and other delicacies -from his far-off home across the ocean, and though -he loved his mistress Mabel, Jack’s sister, devotedly—yet -he was never happy as I was. The damp -and cold of our climate oppressed him, and most of -his time he spent curled up tightly among the soft -bedding of his cage. Then, too, he was a creature -of the night, and it was only after dark that he -would wake and want to play—and at that time, -except for an hour or two, there was no one to play -with. I felt very sorry for him, and so, too, were<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_53"></a>[53]</span> -Mabel and the boys. I am sure that if they could -they would have set him free again among the great -tropical forests that he loved so well, and always -mourned for, though only I knew how deeply.</p> - -<p>As for me, life ran most pleasantly. I grew -plump on the good food I was supplied with. My -coat became long and sleek, and my tail, which had -been a mere furry appendage like that of a little -colt, grew into a glorious brush of richest red-brown, -long enough and thick enough to cover me -completely when I curled up to sleep. Jack was -very proud of my looks, and used to groom me all -over with a little brush—a process which I soon -grew very fond of. We two came to understand -one another most marvellously. I could always -tell him what I wanted, whether it was food, or a -game, or to be allowed to creep into his coat-pocket -and go to sleep there.</p> - -<p>One day he opened my cage, slipped me into his -pocket, and walked off, and when he took me out -again I was out of doors once more!</p> - -<p>I cannot tell you how it affected me. You know, -we wild creatures—born wild, I mean—never quite -forget our rightful heritage of freedom, and here, for -the first time for many weeks, I found myself out in -the open.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_54"></a>[54]</span></p> - -<p>Jack was seated on a wooden bench under a -clump of evergreen shrubs in the midst of a great -expanse of smooth-shaven lawn. It was August -now, and the sun poured down hotter than ever it -had been in those June days in the wood. Big -bumble-bees droned lazily by; a robin was perched -on the bare ground at the foot of an <i>arbor vitæ</i>, -cocking a soft round eye at us; all the subtle, -fascinating odours of summer were in my nostrils. -I gave one spring from his knee on to the back of -the bench, and sat there, head high, snuffing the -sweet air, and quivering all over with excitement. -Jack never moved, and for the moment he passed -completely out of my remembrance. My brain -was crammed to bursting with half-forgotten -instincts and remembrances which crowded in -upon me.</p> - -<p>So I sat for perhaps half a minute; then a little -breath of summer breeze swayed a bough above me, -and on the impulse I sprang. Oh, the delight of feeling -it yield and swing beneath me! I darted inwards -to the trunk, and with one clattering dash was up -at its slender summit twenty feet above the turf -gazing round in wild delight. When the first -ecstasy had worn off, I set myself to explore, and, -clambering down a little, jumped into the next<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_55"></a>[55]</span> -tree. So for many minutes I exercised my new-found -powers, taking longer and longer leaps, and -enjoying myself to the top of my bent.</p> - -<p>But the clump of shrubs was small, and soon I -had exhausted its resources in the way of jumps. I -looked around, and a little way off was a giant elm. -Ah! that would give more scope; and with my -head full of its possibilities, I turned and came -down head foremost. Then, and not till then, did -my eyes fall upon my master, who sat where I had -left him, still as ever. He looked at me, but I -would not heed, and dashed off across the lawn.</p> - -<p>‘Hulloa, Jack! what price Nipper?’ came Harry’s -voice from a distance. ‘You’ll never see him -again.’</p> - -<p>But the other only said, ‘You wait!’ and still -sat stubbornly in his place.</p> - -<p>With a rattle of claws on rough bark I was up -the elm like a flash, and, half crazy with joy, went -leaping and corkscrewing round and round, sending -a couple of tree-creepers off in a terrible fright. -I think they must have taken me for a cat. I -played for a long time, and still Jack sat on the -bench. He seemed to be deep in a book, and after -a time I got quite cross at his apparent lack of -interest in my proceedings. It was getting late,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_56"></a>[56]</span> -and the trees threw long, dark shadows across the -lawn. The breeze had died down, and, except for -the chirping of sparrows in the ivy and the low -whistle of some starlings in the distance, all was -very still. A sense of loneliness began to oppress -me, and at last I came creeping down, and, reaching -the lower branch, once more looked across towards -my master.</p> - -<p>‘Nipper!’ he called softly; and in a trice I was -on the ground and lopping across towards him.</p> - -<p>Suddenly, and without the slightest warning, -there was a sharp ‘yap-yap,’ and a dirty white-and-tan -beast rushed out of the shrubbery behind me. -On the instant I was running for dear life.</p> - -<p>I saw Jack bound to his feet and come tearing -across towards me. But instead of running straight -to him, I made for the nearest tree—a small ornamental -evergreen. The dog—it was the gardener’s -terrier—wheeled, and was after me like a shot. -He was travelling nearly twice as fast as I, and his -feet were drumming so close behind me that it -seemed nothing could save me. Each instant I -expected to feel those snapping teeth close upon -me.</p> - -<p>There was a sudden crash, and the sharp ‘yap-yap,’ -changed to a terrified howl. Jack had hurled his<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_57"></a>[57]</span> -book with all his might and with such good aim -that the dog, hit full in the side, had been bowled -completely over, giving me time to gain the shrub -and safety.</p> - -<p>‘Poor old Nipper!’ said Jack softly, as he picked -me shivering out of the little tree and stowed me -safely inside the breast of his coat. ‘We won’t -run any more risks of that sort, will we, old chap?’</p> - -<p>Indeed, the fright was so severe that I did not -get over it for some time. It gave me a good -lesson, and the next time my master let me out -I did not venture far from him.</p> - -<p>Soon after this I had another adventure which -came very near to closing my career abruptly. -One dull rainy morning I was loose as usual in -Jack’s bedroom. Just as he had almost finished -dressing, his brother, whose room was on the same -floor, opened the door and called to my master to -come and help him to find one of his mice which -had got loose and disappeared. Jack ran out, -carefully closing the door behind him, and leaving -me to play by myself. A few minutes afterwards -one of the maids, thinking no doubt that Jack had -finished dressing and had gone down to his early -morning lesson with his tutor, came in to turn the -bed down and tidy up. She never saw me, and I<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_58"></a>[58]</span> -paid no attention to her, for I was busy under the -dressing-table with some nuts.</p> - -<p>It was some minutes after she had gone away -that I became conscious of an animal moving softly -about the room, and a spasm of terror seized me, -for though I could not see it owing to the hangings -of the dressing-table, instinct—that sixth sense -which informs us of danger—gave me warning of -desperate peril.</p> - -<p>Crouching back as near to the wall as possible, I -lay there absolutely still, listening with beating -heart to the almost noiseless footsteps which came -gradually nearer and nearer. I could tell by the -soft snuffing that the animal scented me, and terror -almost paralysed me. Closer and even closer came -the creature, and presently the hangings of the -table rustled, and as they were pushed aside a -whiskered head appeared, and two eyes that glowed -luminous green in the dim light glared upon me. -Stiffened in my corner I watched the cat crouch -for a spring, her gleaming eyes fixed greedily upon -me, while her tail waving quickly from side to side, -made a soft tattoo on the carpet. Those cruel -green eyes absolutely fascinated me, and for the -moment I could not have moved even to save my -life.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_59"></a>[59]</span></p> - -<p>Suddenly came a loud crash. The door left -open by the maid had blown to in the strong -draught from the open window. The noise startled -the cat almost as much as it did me, and for the -moment she took her eyes off me. The spell was -broken and I ran for dear life. As I passed under -the hangings and out into the open I heard her -heavier, larger body strike the very spot where -I been crouching, and with another spring she -came out from under the table and landed barely -her own length behind me. One wild bound to -the right and I was inside the fender; another, -and my enemy’s outstretched paw actually grazed -my tail as I bolted clean up the chimney, and a -snarl of disappointed rage gave me the glad tidings -that I was for the moment safe.</p> - -<p>It was lucky, indeed, for me that the chimneys -of the Hall were of the wide, old-fashioned brick -type unprovided with dampers. Had it not been -so, and had my refuge been the modern, narrow, -perpendicular form of grate, it is certain that I -should never have been alive now. As it was, the -worn, old brickwork gave me footing of a kind, -and I never stopped until I had reached the -chimney-pot, which barred further progress. The -soot nearly choked me, and made me cough and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_60"></a>[60]</span> -sneeze violently. My foothold was most precarious -and I was in deadly terror that I might slip and go -tumbling right back into the jaws of my enemy. -Indeed, I have rarely spent a worse quarter of an -hour than I did then.</p> - -<p>Suddenly I heard the door below open. Sounds -came to me almost as clearly as if I had been in -the room.</p> - -<p>‘Nipper! Nipper!’ I heard Jack call, but I was -too frightened to come down.</p> - -<p>‘Why, where on earth has he got to?’ my master -continued in a surprised tone, and then I heard -him moving about the room looking for me.</p> - -<p>The cat, no doubt, had taken refuge under the -dressing-table again when she heard the door open, -for she knew as well as possible that she had no right -in the bedrooms, her proper place being the kitchen. -There was a rustle as Jack raised the hangings, and -then he saw her.</p> - -<p>For the moment there is no doubt but that -he thought she had killed and eaten me, and grief -and fury possessed him. I heard a smothered -squawk of terror, and even in my plight rejoiced -that my enemy was feeling a little of the fright she -had given me. Then there was a crash. Jack had -flung the beast clean out of the window into the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_61"></a>[61]</span> -elm opposite. I heard him go to the door again, -and there was something in his voice as he shouted -to his brother to come that made me shiver all -over, but not with fright.</p> - -<p>Harry came rushing into the room, and I am -bound to say his voice was almost as queer as that -of my master.</p> - -<p>I was recovering slowly from my terror, and the -sound of Jack’s voice was giving me confidence. -Also my present refuge was horribly uncomfortable, -and the black soot making me feel perfectly -miserable, so I turned with the intention of making -my way downwards again. You know we -squirrels always descend head foremost, holding -on with our hind-claws. But I had hardly begun -my descent when a bit of hardened soot or plaster -gave way beneath me. I made a desperate but -quite useless effort to recover myself, and next -thing I was sliding helplessly down the steep slope -at a pace which increased with every foot I fell.</p> - -<p>Thud! And I landed in the grate amid a perfect -avalanche of soot. Jack, who was sitting on -the bed looking more miserable than I had ever -seen him before, sprang to his feet as if electrified, -and cleared the intervening space with a bound.</p> - -<p>‘Nipper, Nipper, is it you?’ he shouted, and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_62"></a>[62]</span> -regardless of his smart, clean flannel suit picked -me up and positively hugged me in a transport -of delight. Then he examined me all over to -make sure that I was not hurt, and after that I -was only too glad to be allowed to crawl into his -pocket and feel that there, at any rate, I was safe.</p> - -<p>The worst of it came after breakfast, for I was -too filthy to be able to clean myself. Such a -miserable, draggled little object I was, black as -any sweep! My master got a basin of warm -water and washed me all over—a process which -I remember I strongly objected to, and resented -by nipping his fingers sharply. But he was firm, -and presently I was back again in my cage, which -was placed before the kitchen fire, and Jack -himself kept watch over me until, once more dry -and clean, I was fit to return to the bowling-alley.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_63"></a>[63]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV<br /> -<span class="smaller">A DAY IN RAT LAND</span></h2> - -</div> - -<p>It was about this time that an unaccustomed -quiet seemed to be settling upon the Hall and the -demesne. There were less people about, no -visitors, and some familiar faces among the servants -were missed. I had never seen much of the -Squire himself, but in these days he seldom came -into the bowling-alley at all, as he had been used -to do in the earlier days of my captivity. Even -the boys seemed to have grown quieter. They -laughed less often, and frequently I saw them -talking to one another with grave faces.</p> - -<p>At times I had an uneasy conviction of something -wrong, but it was only a passing impression, -for I, at least, never suffered in any way. Every -fine day Jack took me out of doors, and I had -a scamper in the clump of shrubs to which, -ever since my narrow escape from the terrier, I -was careful to confine myself. And as for food, -no squirrel could have fared better. My master<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_64"></a>[64]</span> -was always bringing me fresh delicacies. One day -it would be a cob of Indian corn, which grew to -perfection under the south wall of the kitchen -garden, and which I enjoyed vastly, ripping off -the thick green husks and pulling the kernels out -one by one. Another morning he would pick me -a fine summer apple, its sunny side delicately -tinged with streaky red, while he was always discovering -new nuts for my delectation. Once, I -remember, I made myself quite ill with the rich -greasy kernel of a huge Brazil-nut. A very pet -delicacy of mine in which I was often indulged was -a piece of hard ship’s biscuit. There were few -other eatables which I enjoyed so much. Now -and then I was given a morsel of banana, and -perhaps my greatest treat of all was a few of the -black, oily seeds of the sunflower.</p> - -<p>So things went on until the time that the blackberries -began to ripen. Then, one warm sunny -morning Jack got up very early and dressed -quickly. I wanted to play as usual, but he -seemed to have no time, and I was quite hurt at -his apparent neglect. As he took me in my cage -to the bowling-alley the Squire was in the hall. -I had never seen him there so early. He looked -old, and worn, and there were new lines in his<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_65"></a>[65]</span> -face, while his hair and beard seemed greyer than -I had thought them.</p> - -<p>‘Be quick and have your breakfast, Jack,’ I -heard him say. ‘Your train goes at nine, -remember.’</p> - -<p>‘All right, dad,’ returned the boy. ‘Take care -of Nipper while I’m gone.’</p> - -<p>Then, when he had put me in my place in the -bowling-alley just opposite old Joey’s perch, he -did a very unusual thing—took me out again and -stroked me. Then he put me back very gently -and hurried away.</p> - -<p>The morning passed; but when afternoon came -and I looked for my master, as usual, there was no -sign of him. I scratched vehemently at my cage-door, -but no one came. Only old Joey made rude -remarks and began to mimic me, so at last I -retired in a very bad temper, and curling up in -my hay began to wonder whether Jack had forgotten -me. You see we had never been separated -for a single day, and I could not in the least understand -his absence.</p> - -<p>At last some one came in, and I jumped out -eagerly. But, to my great disappointment, it was -Harry, not Jack, who came up and opened the -door of my cage. ‘Poor old Nipper!’ he said,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_66"></a>[66]</span> -and held out his hand, inviting me to come with -him.</p> - -<p>I came eagerly enough, for I had the idea that -he would take me to my master. The two brothers -were so nearly inseparable that I could not imagine -one being long away from the other. He did not, -however, carry me out of doors, but up to his own -room, where he turned me loose and offered me -biscuit. But I am afraid he found me a dull -companion, for I was listening the whole time for -Jack’s familiar footstep, and did not pay much -attention to his friendly overtures. At last he -took me back to the bowling-alley and shut me -up again, and there I moped sulkily for the rest of -the day.</p> - -<p>Night came on, and no Jack. I could not eat, -but sat awake all night, hoping for and expecting -my master. Next morning Harry came to feed -me, and was horrified when he found that I had -not eaten my supper. He brought me every -delicacy that he could think of, and at last, just -to please him, I ate a nut or two. That evening -he was taking me up to his room again, but as we -got to the door I hopped out of his pocket and -scampered off to Jack’s door. He let me in, and -though it was a fresh and bitter disappointment<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_67"></a>[67]</span> -not to find my master, yet I felt a little happier -among the familiar surroundings, and plucked up -spirit enough to dig out a nut which I had hidden -in his big bath-sponge and eat it. So that night -Harry turned me loose in his brother’s room. I -went to bed in a pocket of one of Jack’s old coats -which hung against the door, and tried hard to -imagine that my master was wearing it.</p> - -<p>It was morning when I poked my head out. -There was the smooth, white, empty bed, and still no -sign of Jack. Presently the maid came in, and not -seeing me, opened the window to air the room. -After she had gone I clambered out of the coat-pocket -and began aimlessly wandering about the -room. Presently I found myself on the window-sill, -and, catching sight of the elm branches waving -close by, with one spring I was in the tree, and, -running down the trunk, rapidly reached the grass. -Outside the shadow of the tree the wide, smooth -lawn sparkled with thick dew. I had never been -out so early before, and I greatly disliked the cold -wetness of the grass. But so anxious was I to find -Jack that I hardly thought of the discomfort, and I -made my way with all speed to the bench where he -so often sat.</p> - -<p>But he was not there. All was deserted and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_68"></a>[68]</span> -strangely quiet; only the thrushes hopped past -searching for their breakfast of worms, and a robin -sang from the sunny summit of a clump of evergreens.</p> - -<p>Often I had perched upon Jack’s shoulder as he -strolled round to the stables to see his pony Tarbrush. -To visit the stable was the next idea that -came to me, and keeping as close as possible to the -friendly shrubs and trees, I worked quickly round -through the garden till I came to the belt of -laurels which lay between the back premises and -the stables.</p> - -<p>I felt happier when I was off the ground and -among the branches of the shrubs, and climbing -quickly through them, soon came to the gate of the -stable-yard.</p> - -<p>There were cats here. I had seen them on my -previous visits, and under any other circumstances -nothing would have induced me to venture alone -into the long, paved yard. But anxiety to find my -master swallowed up all other considerations, and -dropping from the laurels, I made straight for the -door of Tarbrush’s stall.</p> - -<p>There was no one in sight. Only from a stall on -the other side came the hissing of a groom busy -about a horse.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_69"></a>[69]</span></p> - -<p>Imagine my dismay to find Tarbrush’s loose-box -empty! So, too, were the other boxes in the same -building. The place was absolutely deserted and -deathly still. Feeling more lonely and miserable -than ever, I turned uncertainly. I did not know -where to go or what to do next; then I remembered -that there was one other place where Jack -had sometimes taken me—an old and long-disused -stable at the far end of the yard, where his sister -Mabel kept her hutches of tame rabbits.</p> - -<p>The place was large and cool and dark. The -windows had long ago been boarded up, and the -back was shaded by thick shrubbery, through which -the early sun had not yet pierced. I moved just -inside the door, and sat up, listening keenly. But -all that I could hear was the munch, munch of the -rabbits’ teeth as they ate their breakfast of crisp -leaves and roots. There was no human in the -place.</p> - -<p>At that moment a new sound broke upon my -ear, a slight rustling, brushing noise. Then, before -I could even turn, a large tabby cat came round -the corner of the doorway. It was my old enemy, -the same who had so nearly caught me in Jack’s -bedroom. She was walking very slowly, rubbing -her arched back against the wall as she went, and,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_70"></a>[70]</span> -terrified as I was, I had sense enough to see that -she had not yet noticed me. I did the only thing -I could—crouched down close against the wall and -remained there still as a hare in her forme, hardly -even breathing.</p> - -<p>For a moment I fancied that she would pass on. -But I had forgotten her keen sense of smell. -Suddenly she threw her head up and began snuffing -the air; then with one quick bound leaped inside -the doorway, and stood there perfectly still glaring -about her with great, round green eyes.</p> - -<p>I did not wait, but ran for dear life. As I started -so did she, and to the best of my belief she jumped -clean over me. I certainly felt the wind of her -paw as she struck at my head.</p> - -<p>In the old stable the mangers and racks were -still in place and the ruinous remains of the -partitions of the stalls. More by good luck than -anything else, I chanced upon a worm-eaten oak -post at the end of one partition and bolted up it. -It led straight up through a gap in the ceiling, -and I thought I was safe. I was sadly mistaken. -This cat was almost as good a climber as I, and -up she came at my very brush.</p> - -<p>Scuttling up the wall of the loft, I reached a -cross rafter, not twice my own length ahead of my<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_71"></a>[71]</span> -hunter. The cat was not quite so quick in getting -on to the rafter as I was, and that gave me a short -start.</p> - -<p>A patch of sunlight came through a glassless -window under the gable at the far end, and instinctively -I made for this, jumping frantically -from rafter to rafter. There was no time for plans. -It was just one wild dash for any chance of safety.</p> - -<p>The rafters were not very wide apart, not too -far for me to jump from one to another with fair -ease. But they were rough-hewn and narrow at -the top, and the heavier cat could not get a foothold -so quickly as I; so I gained all the way to -the window. The second rafter from the window -was a very narrow and awkward one. Even I -found it hard to balance myself upon it. As I did -so, I caught a glimpse of something hanging from -the last rafter, the only one left between me and -the window. It was a peculiar-looking, pear-shaped -object, grey in colour, rough in texture, -and in size rather larger than my body. I knew -well enough what it was, though in my fright I -barely noticed it. Next instant I had landed just -above it, then, gathering all my powers for a longer -leap than any before, launched myself towards the -window-sill. I just succeeded in reaching it, only<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_72"></a>[72]</span> -to find that the opening was covered with wire -netting. I was hopelessly trapped.</p> - -<p>Hot-foot after me came the cat. She could -jump as well or better than I, but, as I said before, -the narrowness of the beams bothered her. When -she reached the narrowest, the second from the -window, she had all she could do to keep her -balance. The result was that her next jump was -a trifle short. Her fore-paws clutched the beam, -but her hind-feet failed to reach it, and struggling -desperately to pull herself up, she drove her hind-claws -deep into the pear-shaped object which hung -exactly below her.</p> - -<p>Instantly there arose a deep-toned buzzing, and -the air was thick with a cloud of furious wasps. -There followed a perfect squeal of pain and terror, -and my enemy, covered with a swarm of the fierce -little stinging insects, dropped with a resounding -thump on to the boards below, and fled like a mad -thing, pursued by scores of angry wasps.</p> - -<p>The wasps rose to the very roof; they were all -round me. I made one frantic scramble up the -rusty netting, found a hole, squeezed through anyhow, -and just as the first wasp landed on my back -and drove a vicious sting through my thick fur, took -a wild jump in the direction of the nearest shrub.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_73"></a>[73]</span></p> - -<p>The distance was too much for me. My fore-paws -just touched the leaves, and I went sailing -downwards into the deep shadows beneath. Down, -down into absolute blackness, to land at last with -a shock that for the moment completely deprived -me of my few remaining senses. Fortunately for -us squirrel folk and all other animals except man, -we never remain insensible for long. I was all -awake again in a very few moments, and found -myself lying on a thick bed of damp, decaying -leaves. It was almost pitch dark, but a little light -which leaked down from somewhere high above -showed me that I was at the bottom of a deep hole, -with perpendicular sides of mouldering brickwork.</p> - -<p>But this was not what set my heart beating -again almost as thickly as a moment previously. -It was a peculiar, musty, unpleasant odour, which -made me instinctively spring up against the side -of the hole and struggle hard to climb back to -daylight. But rough as the walls of my prison -were, my claws could get no grip, and I fell back -panting and helpless to the bottom. Again and -again I tried. The brickwork was very old, -covered with close green moss and riddled with -holes, and more than once I succeeded in climbing -a good distance up the sides. But I always came<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_74"></a>[74]</span> -at last to some place where I could find no foothold, -and went sliding helplessly down to the -bottom again.</p> - -<p>Soon I was quite exhausted. I had eaten hardly -anything since Jack left, and the escape from the -cat and the shock of my long fall had taken it out -of me badly. At last I was forced to give it up -and lay at full length breathing hard upon the -sodden leaves.</p> - -<p>Presently came a soft rustling sound, then a -slight squeak. By this time my eyes were well -accustomed to the gloom, and looking upwards, -there at the mouth of one of the holes a sharp -black nose appeared and a pair of beady, black -eyes which stared at me fixedly. A moment -later another nose showed from another hole, then -a third, and a fourth. More and more came out, -until the whole of the slimy old wall seemed alive -with them, and all with their keen unwinking eyes -fixed upon me as I crouched helpless in the bottom -of the old dry well.</p> - -<div class="figcenter illowp53" id="illus04" style="max-width: 31.25em;"> - <img class="w100" src="images/illus04.jpg" alt="" /> - <p class="caption">THE WHOLE OF THE SLIMY OLD WALL SEEMED ALIVE WITH THEM.</p> -</div> - -<p>In the woods we squirrels seldom trouble about -rats. In some of the old banks and hedgerows -there are hundreds of them, but they don’t interfere -with us as they do with the earth-livers and -with the birds that nest on the ground. They<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_75"></a>[75]</span> -cannot harm us tree-dwellers. But we do not -trust them, any more than do the rest of the woodland -folk. Cruel, cunning and treacherous, the -grey Hanoverian rat is the most detested and despised -of all the animals, and the vile odour of -his unclean body at once drives away all other -creatures from his neighbourhood. For myself, I -have and always had a perfect horror of rats. -Mother once told us a ghastly story of how one of -our people, accidentally caught in a steel trap, was -literally eaten alive by rats. And here I was, in -an almost equally helpless case, at the mercy of a -score of the carrion brutes.</p> - -<p>If there had been only one of them, I should not -have been afraid. A solitary rat is always a coward, -but in packs they are as fierce as weasels. For a -long time they watched me without moving. The -musty carrion odour grew worse and worse. -Presently there was more rustling, and I saw the -heads pushed out farther and farther from the dark -recesses in the sides of the well. Then they began -to squeak. They were talking, asking one another -if it was safe to attack me. Suddenly one great -brute, as big again as I, dropped from his hole -almost on top of me. Fright gave me strength to -make a last bid for life. I made another wild dash<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_76"></a>[76]</span> -at the side of my prison, and instantly the rats all -vanished. This time I was lucky enough to find a -piece of wall rough enough to give me foothold, -and though my claws slipped again and again, yet -each time I managed somehow to save myself, and -at last reached a deep, square niche in the wall -where a number of bricks seemed to have fallen -out. Here there was room to sit, and I had sense -enough to stay where I was and rest before trying -anything else.</p> - -<p>My rush had only frightened the rats for the -moment. Very soon the rustling and squeaking -began again, and louder than before. The heads -reappeared, and as each came out the keen nose -was turned upwards and the beady eyes fixed upon -me again. Two or three sprang down into the -bottom of the well and began snuffing about. I -saw several little ones appear. All the rats were -very quiet and leisurely in their movements. -Evidently they felt perfectly certain that I could -not escape. I could see them licking their greasy -lips in anticipation of their meal.</p> - -<p>Certainly I was better off in one way. I had -climbed so high that now I was above their ring of -holes. But above me the brickwork was less decayed. -There was no foothold at all. Plainly I<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_77"></a>[77]</span> -could not possibly climb any higher. Even if the -rats did not come after me where I was, it was -only a matter of time before I was starved out and -dropped down amongst them.</p> - -<p>A long time passed, and though the rats still -moved about at the bottom of the well, none came -near me. I saw the sunlight begin to pierce -through the shrubs above, and patches of light -shone on the rusty iron railings which surrounded -the top of the old well, and even gleamed on the -green moss which coated its sides. But none -reached me where I crouched, shivering in the cold -and damp.</p> - -<p>A dog barked somewhere up above, and then at -last I heard human footsteps pass across the crackling -leaves close to the well mouth. They were -Harry’s. I shivered all over with excitement, and -gave the little bark which was my call to Jack; but -evidently he did not hear me, and the steps passed -on, and all was quiet again. Even the rats had -stopped squeaking, and most of them had gone -back to their holes. Only the old buck who had -jumped down at first was sitting in front of his -hole below and opposite me, seemingly half asleep, -but really keeping a watchful eye upon me.</p> - -<p>The sunlight slowly faded, and the shadow of the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_78"></a>[78]</span> -stable fell across the mouth of the well. Night -was coming—night, when the rats would surely -attack me. I was desperately hungry, though I -do not think that just then I could have eaten the -finest nut in the coppice. At last the first star -twinkled overhead. For some time the rats had -been moving again. I could hear them, though I -could not see them. The bustle increased with the -darkness, and there was more squeaking.</p> - -<p>Presently I heard something climbing towards -me. It was the father rat. Of that I was certain, -though I could not see him. He came up slowly -but steadily, and I shook all over with fresh -panic.</p> - -<p>All day I had sat quite still in my nook, staring -upwards in the hope of seeing Jack’s head up above. -I had not even once taken a look round my place of -refuge. Now, as my enemy came stealthily nearer -I backed into the recess. The hole ran in further -than I had supposed, and I went in twice my own -length before touching the brickwork.</p> - -<p>Suddenly there was a slight snuffing sound. The -rat was over the edge, and right upon me. What -happened next I hardly know. I made a blind, -panic-stricken rush, and found myself wedged -between two bricks. The rat’s jaws closed upon<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_79"></a>[79]</span> -my brush. I struggled madly, and suddenly I was -free and scuttling away down a sort of tunnel. -Away I went, bumping against the top and sides, -but still finding room to run.</p> - -<p>Seemingly the great rat had been unable to -squeeze through the narrow aperture in which even -my small self had been caught for the moment, -but at the time I do not think that I knew that. -My one idea was to run, and run I did, plunging -blindly on and on through the black dark like a -rabbit with a stoat at its scut. I remember very -little about that horrible tunnel or how I got -through it. I only know that it was wet and -slimy in places, and that it seemed as though I -could not breathe. If it had not been for the fear -of the rat I should never have been able to go on. -But I fully believed that the bloodthirsty monster -was behind me all the time, and each instant -expected to feel the sharp teeth close upon me; -so, breathless and suffocating, I kept on, until at -last there was a break in the darkness, and next -instant I tumbled headlong out of the mouth of a -drain-pipe into the muddy bed of a dried-up pool.</p> - -<p>I was so absolutely exhausted that there I lay, -quite unable to stir brush or claw. If any prowling -cat or weasel had happened upon me I could not<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_80"></a>[80]</span> -have lifted a paw to get away. But nothing did -molest me, and after a long time I managed to -struggle out of the mud and up the bank on to a -patch of grass. When I looked round I found that -I was in the Hall kitchen-garden.</p> - -<p>I knew my way from there to the house, and -slowly and wearily dragged myself back. I made -for the elm by Jack’s window, climbed up it, and, -finding a nook in a fork between two boughs, -curled up, and was fast asleep in a moment.</p> - -<p>In the morning I saw that the window was wide -open, so, jumping in, I climbed upon Jack’s bed -and curled my muddy little body up on the -pillow.</p> - -<p>There Harry found me, and I am bound to say -that Jack himself never made as much fuss about -me as his brother did on that occasion.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_81"></a>[81]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V<br /> -<span class="smaller">BACK TO THE WOODLANDS</span></h2> - -</div> - -<p>About four in the afternoon of the next day I was -lying half-asleep in my cage in the bowling-alley -when a sound in the distance made me spring up, -quivering all over with excitement. Next moment -the door burst open, and in rushed Jack. He -never even waited to take off his hat or gloves, but -ran up the long room, and flung open my cage -door. With one bound I was on his shoulder, -nosing him and biting his ears and hair in a perfect -transport of delight, and I think he was just as glad -as I was.</p> - -<p>Presently his sister’s voice called him from -behind. He turned and kissed her, and with me -still on his shoulder, followed her to the Hall, where -the Squire and Mrs. Fortescue were at tea.</p> - -<p>After this Jack and I became more inseparable -than ever. He had holidays—these days—and I -simply lived in his pocket. The next afternoon -there was great excitement. I heard every one<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_82"></a>[82]</span> -congratulating Jack, though of course I did not in -the least comprehend why his mother and sister -hugged and kissed him, and the Squire solemnly -shook hands with him. It was just as well for me -that I did not realize what had happened, or those -lovely September days would have been the most -miserable instead of the happiest in the whole of -my life; for Jack had passed an examination with -the result that in a few weeks he would have to go -and live and work in London—a dreadful place, I -understand—where it is all houses and no trees, -where the sun never shines, and where the only -wild creatures that exist are those cheeky, chattering -thieves, the sparrows.</p> - -<p>Harry, too, was always with his brother at this -time, and they talked more than I had ever known -them to do before.</p> - -<p>The two were very serious one day, lying on -their backs beneath the trees on the lawn while I ran -all over them both impartially. And from the way -in which they turned to me and caught me up every -now and then, as well as because I heard my own -name frequently spoken, I came to the conclusion -the conversation had something to do with my fate. -And there was no doubt it had, for it was after this -time they all left the Hall, and when I visited it<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_83"></a>[83]</span> -again there were strangers—but I mustn’t go on -too fast. I fancy Jack urged Harry to keep me -while he himself was away, and Harry shook his -head; perhaps he was afraid I might mope away, as -I did before in Jack’s absence, and end by dying. -Anyway, a gloomy silence settled again between -the brothers. At last Jack started up and waved -his hand energetically in the direction of the wood; -then, springing to his feet, he called to me to come -to him. I had leaped away in affright at his sudden -movements, to which I never could get accustomed, -but I returned again at once. Jack had quite -sense enough to know squirrels mate for life, and the -young ones usually stay with their parents all the -winter; and he knew, what I did not, that mother -and Hazel and Rusty would still be in the coppice -to greet me, and teach me all the wild-wood lore, -even though my father was dead.</p> - -<p>The brothers argued for some time over my -prospective fate, but I did not really understand -until later, when their actions showed me what they -meant. I had leaped from Jack’s shoulder during -this weighty conversation, and was enjoying myself -hugely, tearing round and round the two boys, and -making an occasional dive into Jack’s pocket after -the nuts and grains of wheat and maize which<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_84"></a>[84]</span> -were always to be found there. But, after all, -I was not taken away to the woodlands at once.</p> - -<p>Three or four days later Jack again got up very -early, and as he dressed I could hear out on the -drive a great grinding of heavy wheels. As Jack -hurried down he took me on his shoulder instead of -putting me in my cage. His brother joined him on -the stairs, and they walked down side by side, as -solemnly as two old crows.</p> - -<p>The hall was full of crates and matting, and -men in green baize aprons were turning everything -upside down. Outside, in the ring, were great -vans almost as big as cottages. The boys hardly -wasted a glance on these things, but hurried past, -and next moment were striding away across the -dewy grass of the lawn.</p> - -<p>I was amazed at being taken out so early, but -all the same very much delighted, and sat on my -master’s shoulder chattering with joy. Neither -brother spoke, but walked steadily on under the -long morning shadows of the tall elms until they -reached the ha-ha which cut the garden off from -the park. Jumping down the sunk fence, they -turned to the right, passed under the shadow of the -wall of the kitchen-garden, and along beside the -laurel plantation beyond. A wicket-gate led<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_85"></a>[85]</span> -through the park fence and into a large field, in -which red cattle were grazing.</p> - -<p>Strange memories began to stir in my breast as a -line of tall, thick timber came in sight on the far -side of the meadow; and when my master jumped -the little brook and walked up over some broken, -sandy ground where the white scuts of rabbits -bobbed among the bracken, towards the tall magpie -hedge beyond, my heart was beating so violently -that I could only sit quite still upon his shoulder -and stare about me in a sort of mazed bewilderment.</p> - -<p>On through the gate, and at once we were -plunged into deep, damp coolness. All the half-forgotten -odours of moss and bracken and rotting -wood, and a hundred other woodland scents, rose to -my distended nostrils and almost overpowered me. -Just then I could not have moved for the life of me.</p> - -<p>Harry was the first to break the silence.</p> - -<p>‘That’s where I saw the little beggars the other -day, Jack,’ he said softly, and pointed to a tall beech-tree -whose leaves, just beginning to yellow with the -first chill of autumn, hung motionless in the still -morning air.</p> - -<p>Then they both seated themselves on a mossy log -and waited, still as two dormice. The wild things<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_86"></a>[86]</span> -of the woods, frightened into silence at these early -morning intruders, gradually regained confidence. -A rabbit popped out of his hole and began feeding -on the close turf, on which the autumn dew-spangles -gleamed in a patch of sunshine which -struck through the leafy canopy overhead. A -shrew-mouse, intent on some business of his own, -bustled noiselessly across the path; a woodpecker -started his tap, tap, tap, as he industriously probed -a rotten branch for his breakfast of fat grubs; two -jays began calling harshly, and presently the flicker -of their brilliant blue plumage glanced through the -greenery. As for me, I had crept off Jack’s -shoulder, and, sitting up straight on one end of -the log, was struggling desperately to take it all in.</p> - -<p>The boys never moved nor spoke, but presently -Harry touched his brother gently, and pointed very -cautiously towards the beech-tree. I, too, was -gazing with all my eyes up into the tree, my heart -throbbing more violently than ever, for down the -smooth grey bark a patch of red-brown fur was -softly stealing with slow, deliberate steps, clutching -tightly at unseen footholds with outstretched claws. -The boys saw him, and so did I, but we none of us -moved. As for me, my feelings were beyond -words.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_87"></a>[87]</span></p> - -<p>Nearer he came, and now I saw that he was -almost my own double. His head was stretched -out at right angles to his body, and his eyes, bright -as two jewels, were fixed upon me with intensest -curiosity. Presently he reached the lowest bough, -and there stood motionless as I was, and staring at -me with a strange intensity. The calls of kindred -were clamouring in my veins, and all of a sudden -the spell was broken. Without one backward look -at my dear master, I jumped from the log, raced -across the ground between it and the tree, and -with one rattle of claws was up on the huge, lowest -branch.</p> - -<p>But behold! the apparition which had attracted -me had disappeared, and I stared round in fresh -wonder. Suddenly came a little sharp cry, and -down from the leaves above me dropped—my -mother herself! She gave a sharp bark of astonishment.</p> - -<p>Then I remembered! A mad transport of joy -thrilled me through and through, and with one wild -dash I tore away up the tree, corkscrewing madly -round and round the huge trunk in the way we -squirrels have when joy is beyond expression.</p> - -<p>Mother was with me, and next instant a third -squirrel joined in our mad frolic. It was my<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_88"></a>[88]</span> -brother Rusty, the squirrel whom I had seen first -of all, and had failed to recognize after our long -separation. Before I reached the top, yet a fourth -frantic dot of red fur was flashing round and round, -barking madly, and I knew her for my sister Hazel. -I think we were all quite mad with joy for the -time being, and we never ceased our crazy scamperings -until, quite out of breath, we landed all -together in a fork among the branches high up -in the leafy summit of the tall beech-tree. There -we sat and began a talk that lasted I don’t know -how long. It was the most curious thing. I had -been away from them all so long, and become so -accustomed to human talk, that I could hardly -make my family understand my adventures, and -they, on their part, were surprised beyond measure -that any of the humans, whom they had so long -looked upon as their hereditary enemies, could -possibly have been so kind to me. But at last they -had all my story, and then, and not till then, did -the recollection of Jack come back to me.</p> - -<p>When I announced my intention of going down -again to find my master, mother evidently thought -I was quite out of my senses.</p> - -<p>‘But you have escaped. Surely you do not -want to go back to live in your prison!’ she urged.</p> - -<div class="figcenter illowp100" id="illus05" style="max-width: 43.75em;"> - <img class="w100" src="images/illus05.jpg" alt="" /> - <p class="caption">THE BOYS NEVER MOVED OR SPOKE.</p> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_89"></a>[89]</span></p> - -<p>I explained all over again what a good friend he -had been to me, how he had saved my life, how he -had fed me with all sorts of dainties; indeed, I -strongly recommended her and my brother and -sister to come with me. There was plenty of -room, I said, and I waxed enthusiastic over the -unlimited supplies of nuts, and fruit, and grain -without any trouble in looking for them.</p> - -<p>It was not the slightest good. Mother declared -that the notion of living inside burrows—for that -was her idea of a house and its rooms—was altogether -detestable, and only fit for rabbits and humans, and -would most certainly kill her in a very short time. -All I could do, after much urging, was to persuade -my family to come down to the lower branch and -watch me go and talk to Jack.</p> - -<p>Rusty was quite ready—he always had a bold, -determined streak about him; but mother and -Hazel hung back. When we got down, there was -my dear master sitting where I had left him, all -alone. Harry had left. His face lighted up when -he saw me hopping along the branch above him, -and he gave the little whistle I knew so well, and -stood up. Running to the pendent tip of the -branch, I made a flying leap, and landed clean on -the top of his cap.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_90"></a>[90]</span></p> - -<p>‘Why, Nipper, Nipper,’ he said, taking me on -his hand and stroking me fondly, ‘I almost thought -you had forgotten me!’</p> - -<p>I nibbled his finger lovingly by way of apology, -and signified that I was quite ready for a nut. It -was promptly forthcoming, and then as I ate it -he put me down on the log, and walking softly -towards the tree, turned out two pockets stuffed -with the finest hazel-nuts, and piled them by -handfuls into a hollow as high as he could -reach.</p> - -<p>Then he sat down again beside me, took me up -and talked to me, and petted me for a long time. -At last, very slowly and reluctantly, he put me -back on the branch from which I had leaped down.</p> - -<p>‘Good-bye, old chap,’ he said in a queer, unsteady -voice, and suddenly turned and walked -quickly away.</p> - -<p>To say that I was astonished would be putting -it mildly. I was absolutely thunderstruck, but -after a minute made up my mind it was some new -kind of game, and prepared to follow.</p> - -<p>‘Scud! Scud!’ I heard mother call, but I paid -no attention. Running along the branch as far as -it would bear, I made a flying leap into the next -tree. It had been my dear father’s boast that he<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_91"></a>[91]</span> -could travel from one end of our coppice to the -other without once touching ground, and indeed I -found no difficulty in doing the same. I was so -excited that I thought nothing of jumps of six -times my own length, for Jack was walking very -fast, and I was in a dreadful fright that I might be -left behind.</p> - -<p>At the gate he turned and saw me. He stood a -moment irresolute, then quickly vaulted the gate -and started off across the field. At this I grew -quite desperate, and dropping into the hedge -scuttled along it, reached the gate-post, and sitting -straight up gave one sharp bark. At that my -master turned again and hurried back.</p> - -<p>‘Oh, Nipper, why can’t you go home?’ he -muttered, and picking me up, walked very fast -back to the big beech-tree.</p> - -<p>‘Good-bye, once more, old fellow,’ he said stooping -over me, and suddenly I was startled by a drop -like rain falling on my head.</p> - -<p>Looking up in amazement, I saw my dear -master’s face twisted as though in pain; but before -I could make up my mind what was the matter, -he suddenly pitched me gently back into the -hollow where he had put me before, and brushing -his sleeve across his face, fairly ran away down the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_92"></a>[92]</span> -path. Before I well realized what had happened, -he was lost to sight among the trees.</p> - -<p>As soon as I recovered a little from my -astonishment, I started a second time for the gate; -but before I reached it Jack was half-way across -the field, and travelling so fast that I knew I could -never catch him; and besides, I had always been -terribly afraid of the ground ever since my escape -from the terrier.</p> - -<p>I don’t think that ever in my life have I felt so -utterly miserable as when I realized that my master -had abandoned me. You see, I could not understand -it at all, and my one sensation was an utter -and overwhelming loneliness. Gradually, too, I -became frightened. I had never been alone out of -doors before, and this was all so different to the -Hall garden. The field seemed a vast green desert, -and behind me the wood an illimitable rustling -mystery full of unseen perils. How long I sat -there straining my eyes after the vanished form of -my master I do not know, but what roused me at -last was a sudden rustle behind, which made me -start violently. However, it was only Rusty, who -had followed me, and was seated on a swinging -hazel-bough in the hedge, staring at me in a perplexed -fashion.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_93"></a>[93]</span></p> - -<p>‘What’s the matter, Scud?’ he asked at last.</p> - -<p>I told him I felt very forlorn now that my -master had left me. My brother could not believe -that I wanted to follow him; such a thing was -quite beyond his comprehension.</p> - -<p>When I assured him it was true, Rusty looked as -solemn as if he was now certain that I had quite -taken leave of my senses.</p> - -<p>‘What! You want to go back and live in those -burrows when you’ve got all the wood to roam in!’ -he exclaimed. ‘I’ll be shot if I can understand -you! Do you mean that you’d rather spend your -time all alone in a place you can’t get out of than -go foraging round with us all day as free as—as’—Rusty’s -imagination failed him, and he paused—‘well—as -free as a squirrel, for there’s no other -creature in the woods that is as free as we are.’</p> - -<p>I reminded him that I was used to being protected, -and had never experienced anything but the -utmost gentleness from Jack and his family.</p> - -<p>‘Yes, I know. I’m sure he is quite different -from those red-faced brutes who broke our nest -down and killed poor father,’ replied Rusty. ‘And -he has left us nuts enough for a month. But all -his kind are so big and so dull. They can’t climb -trees like us, or jump;’ and my brother made a<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_94"></a>[94]</span> -splendid spring down to my side just to show what -he could do. ‘It’s no kind of life for a squirrel. -My brush, but I should have taken the first chance -to run off and come back home!’</p> - -<p>Then he gave a sudden low cry of warning, and -instinctively I followed him as he bounded back -into the thick of the hedge just as a hen sparrow-hawk -stooped like a falling stone out of the blue -above, reaching the grass by a tuft of gorse a -little way out in the field. There was a sharp cry, -cut short almost before it was uttered, and then -the feathered robber rose again, bearing in her -crooked talons the struggling form of a linnet. A -few small feathers floated away through the still, -warm air, and all was over. The hawk sailed -away towards a distant tree with her meal tight -clutched between her claws.</p> - -<p>It was long since I had seen one of these everyday -woodland tragedies, and it made me realize with -a shock that now I had myself only to depend upon, -with no strong human hand to aid me. Frightened -and unhappy, I followed Rusty quietly back into -the heart of the coppice, and that night saw me -one of a furry ball of four, curled in a hole in the -heart of the great beech.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_95"></a>[95]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI<br /> -<span class="smaller">A NARROW ESCAPE</span></h2> - -</div> - -<p>I did not forget my master and settle down to -my old out-door life at once. Every morning -for many days I visited the gate at the end of -the wood-path, and sat there or in the hedge beside -it, straining my eyes across the meadow in the -hope that Jack might come back once more. But -never a sign of him or Harry did I see, and -though, as the leaves began to fall, it was quite -easy to view the roof of the Hall across the -shrubberies, no smoke rose from the tall, twisted -red-brick chimney-stacks.</p> - -<p>How good mother was to me in those days I -well remember. She encouraged me to tell her -all I could of the Hall and its people, and all -the incidents of my captivity, and she alone of -my family seemed thoroughly to sympathize with -me in my longing for my lost master.</p> - -<p>Hazel, too, was very dear and good, and would -listen with the greatest interest to my long yarns.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_96"></a>[96]</span> -She was a sweet little thing in those days, very -small, but extremely well built and active, and, -for a young squirrel, of a peculiarly rich colour. -Rusty, however, had little sympathy with my -longings. He was already a large, powerful -squirrel of an extremely independent turn of mind, -and most extraordinarily bold and fearless. Mother -was in a constant state of anxiety about him, for -he would go off on long expeditions quite alone, -sometimes not coming home till nearly sunset, -and ever since father’s death mother had been -nervous as a hare when any of her children were -out of her sight.</p> - -<p>As for me, I soon became thoroughly at home -in the wood, and could climb as well as either -my brother or my sister, though I was at first by -no means so adept at taking shelter as the other -two. I had grown so accustomed to many sights -and sounds ordinarily alarming to one of our tribe, -that mother had often to scold me for exposing -myself heedlessly to view on the rare occasions -when people walked through the wood, and she -had to show me all over again the tricks of -lying out flat on a bough so that I could not be -seen by passers-by, or of supporting myself -on a trunk beneath a sheltering branch when<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_97"></a>[97]</span> -danger in the shape of a hawk threatened from -above.</p> - -<p>The good and plentiful food with which I had -always been supplied at the Hall had made me fat -and strong beyond what squirrels usually are at -my age. There was very little difference now -between me and Rusty, though originally I had -been smaller. It was lucky for me that I had -been turned loose just at this special time of year, -for autumn is, of course, the squirrel’s harvest, -and food was particularly plentiful that season. -Nuts were ripening among the yellowing leaves; -acorns were to be had for the picking; the beech-trees -were full of mast, and when we tired of -these there were spruce-seeds and berries of every -description.</p> - -<p>Earlier in the year larch, fir, pine, and spruce -tips had been our main sustenance, but these were -now getting dry and old, for it was past the -season of evergreen growth, and so we left them -alone and fed almost entirely on nuts and seeds.</p> - -<p>About this time we had several days of soft -warm rain, and after them part of the horse pasture -which adjoined the coppice on the other side from -the Hall was thickly dotted each morning with -little white buttons, which mother explained to me<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_98"></a>[98]</span> -were mushrooms. We used to steal down across -the wet grass in the mornings, brushing through -the gossamer spiders’ webs till our chests and paws -were white with them, and feast royally on the -tenderest and daintiest of the mushrooms, sometimes -getting terrible frights when the village -children who came to fill their baskets saw us, and -clapped their hands to make us run.</p> - -<p>Mother was a wonderful forager. I remember -one morning how she stopped on the bank where -the beech-trees grow thickest, and after snuffing a -moment or two, began to dig rapidly in the soft, -black, loamy soil. Presently she nosed out some -little round objects covered with a dark skin, and -pushed one over to me. Never have I eaten anything -more delectable than my first truffle. I can -find them myself now as well as anyone.</p> - -<p>Other fungi too were plentiful after that rain. -Some grew under the trees, some on rotten logs, -others out in the open. Some were good to eat—better -even than mushrooms—but others were -poisonous. Mother never passed a new one without -showing us which were fit to eat and which -were not. There was a brilliant scarlet kind which -she warned us against strongly; well I remember -how she scolded me one day because just for fun I<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_99"></a>[99]</span> -pulled one up, and stuck it stalk down in a fork of -a tree. I did not repeat the experiment, for it -left a bad taste in my mouth for hours afterwards.</p> - -<p>About this time my coat began to change. -Squirrels that are born early in the spring have fur -of a greyish-brown hue very like the coats that old -squirrels put on in winter, but we, being June -kittens, had summer suits of red-brown without -any ear tufts, or any hair on the palms of our -hands. First, my tail changed and grew darker, -much heavier and more bushy. It turned to a -blackish-brown, quite different from its previous -bright chestnut-red hue. My coat, too, began, but -more slowly, to lose its ruddy tint, and to assume -its winter colouring. I became dark brownish-red -on the head and back. My white under parts -changed to grey, which spread along my sides. -It also grew longer, softer and warmer, and my -ear tufts began to show. During the summer a -squirrel has but a few hairs on the points of the ears, -but winter brings a thick tuft a full inch in length.</p> - -<p>We squirrels have a strange peculiarity. We -are the only living creatures, so far as I know, who -change our coats twice a year and our tails once -only. As I have said, we change our coats in -spring and again before the cold weather, but our<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_100"></a>[100]</span> -tails once only—in autumn. A healthy squirrel -looks at his best in late September and early -October, for at that time his new brush is extremely -bright, while his new grey-brown coat is rich and -long. Both fade during the cold weather, the fur -especially becoming during long frosts of a yellowish -rusty hue. There are, I believe, some squirrels, -near relatives of our own, living in Canada, who -turn almost white in winter. But as—luckily for -ourselves—all we squirrels have the sense to sleep -away most of the cold weather, we have not the -same need to conceal ourselves by assuming the -colour of the snow, as have Arctic hares and foxes -and many other animals which are obliged to work -and forage for a living during the hard weather.</p> - -<p>But I was talking about the good times we had -that autumn and the various delicacies we used to -hunt. After the rain which brought such a crop -of mushrooms, we had a week of wonderfully -warm, soft, hazy weather, but then the wind -switched round into the east, and for the first time -in my life I understood what cold was. It blew -bitterly, with a hard grey sky, and the trees being -still full of leaves, the noise of the gale through -the coppice was one long roar, the great boughs -swaying, creaking, and complaining bitterly. Very<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_101"></a>[101]</span> -glad we were, when night fell, to snuggle all four -close together in the hollow in the beech hole which -mother had selected as our abode after the destruction -of our second nest! It was a very -convenient residence, considering that it was a -ready-made one. Some winter storm of years long -past had torn away a large branch at its junction -with the trunk, and rain and weather had rotted -the scar till at last a hollow was left large enough -to hold a dozen of us. Once it had been full of -water, but a green woodpecker boring its nest in -the trunk below, the moisture had drained away -through the rotten fibres, and now it was dry as a -bone, and formed as convenient and comfortable a -retreat as any dreyless family of squirrels could -possibly desire.</p> - -<p>The gale lasted two whole days and nights, and -then it cleared and left a hard blue sky from which -the small white flecks of wind-cloud vanished one -by one, and on the fourth morning we woke to find -the grass white with hoar frost and a keen tang in -the air which filled us with a wild delight in the -mere fact of being alive. Rusty, Hazel and I -sallied forth and tore round and round like three -mad things, flinging ourselves from bough to bough, -rattling up and down the huge trunk and wide-spreading<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_102"></a>[102]</span> -branches, playing all manner of practical -jokes on one another.</p> - -<p>Mother watched us indulgently, but when, quite -out of breath, we at last came back to her, she -announced that the time had arrived to begin the -collection of our winter stores.</p> - -<p>‘Now that you have no father,’ she said, ‘you -must help me in the work, for remember there is -nothing worse than to be caught by bad weather -unprepared, and without many stores of food.’</p> - -<p>That was the first real work that I ever did. -It seemed odd, when we reached the nut bushes -at the edge of the coppice, not to choose the -plumpest nuts, and sit and eat them on the spot. -I think, indeed, that we all began by doing so, and -mother did not interfere until we had each had -a good breakfast; but afterwards she kept us -steadily to work. I am afraid that we needed a -good deal of superintendence to keep us up to the -mark, but mother set us such a good example that -we were shamed into doing our best. At first I -was under the impression that we were to carry -all the nuts back to our beech-tree home, but -mother laughed when I suggested this, and told -me that it was quite unnecessary to do anything -of the kind. After looking about a little, she<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_103"></a>[103]</span> -chose a long hollow under a gnarled old blackthorn -trunk at the bottom of the hedge, and here, -and in other similar cavities, we stored a goodly -supply. Towards noon mother told us that that -was enough for the day, and while she and Hazel -went back home, Rusty and I decided to go for -a little round on our own account.</p> - -<p>Working down the hedge, we came upon a -patch of thick brambles from which the blackberries -were falling from over-ripeness. A greedy -cock pheasant below was simply stuffing himself -with the fallen berries and those near the ground. -For a joke Rusty crept up quietly, and then, -making a sudden bound, alighted almost on the -handsome bird’s head. Off he went with a terrific -whirr and flutter across the big meadow, and -Rusty, with a malicious gleam in his eyes, sprang -back to my side.</p> - -<p>Presently we found ourselves at the coppice -gate, and instinctively I stopped and gazed across -the meadow towards the Hall. The wind had -brought many leaves down, and the long, low, red-brick -building with its steep tiled roofs, stood -strongly outlined behind the thinning fringe of its -oaks and elms.</p> - -<p>I don’t know whether it was the keen, brisk air,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_104"></a>[104]</span> -or what, but suddenly the idea came to me to -visit the old place once more, and on the spur -of the moment I suggested it to Rusty.</p> - -<p>For a moment my brother looked blank. Adventurous -as he was, the idea of crossing more -than a quarter of a mile of open grass land rather -staggered him. You know we squirrels will make -journeys of any length provided we can travel -through the tree tops, and so long as a tree is -handy we have no objection to short trips across -country from one to another; but none of us care -about open ground. We can run at a good speed -for a short distance, but there is no cover in grass. -There we are absolutely at the mercy of any -hungry hawk, while weasels have a nasty trick of -popping out suddenly from rabbit earths or drains. -Then, too, there is no escape from the gun or -rabbit rifle of any pot-hunting man or boy, while -poaching dogs or cats are another source of really -desperate peril.</p> - -<p>However, Rusty was not the sort to think twice -of danger, or to be outdared by the brother whom -he had secretly despised as a ‘tame’ squirrel. I -saw his teeth set and a sudden sparkle in his eye.</p> - -<p>‘All right,’ he remarked, and that was all. He -was out of the hedge and over the ditch before<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_105"></a>[105]</span> -me, and leading the way at a great pace across -the pasture.</p> - -<p>We did not keep to the path, but made off to -the left, where an irregular fringe of trees grew -along inside the hedge which cut off the pasture -from the road leading between the Hall and the -village. Great luck attended us. Beyond a few -rabbits we saw no sign of life, and when we got -close enough to the trees to take refuge if any -danger approached I breathed more freely, and I -feel sure that Rusty was equally relieved. Racing -along among the rustling dead leaves, we crossed -the brook near the culvert under the road. The -rivulet was so small that it was no trouble to -jump. Then we found ourselves in the park, and -here we had to take to the open again. The fine -clumps of timber which dotted it here and there -were our islands of refuge, and we ran from one -to the other, the same good fortune attending us -during our whole journey. From the last tree we -steered for the kitchen-garden wall, and keeping -along the bottom of this, reached the sunk -fence. Once up this, and I was on familiar -ground.</p> - -<p>A long narrow plantation of Kentish cob-nuts -bordered the wall which divided the kitchen-garden<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_106"></a>[106]</span> -from the lawns, and in this we were soon snugly -ensconced.</p> - -<p>‘My teeth! Did you ever see such nuts?’ exclaimed -Rusty, staring in wide-eyed amazement at -the great russet-coloured cobs which hung in profusion -among the brilliantly tinted leaves.</p> - -<p>‘Oh yes, I’ve eaten lots of them,’ replied I, with -conscious superiority. ‘Try them. They’re uncommon -good.’</p> - -<p>Rusty needed no second bidding, but set to -work, and cutting the tip off one of the largest -nuts, was soon discussing its fat, white kernel with -a gusto which proved that he thoroughly agreed -with me in my estimate of the quality of cobs. -I joined in, and we made a most delicious luncheon. -From where we sat the lawn and part of the house -were in full sight, and all the time I kept a watch -fill eye upon the clump of evergreens where I had -been used to play, in the hope that I might see -the familiar figure of my dear master in his rough -tweeds, and his cap on the back of his head, -sauntering across the lawn.</p> - -<p>Alas! there was no sign of him nor of any of -the Fortescues. Had I known it, half the length -of England separated me from the nearest of my -old friends. After a time, however, some one did<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_107"></a>[107]</span> -stroll out upon the terrace walk. He was a complete -stranger—a short, fat man, with red cheeks -and mutton-chop whiskers. He wore a grey -bowler, tipped far back upon his head, his thumbs -were stuck in the armholes of his gaudy waistcoat, -and a long, black cigar was held between his thick -lips. He was gazing round him with a complacent -air of proprietorship which in some indefinable -fashion annoyed me intensely.</p> - -<p>Suddenly he took the cigar from his lips and -shouted loudly, ‘Simpson!’ A man with a bill-hook -in his hand came hurrying round from the -shrubbery behind the house.</p> - -<p>The stout man pointed to Jack’s and my pet -clump of evergreens. ‘Those shrubs are untidy, -Simpson. They want clipping up. Get to work -on ’em at once!’ And, to my horror and disgust, -Simpson began chopping and carving away at the -deodars and arbor vitæ, lopping all the boughs up a -man’s height from the ground, and turning the -pretty shrubs into the stiff, unnatural likeness of -the toy trees in Jack’s youngest brother’s Noah’s -Ark.</p> - -<p>Then, as I looked about me, I began to see that -many things had been changed. The laurels were -cut close and flat; a number of fine limbs had been<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_108"></a>[108]</span> -sawn from the elms; several new beds of weird -pattern had been cut in the splendid century-old -turf of the lawn; the gravel paths were all fresh -swept; everything had a painfully overtidy appearance.</p> - -<p>Presently one of the drawing-room French -windows was pushed open, and a third person -appeared on the scene—a boy about Jack’s age, -but how strangely different! He was short, like -the elder man, and had the appearance of having -but just stepped out of a band-box. His cord -riding-breeches were as immaculate as his white -cuffs and tall white collar; his brown boots quite -gleamed in the autumn sun, and he wore new -dogskin gloves. Strolling over towards his father, -he began to talk, but we were too far away to hear -what they said. After a short time they both -turned and came across the lawn towards the -kitchen-garden door.</p> - -<p>‘I say, Scud, hadn’t we better hook it?’ suggested -Rusty. But I was so interested in these -new people, who seemed to have usurped the place -of my dear Fortescues, that foolishly I replied:</p> - -<p>‘No; they’re not coming near us. Keep still, -and they’ll never see us.’</p> - -<p>The pair had nearly reached the garden door<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_109"></a>[109]</span> -when I heard the boy exclaim something, and they -changed the direction of their walk in the direction -of the hazels. A swish of bent branches shortly -followed.</p> - -<p>The distance from the garden door down to the -angle of the garden wall was not more than thirty -yards, and I knew very well that, thick as the -bushes were, there was not a ghost of a chance of -our remaining undetected if they came poking -about in this fashion.</p> - -<p>‘Come on, Rusty!’ I muttered, and we at once -made off as quietly as we could. Unluckily for -us, while the stout man was poking his head among -the branches, puffing and blowing as he did so like -a broken-winded horse, the boy had walked on -down the path, and next moment his shrill voice -rang out:</p> - -<p>‘I say, father, here are two beastly squirrels -stealing nuts. Keep an eye on ’em while I get -my gun.’</p> - -<p>He was off across the grass at a pace one would -not have credited him with, and we, aware that -any attempt at further concealment was useless, -went off also at top speed.</p> - -<p>What we both dreaded was the long open space -at the bottom of the kitchen-garden wall, where it<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_110"></a>[110]</span> -abutted on the park. However, there was no -shirking it. If we stayed where we were we would -be caught like rats in a trap. It was Rusty who -made the jump first out of the bushes and down -the sunk fence, and as I followed him I heard the -fat man shouting hoarsely: ‘Quick, they’re running -away!’</p> - -<p>How we scuttled! Even a terrier would have -had his work cut out to catch us. There was no -cover at all until we reached the far end of the -long line of wall, and we strained every nerve to -gain the hedge which ran at right angles from the -end of it, separating the park from the road. The -distance was not much more than seventy yards, -but it seemed like a mile as we tore along. Fresh -shouts behind us spurred us to almost super-squirrel -efforts. Hardly five yards were left when suddenly—bang, -and a sound like hail pattering on the -ground behind us. Next second, and with simultaneous -bounds we were in the hedge, but before -we could get through it and into shelter on the far -side the sound of another shot rang through the -calm autumn air, and this time with better aim. -Leaves flew in the hedge, and a sharp blow on the -head sent me staggering, nearly causing me to lose -my foothold.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_111"></a>[111]</span></p> - -<p>‘Come on, Scud. We must cross the road,’ -called Rusty at that moment; and with a fine -jump he was across the ditch and out on the white, -dusty surface.</p> - -<p>Recovering myself, I followed, and found that, -though my head was singing, I could still run as -well as ever.</p> - -<p>Luckily there was not a soul in sight, so we -crossed the road in safety, plunged through the -opposite hedge, and found ourselves in a plantation -of young larches about twenty feet high. Through -these we went as hard as ever we could pelt, until, -quite exhausted, we came to rest somewhere in the -thickest depths, and, climbing into one of the -largest trees, lay panting and tired out on an -upper bough. For a minute neither of us could -move; then suddenly Rusty, glancing at me, -exclaimed:</p> - -<p>‘Why, Scud, you’re hurt!’</p> - -<p>‘Yes, something hit me,’ I answered faintly.</p> - -<p>In a moment the good fellow was licking my -wounded head. A pellet of shot, it seemed, had -glanced along my skull, cutting the skin and going -right through one of my ears. The wound bled a -good deal, but it was not a serious one, and after I -had got my breath back, and after my heart had<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_112"></a>[112]</span> -ceased thumping as though it would burst, I felt -very little the worse, and announced that I was -quite ready to start home. But Rusty, more -cautious, refused to move.</p> - -<p>‘That fellow with the gun may be waiting in the -road for us,’ he said. ‘Much better stay here a -bit. The shadows are still short, and we shall have -plenty of light for our journey home.’</p> - -<p>His advice seemed good, so we waited where we -were for an hour or more. My wound stopped -bleeding, but my head was very sore. It was not, -however, so badly hurt as my feelings. That I -should have been shot at and nearly killed in the -garden of the Hall seemed beyond belief, and what -made it worse was that I had impressed on Rusty -over and over again that whatever the dangers in -our coppice, the Hall grounds, at any rate, were a -safe refuge. One thing I was deeply grateful for—that -he had not been harmed. With all the intensity -of my squirrel nature I hated the intruders who -had put the insult upon me. How I longed that -Jack might have been there to take vengeance on -our persecutors!</p> - -<div class="figcenter illowp53" id="illus06" style="max-width: 31.25em;"> - <img class="w100" src="images/illus06.jpg" alt="" /> - <p class="caption">CLIMBING INTO ONE OF THE LARGEST TREES, WE LAY PANTING AND TIRED OUT.</p> -</div> - -<p>Rusty, good fellow that he was, forebore to add -to my self-reproaches by any remarks about what -had happened. When I made some sort of apology<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_113"></a>[113]</span> -for bringing him into trouble, he merely smiled, -and, licking his lips, said:</p> - -<p>‘I shan’t forget those nuts in a hurry. Wouldn’t -mother like a few of them!’</p> - -<p>At last, when the shadows were beginning to -lengthen towards the east, we made a move. -Under Rusty’s direction we worked back very -quietly through the plantation to the edge of the -road, and took a careful survey from the top of the -tallest tree. All was still, the only sounds that -broke the quiet of the windless autumn afternoon -being the scrape of Simpson’s saw as he lopped -away branches from the Hall trees, and the distant -‘Gee!’ and ‘Haw!’ of a ploughman at work in a -field to the right of the larch plantation.</p> - -<p>We crossed the road again, and resolved that -though the distance was considerably greater, we -would stick to the hedge all the way, and not trust -ourselves again to the open grass. Fortunately for -our peace of mind, the road along the side of which -we were forced to travel was quite deserted, and, -keeping as much as possible in the centre of the -hedge, we slipped along at best pace. Of course, -it was not by any means easy travelling, for in -places the quickset was so thick and close that we -were forced to take to the ground for short distances.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_114"></a>[114]</span> -Ground near a hedge is always most -dangerous, for an old hedgerow, especially one -with high banks either of earth or stone, is the -chosen home of the stoat and the weasel, and both -these bloodthirsty little terrors are quite as much at -home among the branches of a thick hedge as even -a squirrel.</p> - -<p>More than half of our journey was covered in -safety, and when we reached and crossed the brook -we began to feel as though we were almost home. -But we were not to escape without further adventure. -A little way past the brook, just as we were -nearing the timber which I have mentioned as -running in an irregular row along the inside of this -part of the hedge, there came a piece of holly so -thick and close-cropped as to be quite impenetrable -except very close to the ground. It would really -have been wiser to have cut out across the field to -the nearest of the trees, but we had had such a -scare that we shirked the open. Rusty, leading as -before, had got half-way through the holly, when I -saw him stop short, and then, with a little warning -cry, make a quick bound upwards into the thickest -heart of the holly. At the same moment the -tangled ivy which covered the bank below became -alive with little beady eyes and snake-like, sinuous<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_115"></a>[115]</span> -forms. We had run right into a whole pack of -weasels hunting together, as is their custom on -autumn afternoons.</p> - -<p>I was after him like a flash, but the brutes had -seen us, and came swarming up the close-set stems, -hard at our heels. Under ordinary circumstances -we could have cleared them in half a dozen -bounds, but here we were at a shocking disadvantage. -Above our heads the holly was like -a wall, and it was all we could do to force our way -through the stiff, glistening, dark-green leaves. I -remember plunging along desperately, almost mad -with fright, my eyes half-shut to protect them -from the sharp prickles, and my nostrils full of the -horrible, musky odour of our eager pursuers.</p> - -<p>Then suddenly I was out of the darkness and on -the top of the hedge, scratched, breathless, my -wounded ear bleeding again. But where was -Rusty? I could not see him, and a horrible fear -almost numbed me. Just in front the branches -were shaking, but it was too thick to see what was -happening below. Anxiety overcoming terror, I -made a dive forward into the tangle from which I -had just escaped with much difficulty, and almost as -I did so there came Rusty’s head out of the thicket. -His eyes were bright with fright, and he dragged<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_116"></a>[116]</span> -himself forward slowly, as if something were pulling -him back. Instantly I saw that a weasel had him -by the tail, its sharp teeth buried in the thick, long -hairs. Without thinking twice, I plunged down -and snapped with all my might at the fierce brute’s -head. My long front teeth sank deep into the back -of his neck, and I felt them grate on his skull. His -jaws opened and he fell backwards, knocking over -the next of the pack in his fall.</p> - -<p>Relieved of the weight, Rusty shot upwards, and -with half a dozen tremendous bounds was out of -danger. As I followed him, a third weasel gained -the top of the hedge, and, throwing its long body -high into the air, like a snake in the act of striking, -tried its best to seize me. I heard its needle-like, -white teeth snap and caught a glimpse of its red eyes -gleaming fiercely; but I was too quick for it, and, -as it fell back disappointed, I was off in Rusty’s -wake at a speed that defied pursuit. Regardless of -concealment, we tore along the top of the hedge -until level with the trees, then, turning off to the -left, reached the timber, and so from tree to tree -towards the coppice.</p> - -<p>The sun was just setting when two worn-out, -scratched, frightened, and very disreputable-looking -squirrels reached the old beech and made humble<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_117"></a>[117]</span> -confession to their mother of all that had happened -to them during that adventurous day, and, after a -thorough good scolding, were at last forgiven and -permitted to sup on beech-mast and curl up with -the rest of their family snug in the heart of the -great beech trunk.</p> - -<p>After this day I found that Rusty treated me -with far more consideration than he had ever -shown before. He dropped his jeers about ‘tame’ -squirrels, and showed in his silent way that he was -pleased to have my company in his wanderings -abroad. I forgot to say that, though his brush -looked a little lopsided for a time, the hair soon -grew again, while my wound healed rapidly; but -I still have a small hole through the left ear -where the shot passed, to remind me of my narrow -escape.</p> - -<p>For the next few weeks mother kept us very -busy, helping her to collect winter stores. These -consisted almost entirely of hazel-nuts, acorns, and -beech-mast, all of which were very plentiful. We -made small hoards in many different places, a very -necessary precaution, for if—to use Jack’s expression—we -were to put all our eggs in one basket, we -should stand a very good chance of starving in hard -weather. There are plenty of thieves in the woods.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_118"></a>[118]</span> -Rats and mice are the worst—absolutely conscienceless, -both of them. Then there are the nut-hatches, -who have a wonderful trick of ferreting out nuts -hidden in holes in timber. Again, snow may cover -a ground-hoard too deep to reach it, or even hide it -altogether, so that it is impossible to find it at all. -People who abuse us, because we occasionally do a -little pruning among the tips of the evergreens, -should remember that we are the greatest planters -in the country. I suppose that quite one in three -of the ancient oaks that England is so proud of have -sprung from acorns hidden by squirrels in autumn, -and either lost or not needed during the winter. -So, too, have countless beech-trees and nut-bushes, -and not a few pines and firs into the bargain.</p> - -<p>As we worked at our stores we often met others -of our race intent upon similar business. The nuts -of our coppice were famous for a long way round, -and were so plentiful that there was enough for -fifty families if they cared to come for them. We -enjoyed seeing these visitors, and had great games -with them.</p> - -<p>And so day by day, as the leaves fell and the -night frosts became more frequent and more sharp, -we worked and played and generally enjoyed life -quite undisturbed by any outside interference.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_119"></a>[119]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII<br /> -<span class="smaller">THE GREY TERROR</span></h2> - -</div> - -<p>Gales and cold rain prevailing, we spent much of -our time indoors, while the wind roared through -the coppice, and clouds of dead leaves whirled -through the air, settling in rustling drifts in every -hollow. The bracken was long ago brown and -dead, but the blackberry leaves, though purpled by -the frost, still clung with their accustomed obstinacy -to the stalks, and provided thick cover for the -pheasants. The old beech-trees were nearly bare, -and, indeed, all the trees except the evergreens, -especially those on the west side of the wood, had -lost their leaves; only the oaks had foliage still -to boast of, and most of this was brown and -withered.</p> - -<p>But it was only November, and we young ones -had as yet no idea of retiring for the winter. On -fine days, especially when frost was in the air, we -were as frisky as ever, and had magnificent games -among the heaps of dead leaves. It was the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_120"></a>[120]</span> -greatest fun possible to take running headers from -the long, bare tips of the beech boughs, falling on -the soft, elastic cushion of leaves, in which one -completely disappeared, just as a water-rat does in -a pond. Under the leaves the ground was still -thick with ripe beech-mast, so there was no need as -yet to infringe upon our winter stores. There -were pine-cones, too, by way of change, and fallen -hazel-nuts, though these were getting scarce now -that not only we but our distant cousins, the -dormice, had been getting in winter stores.</p> - -<p>Our own preparations for winter were quite -complete. The last piece of work had been to line -our home thoroughly with dry moss, and partially -to stop up the entrance which had been so large -that, when the wind blew that way, it made cold -draughts whistle round inside. For this work we -young ones collected the material while mother did -the building, and Rusty and I gathered useful hints -for the future.</p> - -<p>All these days, when the air was still, or the -wind blew from the direction of the Hall, we could -hear in the distance the clink, clink of axes—a novel -sound in this country-side, where the Squire and his -forebears before him had had the true Englishman’s -love of timber, and thought not twice but many<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_121"></a>[121]</span> -times before cutting down a single tree. But for -a long time our solitude was not invaded, except by -a few school-children picking late blackberries or -nuts, or a labourer returning from his work along -the wood-path. Then, one fine morning early in -November, when Rusty and I were having our -usual morning scramble, the sharp report of a gun -sent us skurrying to the nearest refuge, which -happened to be a tall fir-tree not far from the -coppice gate. Bang again!—this time closer. Rusty -looked out but dodged back with great rapidity. -He intimated to me that the young murderer from -the Hall had appeared and that he, Rusty, didn’t -mean to move until he disappeared.</p> - -<p>Bang again! A cock pheasant came whirring up -past us, rocketing high over the tops of the trees, -and a second dose of shot, hopelessly too late, sent -a shower of twigs scattering from the tree just over -our heads, and made us cower the closer against -the trunk.</p> - -<p>Steps came trampling past beneath us, and the -firing became fast and furious. Every living thing -took cover, or, if it had wings, departed as fast as -they would carry it. The racket did not last long, -and, as we found out later, the bag was not a large -one. The Hall’s new tenants were not good shots,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_122"></a>[122]</span> -and their new keeper, who had supplanted old -Crump, did not know his business. As soon as the -noise had died away we made the best of our way -home, and found mother and Hazel, who had been -lying close at home, extremely relieved to see us -safe back once more.</p> - -<p>Several times again before the winter the solitude -of our coppice was invaded by the same party—the -little stout man with the mutton-chop whiskers, his -white-collared, pasty-faced son, and a tall keeper -with a ginger beard. But after their first two visits -none of the coppice people paid much attention to -them beyond sitting tight in cover. The very -pheasants—stupid fellows as they are—made jeering -remarks about their inability to kill anything -unless it happened to be fool enough to sit still to -be fired at.</p> - -<p>What did cause much more serious alarm was -the rumour of a new and most dangerous enemy. -The news came to us through a strange squirrel -whom Rusty and I met one cold bright morning -rummaging among the deep beech-leaves for a -breakfast of mast. The poor fellow had a nasty -wound at the back of his neck, and looked thin and -miserable. He was so nervous that when he heard -us coming he bolted wildly up a tree. We called<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_123"></a>[123]</span> -to him, and, looking rather ashamed of himself, he -came back and met us.</p> - -<p>‘What’s up?’ inquired I. ‘We’re not going to -eat you. Come down and finish your breakfast.’</p> - -<p>‘Ugh! don’t talk of eating!’ he answered in -trembling tones. ‘You wouldn’t if you’d been so -nearly eaten as I was three days ago;’ and he -showed us his wound.</p> - -<p>‘Weasel?’ Rusty asked.</p> - -<p>‘No—much worse.’</p> - -<p>‘What, not a fox?’</p> - -<p>‘I’m not quite fool enough to sit on the ground -and let a fox catch me,’ retorted the stranger. ‘It -was a wild-cat.’</p> - -<p>‘Wild-cat!’ exclaimed I. ‘Why, I’d no idea -there were any left in these parts!’</p> - -<p>‘No more had I,’ put in Rusty. ‘Mother says -that a very old squirrel once told her that his father -had seen a wild-cat, but that’s ever so many years -ago. There are none left now.’</p> - -<p>‘None left!’ returned the other angrily. ‘Very -well; all I say is, wait. Your turn will come.’</p> - -<p>He was clearing out in a huff when I stopped -him.</p> - -<p>‘Wait a minute. I want to hear all about -it. Anyone can see you’ve been badly mauled.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_124"></a>[124]</span> -Come with us up into our beech-tree, and I’ll find -you a better breakfast than this half-rotten stuff; -then you can tell us all about it.’</p> - -<p>After a little more persuasion, he cooled down -and accompanied us, and we all heard his story. It -appeared that a week before he and one of his -brothers had visited a Spanish chestnut they knew -of at some distance from their home, which was in -a large wood about a mile away, when, without the -slightest warning, a great cat had sprung out of a -patch of dead bracken close by, and with two quick -swings of her terrible paws bowled them both over. -Our new acquaintance owed his life to the fact that -he had seen the enemy coming just in time to duck, -and, consequently, had received the full force of the -blow upon his neck instead of his head. But even -so he had been stunned, and had recovered his -senses only in time to see the savage beast running -rapidly away among the underbrush with the dead -body of his brother swinging limp between her -powerful jaws. Knowing that she would come -back for him, he had summoned all his remaining -energies, and succeeded in climbing into a pollard -oak and hiding in a knot-hole in its spreading top. -From there he watched the robber return, moving -noiselessly across the dead grass and leaves on<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_125"></a>[125]</span> -velvet-cushioned paws; noted the grey coat, stiff -and coarse, the short tail, broad head, and small, -close-rounded ears; had seen her search snuffing -among the dead leaves, moving round and -round in impatient circles, and shivered in his -terror. But fortune was good to him, for after -a time, which seemed endless, the cat, tired of -her vain search, had at last turned, and with tail -straight up padded softly back the way she had -come. But it was not until nearly sunset that the -wounded squirrel had made shift to crawl home, -sore and aching, and there he had lain for two -whole days. Alas! the tale of his sorrows was not -yet told. On the third day his mother went out -about midday to bring in some food, and never -came back! Towards evening his father had gone -to search for her, and returned at dark with the -terrible tidings that the same stealthy fiend had -captured her too. He had found some gnawed -bones and her brush—that was all!</p> - -<p>By this time the whole wood was in a state of -panic. Rabbits, pheasants, and squirrels, all had -suffered alike. The cat, it was said, was only one -of a family who had taken up their abode in an -immense hollow hornbeam in the centre of the -wood. A regular reign of terror set in, and our<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_126"></a>[126]</span> -new friend, whose name was Cob, together with his -father and his sister, the only survivors of the -family, had decided to emigrate before worse -happened.</p> - -<p>We were all very sorry for the unfortunates. A -worse time for squirrels to emigrate could hardly be -imagined, for, of course, they had been forced to -abandon all their winter stores and their nest, which -had been strengthened against the cold weather. It -was now too late in the season to collect a proper provision, -and they stood a very good chance of starving -if the winter should turn out a severe one. -You will understand that we young ones, who had -never yet been through a winter, were not able to -realize quite how serious the misfortune was; but -mother, who had seen the snows of three years, -thoroughly comprehended the situation, and at -once bade Rusty and myself do all we could to -assist the unlucky family. Next morning we paid -a visit to their temporary quarters, a large untidy -hole in a hollow oak, and after first showing them -where the last few nuts were to be found in the -ditch below the hazel-bushes, set to work to discover -better quarters for them. Of course, by this -time we knew our coppice from end to end. There -was not a tree we were not familiar with from root<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_127"></a>[127]</span> -to topmost branch. But after a good deal of consideration -and discussion, we decided that the best -refuge was another hole lower down in our own -tree. It was one that mother had thought of -seriously, after father’s death, as a residence for -ourselves, but had decided against as being rather too -small. However, we found on making a thorough -examination that the wood on one side of it was so -rotten that it could easily be dug out, and then the -hollow would be amply large enough to accommodate -the three wanderers. They, on their part, were -devoutly grateful for the trouble we had taken on -their behalf, and thanked us most cordially. Cob’s -sister, whose name was Sable, a little, dark-furred -creature, quite touched me by her shyly-expressed -gratitude.</p> - -<p>Autumn was now far advanced, and we had had -several very sharp frosts. Except for the oaks, to -which their dead, dry leaves still clung, the trees -were bare. Rusty and I took our morning exercise -among the denser foliage of the evergreen firs and -larches, of which there were fortunately a good -number in our coppice. I say fortunately because, -where these trees are handy a squirrel need never -starve even in the hardest weather. Not that -squirrels are given to starving. Unless owing to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_128"></a>[128]</span> -some quite unforeseen and unusual accident we are -as well able to fend for ourselves even in the -hardest winters as any inhabitants of the woodland.</p> - -<p>The migrant birds had all left long ago, and the -woods were quieter than of old. Not that there -was not plenty of life remaining. The wood-pigeons -still pecked among the beech leaves for mast; great -tits and tomtits moved restlessly among the branches -of our beech; flights of long-tail tits talked softly -in the tops of the evergreens. Finches of many -kinds—greenfinch, chaffinch, bullfinch, and even a -few hawfinches, feasted on the hawthorn berries -which hung thickly on the bare hedges, and began -to take their toll of the fast-reddening holly. The -privet and mountain-ash berries were gone long -ago. These form the pet dessert of bird life, and -are always cleaned up almost before they are ripe. -So, too, was the sticky scarlet fruit of three gnarled -old yews which stood in a little group all by themselves -just beyond the rabbit-warren where the -ground sloped towards the brook. Thrushes and -blackbirds still visited their’ dark recesses, but more -from habit than for any other reason.</p> - -<p>Redwings and fieldfares fed in small flocks -across the open ground, and shared with the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_129"></a>[129]</span> -starlings and rooks the insect food of which they -are so fond. The grass, no longer green but -browned at the tips by frost and sodden from lack -of sun, had ceased to grow, and feed was becoming -short. I noticed that the cattle had taken to the -higher ground instead of feeding along the brook; -and that in the mornings when the frost-dew hung -thick on the meadows, they wandered along the -hedgerows, picking drier mouthfuls from the -bank.</p> - -<p>Some of our acquaintances had already retired -for the winter. The hedgehogs were no longer to -be seen making leisurely progress along the hedge-banks; -they had all gone to sleep deep in leaf-lined -crevices under the blackthorn roots; the -dormice had followed their example, and curled -themselves up for the winter in their delicately -woven globes of grass and fibre. Mr. Dormouse is -a heavier sleeper than we are, yet not above -rousing for a square meal if the sun comes out -warm and bright on a January morning. Snakes, -slow-worms and lizards had all disappeared long -ago, and would not move again for more than four -months. I had not seen a bat for a fortnight, and -I fancy the last of them had joined his comrades -hung up in the church-tower or in Farmer Martin’s<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_130"></a>[130]</span> -thatched barn, stiff and motionless like dead game -in the Hall larder.</p> - -<p>Field-mice showed when the sun came out, -dodging about on the surface of the dead leaves, -apparently very busy, and yet never appearing to -accomplish anything in particular. But they -would soon follow most of the four-legged denizens -of the coppice into winter-quarters, and leave the -bare woods to the birds, the rabbits, and the -cunning, hungry fox.</p> - -<p>Of the wild-cat, the terror of the neighbouring -wood, we heard nothing at all; and though I often -talked of her with Cob and his sister, we did not -imagine that there was much chance of her raiding -so far from home. Cob gradually recovered from -his wound, and, as food was still fairly plentiful, he -grew fat and strong again.</p> - -<p>Nothing occurred to disturb the even tenor of -those last few days before winter set in in earnest; -and the silence that reigned in the coppice was -broken only by the cheery song of the robin, the -low twitter of the tits, and occasionally the clear -pipe of the missel-thrush. Then came a day -when the wind turned to the north-east, and a -new biting, penetrating chill filled the bleak -air.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_131"></a>[131]</span></p> - -<p>For the first time in my experience mother absolutely -refused to leave the nest.</p> - -<p>‘Children,’ she said drowsily, ‘it’s going to snow. -I feel it in my bones. Close the door with moss -and let us sleep.’</p> - -<p>Pushing a bunch of moss into the opening, she -curled herself into the deepest, darkest corner of -our snug retreat, and almost instantly fell into a -sleep deeper than ever we had seen or dreamed of. -Squirrels, you must know, are never still for more -than a few minutes at a time in their ordinary -sleep. I know that, whenever I wake at night, -and that is very often, especially now that I am -no longer young, some of my family are always -moving their legs, twitching about like a dog that -lies before the fire and hunts rabbits in its dreams. -But this was a different thing, this sleep of mother’s—she -lay like a dead thing on her side, her splendid -brush curled round and over her, and, as we -watched, her breathing seemed to slow until it -became almost imperceptible.</p> - -<p>We, too, felt strangely drowsy; but yet, with all -the curiosity of youth, would not yield to it, so -anxious were we to see this snow of which we had -heard so often. The wind whistled in stronger and -stronger gusts, making weird wailing sounds among<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_132"></a>[132]</span> -the bare branches; the sky, already one uniform -mass of greyish cloud, grew duller and thicker, -while up to windward a darkness like that of the -winter twilight began to cover the land. Rusty -and I, peering out through a small hole in the -moss, saw the great trees bending and swaying -in the increasing blast, while the dead leaves raised -by the wind rustled and rattled in brown clouds -along the ground below. Then suddenly, and as if -by magic, the whole air was swarming with little -white atoms, which whirled and fluttered silently -in a mad dance. Thicker and thicker they came -till the sky was blotted out, and even the trees -close by were nearly hidden behind the waving -white veil. All along the eastern edges of the -beech-tree limbs lines of pure white appeared and -grew, while the dry leaves below stopped their -rustling as they vanished, hidden beneath a carpet -whiter than fallen hawthorn petals. To us, who -had never seen the like before, it was a wonderful -sight, and we gazed and gazed as if we should never -tire. But gradually the drowsiness of the snow-sleep -came upon us and mastered us, and, whether -we would or no, closed our eyes. Rusty slipped -limply back, and lay like a dead thing beside the -quiet forms of Hazel and my mother. I remember<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_133"></a>[133]</span> -vaguely pushing back the plug of moss into position, -and then I, too, fell back and sank away into a -long, delicious, dreamless slumber.</p> - -<p class="tb">It may have been a day, or a week, or, for all I -know, a month before I woke again. My sleep -had been so deep that for a full minute I was -quite unable to realize where I was or what had -happened, and I lay contentedly still in that -pleasant, dreamy state between sleep and wakefulness. -Then my eye was caught by a tiny brilliant -sunbeam, which, striking through some minute -interstice in the mossy door, made a little path of -golden light in which little motes of dust danced -gaily across our hollow retreat.</p> - -<p>Slowly recollection returned, and with it a feeling -of perfectly ravenous hunger. Struggling up out -of the deep hollow in my mossy bed into which I -had sunk, I stretched, yawned, and, looking round, -saw Rusty with one eye open gazing at me with a -drowsy, puzzled expression. Mother and Hazel -were still wrapped in deepest sleep.</p> - -<p>I barked to wake Rusty; but he only blinked at -me without speaking, until at last I leant over and -nipped his ear. That woke him.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_134"></a>[134]</span></p> - -<p>‘Weasel take you, Scud!’ he growled, starting -up. ‘Your teeth are sharp.’</p> - -<p>I told him I was simply starving.</p> - -<p>‘Come to think of it, so am I,’ he said, stretching -and yawning in his turn. ‘Let’s go and get some -grub.’</p> - -<p>‘Hadn’t we better wake mother and Hazel?’ I -suggested. But Rusty thought not, since they -were so sound asleep. Standing up on my hind-legs, -I pulled away the plug of moss that closed the -entrance, and sprang out, with Rusty close at my -heels. What a sight met our eyes! Even hunger -was forgotten in amazement. The rays of the -morning sun shining from a sky of clearest, palest -blue were reflected back from one universal dazzle -of white. Below us the ground was an even plain -of snow, which had covered up and hidden grass, -dead fern, fallen branches, ant and mole heaps—all -the irregularities to which our eyes were accustomed—under -its deep smooth carpet. From the bare -branches of the beeches and oaks the snow had -melted and fallen away, but the evergreen boughs -still bent under heavy loads, from which in places -long, transparent icicles drooped. It was freezing -hard, for the surface of the snow sparkled with -crystals of ice, which shone more brilliantly even<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_135"></a>[135]</span> -than dewdrops in the slanting rays. No breath of -air stirred under the cloudless heavens, and the -wood had a new stillness which was almost awe-inspiring.</p> - -<p>But, oh, the air! Cold as it was, it had a dry -tingle which set the blood fairly racing in our -veins, and every moment increased our already -ravenous hunger. Recovering from our amazement -at the strange novelty of all around us, we -bounded off together, intent on a store of beech-mast -which lay beneath a twisted root of our own -old beech.</p> - -<p>It was a queer sensation, that first landing upon -the snow. So hard frozen was it that our light -weights made no impression upon it whatsoever. -You would have needed the skill of a fox to find -our tracks. Rusty was the first to reach the spot -where we had made our store.</p> - -<p>‘Snakes’ eyes and adders’ tongues!’ he exclaimed—Rusty -was sadly given to the use of -bad language—‘this white stuff has covered it all -up, and I’m hungry enough to eat a sprouting -acorn.’</p> - -<p>‘Dig, you duffer!’ I answered him, and together -we set to work, our sharp claws sending the crisp -snow flying in clouds behind us. Suddenly the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_136"></a>[136]</span> -crust gave way, and we both tumbled through, -one on top of the other, into a good sized hollow -beneath. At first Rusty was much annoyed, considering -it all my fault. However, as soon as he -discovered that we were actually on top of our -larder, he recovered, and began with all speed to -scratch out the mast from the nooks and corners in -which it had been stored.</p> - -<p>Some people will tell you that a squirrel never -hides two nuts in the same place, but this is not -quite the fact. As I have said before, we all have -a very natural objection to piling a whole score of -nuts or other provender together in one place; for -then, if any marauder does come along, he naturally -gets the whole lot. But it must not be imagined -that a separate hiding-place is made for each single -nut or acorn. No; when we discover a good place -for a larder, such as the hollow I am now speaking -of, we often put quite a quantity of food into it, -poking each separate morsel into a different crack -or corner.</p> - -<p>That was a royal feast. I am quite certain that -neither Rusty nor I had ever been so hungry before -in the whole of our short lives; and this makes me -suspect that we had been asleep for at least a fortnight, -or possibly more. At last Rusty, after a<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_137"></a>[137]</span> -vain rummage in the furthest corner of the hollow, -turned on me:</p> - -<p>‘You greedy pig, Scud, you’ve eaten the last bit -of mast!’</p> - -<p>‘Well, you are a good one!’ I retorted, laughing. -‘I don’t mind betting you a chestnut that you’ve -eaten more than me.’</p> - -<p>‘Anyhow, there’s nothing left here,’ replied Rusty -in a very aggrieved tone. ‘At this rate our stores -won’t last long.’</p> - -<p>‘There is any amount left,’ I told him, ‘and it -seems to me that travelling is safer and better than -ever. We’ll go round and hunt up some of those -hazel-nuts under the hedge next time.’</p> - -<p>‘All very well if this weather lasts,’ grumbled -my brother, who always loved a grievance. ‘But -suppose it melts. Mother said it often did. Then -the grass will be all wet and beastly, and the ditch -probably full of water. Or suppose more snow -falls; then everything will be covered up.’</p> - -<p>‘’Pon my fur, you’re as bad as a frog!’ I retorted. -‘Never was such a squirrel to croak. Come along -out of this dark hole. I want some exercise.’</p> - -<p>As we crawled out a bark hailed us from above, -and there was Cob sitting out on a low branch over -our heads.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_138"></a>[138]</span></p> - -<p>‘I say, you fellows,’ he cried, ‘this is jolly, isn’t it?</p> - -<p>‘Ripping!’ I answered. ‘Have you had a feed?’</p> - -<p>‘Yes, I’ve had some mast; but we haven’t much, -so I thought of going over to the fir-trees and -looking for some cones.’</p> - -<p>‘Right you are. We’ll come too. I’m still -hungry enough to eat the most turpentiny cone -in the coppice.’</p> - -<p>So the three of us scuttled off across the crisp -surface, and after satisfying ourselves with pine-kernels -and a little of the inner bark from the -branch tips by way of dessert, proceeded to rouse -the wood with a thorough good scamper. We -had the whole place quite to ourselves except for -the birds. The wood-pigeons seemed as cheerful -as usual, and the tits were busy pecking along the -branches. But I must say I felt sorry for the -robins, the thrushes, and blackbirds, and most of -the other feathered creatures. The poor things -seemed to have no life left in them. They sat -huddled up in the sunshine with their feathers all -fluffed out, till they looked twice as big as usual, -but evidently they were all pretty hungry. Birds, -you know, do not suffer much from cold directly, -but when there is hard frost, and especially when -frozen snow covers the ground, they have to go on<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_139"></a>[139]</span> -very short commons. Those that feed on the -grubs that live in tree trunks do well enough, and, -of course, the sparrows and finches visit the rick -and farm yards, and so provide for themselves. It -is the berry and worm-eating birds who are worst -off in weather of this kind. The hips and haws -do not last long, and in really severe frost the -holly berries also disappear, leaving only such -untempting food as the hard dark ivy berries. -Worse than all is the lack of water, and I fancy -as many birds perish from thirst during a long -frost as from all other causes put together.</p> - -<p>When the low sun began to drop towards the -west the cold increased, and we three hurried -home and went to sleep again. But a day or two -later the same brilliant sun called us again, and -this time we resolved to pay our promised visit -to the hedge by the hazel bushes, where we had -buried the first of our nuts. At our special -request Cob accompanied us. He, good fellow, -as I discovered, was half-starving himself, in order -to keep a supply for his sister and father, in case -they woke up, so I consulted Rusty, and we -agreed that we would take him with us and stand -him a good feed out of our nut-store.</p> - -<p>When we reached the place, we found, much<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_140"></a>[140]</span> -to our disgust, that the ditch was quite full of -snow, which had drifted in from the field. There -was nothing for it but to begin a regular quarrying -job, and very hard work we found it. Cob worked -like a mole, and but for his useful assistance we -should hardly have succeeded in reaching the -treasure stored beneath the old thorn stump. As -it was, we must have been digging fully two hours -before we at last hit upon the right spot, and -what with the keen air and the hard work we -were pretty sharp-set by the time the plump -brown beauties were unearthed.</p> - -<p>‘Great water rats!’ exclaimed Rusty, driving -his strong front teeth through the glossy shell of -his first nut, and jerking away the pieces with -quick, hungry tugs. ‘This is fine! All the sun -and none of the wind. Just the place for a good -feed and a rest.’</p> - -<p>‘All the same, I hate being on the ground,’ said -Cob, uneasily glancing round at the steep walls -of snow which surrounded the little white pit -which we had dug, and at the bottom of which -we sat feasting.</p> - -<p>Rusty uttered a disdainful snort.</p> - -<p>‘What’s to hurt us here? A weasel wouldn’t -trust himself in this dazzle of snow, and foxes<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_141"></a>[141]</span> -don’t prowl in the daytime, let alone in a sun -like this.’</p> - -<p>‘Oh, I know it’s foolish,’ answered Cob humbly. -‘But I’ve been that way ever since the time that -I had that escape from——’</p> - -<p>His voice died away in a sharp choking gasp. -Looking round in some surprise, I saw him staring -upwards, a frozen horror in his wide eyes. Following -his glance, I saw glaring down upon us -through the hedge two cruel green orbs set in a -wide grey face. It did not need the short ears, -the stiff whiskers, or the rows of sharp white -teeth, bared in a hungry grin, to tell me that I -was looking upon the terror of the woods, the -wild-cat of Merton Spinney.</p> - -<p>The awful head was hardly a yard away. Its -owner had crawled up unseen on the far side of -the hedge—that is, inside the coppice, for we were -in the ditch outside—and having got wind of us, -was endeavouring to creep through unseen and -unheard, so as to pounce upon us unawares. It -was the lucky chance of our having Cob with us, -whose hearing was acute beyond either Rusty’s or -my own, that gave us that needful second’s warning. -Without it there is no possible doubt but that I -should never have been alive to tell this story.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_142"></a>[142]</span></p> - -<p>One often says ‘quick as a cat,’ but it would be -just as correct or more so to say ‘quick as a -squirrel’; and I am quite certain that hardly half -a second elapsed between the moment I set eyes on -the cat’s head emerging from the briers and the -bound which landed me six feet out of the hole -along the ditch to the left. With the best intentions -in the world no one of us could have helped -the others, but would only have sacrificed his life -uselessly if he had tried to. Thinking over the -matter since, I have often wondered why the cat -did not pounce straight upon Cob, who has confessed -that he was so badly frightened that he never -jumped until both Rusty and I were clear out of -the hole. The fact remains that she did not do so. -A rustle of quickly moved branches, and then a -series of soft, padding sounds behind me, proved -that I had been selected as her dinner—an attention -which, as you may imagine, I could very well have -dispensed with.</p> - -<div class="figcenter illowp53" id="illus07" style="max-width: 31.25em;"> - <img class="w100" src="images/illus07.jpg" alt="" /> - <p class="caption">TWO CRUEL GREEN ORBS SET IN A WIDE GREY FACE.</p> -</div> - -<p>I was badly frightened—there is no use denying -it—but I did succeed in keeping my wits about me. -In the open, of course, I was no match for her. -Her springs were of tremendous length, far greater -than mine, for a cat—like all her tribe—can travel -at tremendous speed for a short distance. Aware<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_143"></a>[143]</span> -of this, I turned sharp back through the hedge to -my right—only just in time, for her cruel teeth -snapped not an inch from my brush as I dived -through the heart of the hedge. Being smaller than -she, I gained a few yards in the passage through the -close-set branches, and tore off across the frozen -snow at top speed towards the nearest tree. There -was no time to pick or choose; I had to take the -first that came, and here luck was against me, for it -was a tall but slender birch which happened to stand -some little distance apart, the nearest tree to it -being a beech some fifty feet away.</p> - -<p>Up I went with a rush, again missing death by a -sort of miracle, for my enemy launched herself at -me like a shot from a catapult, striking the bark not -the length of my body below my brush. She clung -there a moment, and then fell back with a baffled -snarl, and for a moment I thought she had given it -up. But I suppose she was very hungry, or perhaps -too enraged at her first failure to abandon the chase, -for the next moment she drew off a few yards, and, -coming at the tree with a rush, clattered up it, her -sharp talons ringing against the rough bark.</p> - -<p>Naturally my first impulse was to run out towards -the beech and jump into it. Could I have done -this I should have been safe, for the cat would have<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_144"></a>[144]</span> -had to return to the ground in order to reach the -beech-tree. But when I gained the outer end of -the birch branch I found to my horror that the gap -was full three yards—a terrible jump to risk at any -time, but almost certainly fatal if I missed my footing, -for before I could recover myself the hungry -brute would most infallibly have leaped down -upon me.</p> - -<p>Now I was in a tight place indeed, for already -the lithe, grey form of my cruel foe was stealing -out along the branch to which I clung, her heavier -body causing it to sway and vibrate beneath me. -It seemed as though I must take the jump, and -chance it. Suddenly I noticed that the cat had -stopped. She was lying close along the branch, -her hungry eyes glaring at me, her pink tongue -slowly licking her lips. It was clear that she was -afraid that if she came further the bough would not -bear her weight.</p> - -<p>This gave me a moment’s breathing-space, time -to glance round and see if any other avenue of -escape was open. At once I noticed another birch -bough to my left, and a little higher, but still within -fairly easy distance; and on the impulse I sprang, -landing full upon it. At this the cat, with another -blood-curdling snarl, turned quickly back towards<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_145"></a>[145]</span> -the trunk, but before she could reach it I was off -into the very topmost twigs of the birch. Here I -felt sure that I was safe, at any rate for the time, -for I did not believe the cat would venture so high. -To my horror she set herself to follow, and, taking -such risks as I never dreamed she would dare, she -came slowly but stealthily on my track. All I -could do was to crawl out to the thinnest tip that -would bear me, cling there, and wait.</p> - -<p>With horrible pertinacity she followed to the -very top of the trunk, and, stationing herself -in the last fork that would bear her, crouched -there, apparently determined to wait and starve -me out.</p> - -<p>I was at my wits’ end, for there seemed no possible -avenue of escape. I might remain where I was, -you will say, and trust to tiring her out. True; -but supposing she refused to be tired out? Remember, -it was freezing hard. She could endure -the cold; I could not. Sooner or later my muscles -would grow numb, and I should fall either on to -the ground or right into her jaws. Another thing -(I may as well confess it), I was frightened—so -badly frightened that this in itself was actually -paralysing my powers. After a few minutes I -began to feel as though some unexplainable impulse<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_146"></a>[146]</span> -was forcing me to turn and gaze into those -fierce green eyes. I had sense enough to be aware -that, once I did this, it was all up. I should -become fascinated, and drop right into the cruel -jaws that waited so hungrily below.</p> - -<p>Against this suicidal impulse I fought with all -my might, but in spite of my best efforts it grew -upon me until I began to feel that I could endure -the torture no longer. It seemed as though it -would be a relief to put an end to it, even if it -meant ending my life at the same time. The cat -seemed to know this, too, and lay below me, -stretched at full length, still as the leafless branch -on which she crouched.</p> - -<p>I was actually turning; in another second I -should have yielded as weakly as a miserable house -mouse, when suddenly a sharp bark resounded -from the beech-tree near by. The cat stirred, and -for the moment I was saved.</p> - -<p>I looked in the direction of the sound. There -was Rusty only a few yards away in the beech. -Cob was close behind him. Rusty cried out to -me sharply:</p> - -<p>‘Do you see that bough-tip straight below you?’</p> - -<p>‘Yes,’ I answered dully.</p> - -<p>‘Can you drop to it?’</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_147"></a>[147]</span></p> - -<p>‘I’ll try.’</p> - -<p>‘Don’t be a fool! You’ve done much bigger -things than that. Here’s our plan: We’ll start -barking at the cat and take her attention off you -while you drop. It’s a possible jump from the -bough below across to this tree, and you’ll have -plenty of time, for the cat will have to climb down -the trunk. Do you understand?’</p> - -<p>‘Yes,’ I replied faintly.</p> - -<p>I had been in such a queer dazed condition that -I had never even noticed the possible avenue of -escape which Rusty pointed out. Looking down, -it seemed a perfectly terrific drop. Indeed, it was -something like twenty feet, and if I missed it -there was another thirty to the frozen snow -beneath.</p> - -<p>‘Are you ready?’ came Rusty’s voice, sharp and -threatening.</p> - -<p>‘Yes,’ I said again.</p> - -<p>A chorus of perfectly frantic barks and squeaks -broke out at once. I heard my enemy move -uneasily, and, summoning all my courage, I let -myself go and dropped.</p> - -<p>I struck the branch beneath, fair and square. -Alas! its twigs were thin, elastic, and slippery with -frozen snow. A wild grasp with all four paws<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_148"></a>[148]</span> -failed to stop me. Down I went to the ground -below.</p> - -<p>Oddly enough, this was where my luck turned. -If I had fallen on to the hard frozen surface I -should almost certainly have been too stunned to -move at once. As it was, I alighted on a spot -where only a thin coating of powdery snow -covered a deep soft cushion of dead leaves. Before -the cat was half-way down the birch trunk I was -in the beech-tree.</p> - -<p>Rusty and Cob were awaiting me.</p> - -<p>‘Good squirrel, Scud!’ cried my brother, in -tones of such warm praise as absolutely astonished -me, for I was intensely ashamed of myself for my -cowardice, and for having had such a tumble.</p> - -<p>However, there was no time to waste. With -Rusty leading, we were away through the beech -into the next tree, and so across the coppice at -full speed. The cat, lashing her tail with rage, -followed for a while across the snow beneath, and -once or twice started climbing again after us. But -we were most careful to keep in the thickest part -of the wood, and whenever she climbed we merely -jumped to the next tree. Soon she tired of this—for -her—unprofitable pursuit, and stole softly -away.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_149"></a>[149]</span></p> - -<p>Not until we had watched her out of the coppice -and away along the hedges in the direction of -Merton Spinney did we venture to return to our -respective homes, where we shut ourselves up -snugly and went to sleep again.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_150"></a>[150]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII<br /> -<span class="smaller">I FIND A WIFE</span></h2> - -</div> - -<p>After the coming of the grey terror you may -imagine how careful we were. We took no more -risks of any kind, and when we went out for food -invariably took the precaution first to post a -sentinel in the nearest tall tree to give good notice -of danger. The cat came no more, but all the -same, this precaution in all probability saved the -lives of Rusty and myself. The snow had lasted -a long time, but as the weather was sunny and -bright we were out most days. One morning, as -my brother and I were hunting out some nuts -in the centre of a thick part of the hedge, we -heard Cob’s cry of warning from an oak near by. -Neither of us had any idea from which direction -the danger was approaching, but we both were at -the top of the hedge in the twinkling of an eye. -Only just in time, for almost as we left the ground -a gaunt red beast bounded on to the very spot -which we had left. He was so close that I distinctly<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_151"></a>[151]</span> -heard his sharp teeth click together like -the snapping of a steel trap. He looked up with -a hungry gleam in his eyes, but quickly recognizing -that he had missed his meal, Master Reynard -wasted no time in vain regrets, and trotting -sharply off down along the hedge, soon disappeared -in the distance. A fox is not particular -in snowy weather. All is nuts that comes to his -hungry maw.</p> - -<p>Yet we were fated to hear once more of our -deadliest foe. The snow had gone; cold rain and -heavy gales succeeded it, and then one day dawned -so mild and soft and sunshiny that even mother -and Hazel woke.</p> - -<p>‘Come, children,’ said mother; ‘we will go and -get some breakfast. Open the door, Scud.’</p> - -<p>I was in the very act of doing so, when the -heavy report of a gun at some distance made us all -jump back. A minute later there was a rattle of -heavy claws up the trunk of our beech-tree. The -sound was unmistakable.</p> - -<p>‘The cat!’ I muttered; and we all sank back -shivering with fright.</p> - -<p>Right past our closed door came the sound, and -up into the boughs above. We could only crouch as -still as four mice. If the grey terror found the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_152"></a>[152]</span> -nest—and her keen nose would tell her that quickly -enough—we were absolutely at her mercy.</p> - -<p>‘Shall we make a bolt for it?’ muttered Rusty in -my ear.</p> - -<p>‘What’s the good? She’s above us. She’d be -certain to get one of us before we could clear,’ I -answered.</p> - -<p>All was quiet again, but our suspense was almost -unendurable. Ha! what was that? I could distinctly -hear heavy footsteps on the ground -below. They seemed to be circling round the base -of the tree. Then they stopped, and absolute -silence reigned.</p> - -<p>Crash! A tremendously heavy report, followed -by an unearthly scream. Bump, bump! Something -was falling from bough to bough above; -then a heavy thud.</p> - -<p>‘Ha! ye poaching rascal!’ came a voice from -beneath.</p> - -<p>Curiosity could be restrained no longer, and, -lifting the moss a little, I poked my nose through. -I could have barked for sheer joy, for there was the -tall, ginger-whiskered keeper in the very act of -picking up a blood-stained grey form which lay -limp and lifeless on the dead leaves at the foot of -the tree. The grey terror was no more!</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_153"></a>[153]</span></p> - -<p>Nothing worth chronicling happened during the -rest of that winter. Early March, I remember, -was cold out of the common, so we did not emerge -from our winter home until later than usual. At -last the frost departed, and one morning I woke up, -and, instead of waiting as usual for Rusty, sallied -out alone. It was exquisitely bright and sunny, -with a soft feeling in the air. A gentle westerly -breeze stirred the twigs, all red at the tips with new -buds, and drove across the blue sky soft rolls of -light, smoky cloud. Tiny spikes of green were -pushing out through the withered tufts of last -year’s grass, and the birds were singing as I had -never heard them sing before.</p> - -<p>As I ran along the lowest branch of the beech, -whom should I meet quite suddenly but Cob’s -sister, little Sable. She looked at me in her pretty -shy way, murmuring a gentle ‘Good morning,’ and -it suddenly occurred to me how extremely pretty -she was. I wondered vaguely why I had never -before noticed the dainty grace of her shape, the -softness of her coat, and the jewel-like brilliancy of -her eyes. We sat still, gazing at one another for -quite a minute; and then suddenly, with a roguish -flick of her brush, she bounded past me and away -to another branch, where she stopped short and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_154"></a>[154]</span> -looked back over her shoulder with a mischievous -twinkle in her eyes. After her I dashed in full -pursuit, but she was gone again before I could -reach her.</p> - -<p>In those days I rather fancied myself at running -and jumping, but I don’t mind saying that I never -had a harder chase to catch any squirrel in my life. -She was so extraordinarily quick at dodging and -turning that we were both quite out of breath -when at last I came up with her.</p> - -<p>That was the beginning of my courting of my -dear wife, but I can tell you that I had no easy -task before me. She was the most coquettish little -thing, and just when I was beginning to whisper -tender speeches in her pretty pointed ears, off she -would go with a flick and a spring, and lead me -such a dance that I would angrily declare to myself -that she did not care a bit for me. You see, I was -very young in those days, and not learned in the -ways of the fair sex. At other times she would -hide herself in some cleft or knot-hole, and leave -me to search for her by the hour; then, when at -last I found her, she would say with an air of the -greatest surprise:</p> - -<p>‘Were you looking for me, Scud? Oh, I didn’t -know. What a pity!’</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_155"></a>[155]</span></p> - -<p>There was worse to follow. One fine morning, -some days later, Sable actually consented to come -and play down on the grass. We were enjoying -a fine game when, all of a sudden, a strange -squirrel, one I had hardly seen before—he came -from a family who lived quite at the other end -of the coppice—appeared on the scene, and, -running up to my lady as coolly as you please—</p> - -<p>‘Good morning, Sable,’ he said, without so -much as looking at me. ‘Won’t you come up -to the fir-trees? I know where there are some -specially tender shoots.’</p> - -<p>This was a little too much for me.</p> - -<p>‘Who in hazel-nuts are you?’ I inquired, coming -up with my brush straight over my head and -all my teeth showing. The beggar pretended not -to see me, and began talking to Sable again. -Well, if he didn’t see me he felt me, and pretty -quickly, too. I went for him on the spot, rolled -him over, and got my front teeth well home in -his ear. For a minute it was hammer and tongs. -We whirled round and round, the fur flying in -every direction. He was strong, and snapped -viciously, but I never let go, and though he -marked me once, the end of it was that he was -only too glad to break away and run. I chased<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_156"></a>[156]</span> -him for some distance, and then came back, only -to find that Sable had calmly gone home. I was -so cross with her that I left her alone for the -rest of that day, sulking by myself up in the fir-trees. -What made it worse was that Rusty came -and laughed at me mercilessly.</p> - -<p>‘You don’t catch <i>me</i> playing the fool like that,’ -he jeered. ‘A bachelor life’s good enough for me, -thank you.’</p> - -<p>Next day Sable was as sweet as sugar, and we -agreed to be married and set up house together.</p> - -<p>The next great question was the location of our -future home. During the past winter I had seen -so plainly how great were the advantages of a -hole in a trunk that I quite determined to find -similar quarters. As I have said before, I knew -the coppice from end to end, and it struck me -that there was a beech-tree not far from the gate -which might suit us. So off we went to have a -look at it.</p> - -<p>On the way we noticed two squirrels fighting -savagely on the ground, with a third sitting demurely -by, and watching the combat. I had seen -half a dozen such fights in the past few days, and -did not pay much attention, but Sable suddenly -stopped and sat up straight.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_157"></a>[157]</span></p> - -<p>‘Don’t you see who it is, Scud?’ she exclaimed, -intensely amused.</p> - -<p>I looked again, and to my utter astonishment, -who should the topmost of the two be but my -brother Rusty.</p> - -<p>‘My whiskers, but I’m sorry for the other!’ I -laughed.</p> - -<p>Rusty was a terrific fighter, and, indeed, we had -not long to wait before his rival broke and ran -for dear life, Rusty after him.</p> - -<p>Everything went well that happy day. We -found a hole high up in the beech-tree bole which, -with a little hollowing out, made a simply perfect -residence. It was close under a large branch, -which gave splendid protection from the weather. -We wasted no time in setting to work, and by -evening had scraped out enough of its rotten sides -to make a chamber about nine inches each way. -Next day we lined it with dry leaves and grey -moss, which we stripped from the lower part of -the trunk.</p> - -<p>But our labours were by no means at an end. -Squirrels are rarely content with one residence, -and my experience, short as it had been, had made -me plainly understand the advantage of having -several. Crossing over into a larch on the opposite<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_158"></a>[158]</span> -side of the path, we built a drey on a large flat -bough at a good height above the ground. This -was all of selected sticks, and was well roofed in. -It had a hollow floor and a conical roof, the sticks -composing the roof being carefully interlaced in -order to keep out the rain. It had an entrance -on the east side and a bolt-hole on the west, and -to close the doors at night, or in cold weather, we -provided plenty of moss and soft grass fibre to -make stoppers. The only incident of note during -these pleasant days was my getting a horrid fright -through accidentally digging up a slow-worm -which had not yet left its winter-quarters in the -hedge bank where I was pulling up grass roots. -Ever since my adventure with the viper I have -had a perfect horror of snakes. Not, of course, -that a slow-worm is a snake, or in any way -dangerous, but still, it looks detestably like one.</p> - -<p>It seemed odd at first, only two of us in our -new home, instead of the four who had snuggled -together during the long winter in the old beech-tree. -But we were far too busy to be dull, and -we often saw mother and the rest of our relations. -Mother was very pleased with our match, and -equally so with the two others in our family, -for not only had Rusty found a wife, but Cob<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_159"></a>[159]</span> -and my sister Hazel had set up housekeeping -together.</p> - -<p>It used to amuse me, the air of proprietorship -which Sable exhibited in our tree. I really believe -that she considered the whole of it belonged to -her, root, trunk, and branch. Any stranger -squirrel who ventured to intrude had a bad time -indeed. He or she was promptly chased off the -premises without any ceremony whatever.</p> - -<p>It was one day in April that our four babies -were born. Ugly little beasts, I called them, quite -hairless, blind and helpless. But when I ventured -to remark as much to my wife there was a regular -upset. You might hardly believe it, but she turned -me out neck and crop, and for the next few days -I never ventured home for more than a few minutes -at a time. It was difficult even to persuade Sable -to leave the little beggars long enough to take her -meals. Early spring is none too easy a time for -squirrels to find food in any case, and we were forced -to subsist principally on the young shoots and bark of -pine and fir trees. It is this habit which gets us such -a bad name with keepers and foresters, but we do not -do half so much damage as we are credited with.</p> - -<p>One day, when I was out alone foraging, I met -Rusty looking very fat and happy.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_160"></a>[160]</span></p> - -<p>‘Hulloa, Scud,’ he said. ‘You’re getting thin. -Cares of matrimony, eh?’</p> - -<p>‘They don’t appear to worry you very much, anyhow,’ -I retorted. ‘How do you keep so fat?’</p> - -<p>‘Oh, I find plenty of food,’ he answered lightly; -but there was a sort of guilty air about him which -puzzled me at the time.</p> - -<p>A day or two later, when I caught him devouring -a nestful of the little blue eggs of the hedge-sparrow, -I understood.</p> - -<p>Now, eating eggs is a thing which is considered -by well-bred squirrels to be thoroughly bad form; -but, after all, it was no business of mine. Rusty -was old enough to take his own course, so I said -nothing about it. I have often blamed myself -since, for one bad habit leads to another; and no -doubt my brother’s indulgence in eggs that spring -was the first step which led to the sad end which -afterwards befell him.</p> - -<p>To return to my own affairs—our kittens grew -with astonishing rapidity, and once they opened their -eyes began to prove decidedly more interesting. -They were three bucks and a doe. In a month -they were half as big as myself, and their hair -had grown to quite a respectable length. Being -April kittens, their coats were entirely different<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_161"></a>[161]</span> -from the one which I had worn during my first -summer. Mine had been reddish-brown, and I had -had no tufts on my ears, but our young ones had -greyish-brown coats like the winter one which I -was just beginning to discard, and they wore smart -little tufts on each ear as well as hair on their palms. -One of them, however, was much darker than the -other three.</p> - -<p>Sable was the best of mothers, and took the -greatest care of her young family, keeping them -beautifully neat and clean. Before long they grew -big enough to be taken out of the nest, and then -began a very busy time for their mother and myself. -Jumping and climbing lessons were the order of -the day. Remembering how well my mother had -instructed me, I took the greatest pains to show -them how to spring from one branch to another, -how to swing by one hand or foot, to fall without -hurting themselves, and how to hide instantly -when any danger approached. Sometimes we took -them down on to the turf below, which was always -kept close cropped by the rabbits, and the children -enjoyed nothing better than rolling about there, -tumbling head over heels, and indulging in all kinds -of wild antics.</p> - -<p>It amused me to see how inquisitive they all<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_162"></a>[162]</span> -were. Curiosity is, of course, the besetting sin of -the whole of our tribe, and many a one of us has it -brought to grief. Anything the least bit out of the -way had to be examined at once, and no amount -of reproof ever seemed to restrain them. Curiosity -very nearly cost Walnut—for so I called the little -dark chap, who was my special favourite—his life.</p> - -<p>One morning I had been over to the other end -of the coppice, to a horse-chestnut tree which I -knew of. Young horse-chestnut buds, I may -remark, make as good a breakfast as almost anything -I know of. When I came back I found -Sable running about on the ground in a most -distracted fashion. So soon as she caught sight of -me she came flying to tell me that Walnut was -missing. She was so excited that I had some difficulty -at first in making out the facts of the case. -It appeared that she had had the whole family -out for a game on the grassy sward which bordered -the wood path when, all of a sudden, she became -conscious that only three of them were in sight. -Walnut had completely disappeared. The others -explained that they had been playing hide and -seek, and that Walnut had been hiding. They -had looked everywhere for him, but could neither -find nor hear him.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_163"></a>[163]</span></p> - -<p>Sending them all three back home out of mischief, -their mother had set to work to make a vigorous -search, but after half an hour’s hard hunting, had -found no sign of her missing son. I joined her; and -we began to quarter out the ground systematically, -she taking one side of the path, I the other. But -not so much as a hair of Walnut’s brush could we -see; and when the shadows had nearly reached their -shortest, I began to feel almost certain that some -prowling weasel had caught our poor son. At last -it occurred to me that the adventurous young rascal -might have gone through the hedge into the open -field, and I myself crossed the hedge and ditch. I -think I have mentioned before that near the coppice -gate on the meadow side was a strip of sandy -ground with patches of hawthorn, blackberry -bushes, and gorse, which was riddled with rabbit -holes. As I wandered sadly across this, occasionally -stopping to give a slight bark or a stamp, I suddenly -heard a distinct reply. In great delight I hurried -forward to a thick clump of gorse from which the -sound seemed to come. But when I reached the -spot there was no sign of life. I stamped again, -and this time there was no doubt whatever about -the answer. But it came from underground! -Then I knew what had happened. Walnut had<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_164"></a>[164]</span> -evidently tumbled into a rabbit-earth and was unable -to get out. Very soon I found the hole, and there, -sure enough, in the darkness some feet below me I -saw my son’s eyes.</p> - -<p>The burrow was a wide and very steep one, and -its sides were of extremely soft and loose sand. It -was quite plain that Walnut, having once fallen in, -could get no footing to jump or scramble out; -indeed, so he told me in tones that shook with -fatigue and fright.</p> - -<p>I called up Sable at once, and she, clever creature -that she is, suggested that the best thing to do was -to throw down pieces of grass and stick in order to -give Walnut a footing from which he might jump. -It was a long operation, but we finished it at last, -and our foolish son once more emerged to the light -of day.</p> - -<p>‘How, in the name of pine-cones, did you ever -come to get into such a place?’ was my first angry -question.</p> - -<p>‘I saw something white sticking out of it, -father,’ he replied very coolly, ‘and I wanted to -find out what it was.’</p> - -<p>I burst out laughing.</p> - -<p>‘Haven’t you ever seen a rabbit’s scut before?’</p> - -<p>Walnut looked rather foolish.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_165"></a>[165]</span></p> - -<p>‘I suppose I have,’ he answered, ‘but it didn’t -strike me at the time.’</p> - -<p>Things went very quietly and peacefully during -the early part of that summer. There were no -human intruders whatever. As I found out afterwards, -the new people at the Hall had stopped all -the old footpaths, including the field-path which -led to the coppice gate. They had great ideas on -the subject of high-farming and high-preserving, -but for the present we luckily lived in comparative -ignorance of these. One or two things certainly -seemed strange. Almost all the hedges in the -neighbourhood had been cut down and pleached -during the winter, making the country-side look -singularly bare. Also several grass fields had been -ploughed up and planted with roots or wheat.</p> - -<p>The ginger-haired keeper and a boy—his son, I -believe—were often in the coppice, messing about -among the undergrowth and collecting whole -baskets full of pheasants’ eggs. Mother was horrified -at this performance, but, as we found out later, -they took them to the Hall to be hatched in -incubators. I have spoken of the amount of -timber-cutting which went on around the Hall. -One day in the early spring a number of men -invaded the coppice and cut away the underbrush<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_166"></a>[166]</span> -and tree branches, so as to make several open rides -across the wood from end to end. We were -annoyed to see so many good hazel-bushes destroyed, -but as they did not cut down the heavy -timber we were not particularly inconvenienced.</p> - -<p>We owed that ginger-whiskered keeper a debt of -gratitude for slaying our enemy, the grey cat, but -some of his performances no self-respecting coppice-dweller -could approve of. He began to set horrible -gins and snares in every direction. So far as killing -off the stoats and weasels went, this was all very -well; but it was a sad and dreadful thing to see an -unlucky brown owl, the foe of nothing except mice -and such-like vermin, struggling miserably half the -night in the foul jaws of a pole-trap, with both its -legs broken. Jays and magpies suffered also. I -had seen traps at the Hall, and took particular -pains to point them out to my youngsters as -objects to be avoided with the utmost care. -Other young families were not so fortunate. One -of Rusty’s promising sons was missed one day, and -found by his mother with his head crushed between -cruel iron teeth, stone dead. There is nothing in -the world so barbarous as the steel-spring trap.</p> - -<p>That spring and all the early summer were extraordinarily -dry. The hay-crop was very short, but<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_167"></a>[167]</span> -of excellent quality, while the grain was curiously -dwarfed. Many of the flowers came out before -their time, particularly the white convolvulus and -the purple scabious. The brook in the field, I -remember, ran altogether dry, and failed to fill a -large excavation which the new tenant of the Hall -had had dug with the intention of making a fish-pond. -I went to look at it one day, and found it -a bare expanse of red clay, netted all over with deep -cracks, in the largest and dampest of which a few -small, unhappy frogs had found precarious refuge.</p> - -<p>Mother told us that she had never seen weather -like it before, and shook her head a good deal, -prophesying that food would be as scanty during -the coming autumn as it had been plentiful the -previous year. Certainly there seemed good ground -for her forebodings, for the oaks had hardly set any -acorns, and there was little sign of mast upon the -beech-trees. It looked as though the birds, also, -would be likely to suffer, for the hips and haws -dropped before setting from the drought, the -hollies and yews had no berries, and the blackberry -crop seemed as though it would be a complete -failure.</p> - -<p>Towards the end of July we had a spell of -intense heat. We all took up our abode in our<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_168"></a>[168]</span> -summer drey, opening both doors in order to let -the draught, when there was any, blow through, -and never stirred out except in the early morning -and late evening. We felt the heat severely; but, -after all, were far better off than the ground -creatures. The grass in the meadows outside the -gate had turned quite brown, and the unlucky -rabbits were forced to travel long distances to -find grazing.</p> - -<p>There are few things, by the bye, which a rabbit -dislikes more greatly than venturing any considerable -distance from his home. The poor young -ones paid a heavy toll to the stoats and weasels -during that famine-time, for the vermin had them -at their mercy when the little chaps visited the -hedgerows to look for a little greenstuff.</p> - -<p>The birds ceased singing almost completely, and -the only place where much bird-life was still to be -seen in our neighbourhood was around the pool -down at the end of the coppice. This was almost -dry, but a few square yards of stagnant, shallow -water still remained in the centre, surrounded by a -wide space of mud dotted all over with the footprints -of dozens of different species of birds, and -not a few four-legged creatures as well.</p> - -<p>It must have been about the twelfth day of the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_169"></a>[169]</span> -heat, which turned out the most sultry I ever -experienced in my life. The sun rose crimson in a -crimson sky. No breath of air was abroad, and -the leaves hung down straight without a flicker -of movement. The coppice was uncannily silent, -a silence broken only by the hum of insects, which -rose drowsily through the foliage; the only moving -things were butterflies, flaunting on painted wings, -and a few lizards and snakes—reptiles for which no -weather seems too hot.</p> - -<p>All six of us lay out on the branches under the -thickest shade we could find, tongues lolling out, -too listless to trouble about food or even to talk. As -the afternoon drew on, and the shadows lengthened -towards the east, I suggested to Sable that we -should go off in search of supper. I mentioned an -oat-field just across the road, where I had an idea -that the grain would be ripe enough to provide an -easily-won meal.</p> - -<p>But Sable said no; that it was still too hot for -the children. That I had better go alone. If the -oats were really ripe, we would all journey there -next morning for breakfast. I never argue with -my wife. My first week of wedded life taught me -that such a proceeding is an entire waste of time -and energy. So answering, ‘Very well, my dear,’<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_170"></a>[170]</span> -I rose, stretching and yawning lazily, and went -leisurely away towards my destination. After all, -Sable was quite right When I reached the open, -the sun still stung with hardly abated power, and -the heat mist shimmered over the baking ground.</p> - -<p>The oat-field had turned quite golden in the past -few days, but it was pitiful to see how short was -the straw, how light the heads, and how small -the grain. I had it all to myself, and wandered -about, picking out the heaviest heads and nibbling -in leisurely fashion. Suddenly a low distant mutter -of thunder boomed through the stagnant air, and it -struck me that it might be wise to make for home. -But before I could even reach the hedge there -sounded a second and louder peal, and to my -amazement a quarter of the northern sky was -already swallowed by a huge mass of vapour, -purplish-black in colour, and rimmed with a -tumbling edge of boiling mist white as snow. The -cloud was advancing with amazing rapidity, and as -I sprang into a pollard oak at the corner of the -hedge, to get a better view, it swallowed up -the sun, and a sudden darkness fell upon the -thirsty land. Then I saw that the deep bosom -of the ponderous storm-cloud was laced by constant -streaks of blue and silver fire. Such a sight<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_171"></a>[171]</span> -is not seen once in a generation of squirrels, and it -so deeply interested me that for the moment I -entirely forgot my intention of returning home, -and sat there watching the gathering tempest with -fascinated eyes.</p> - -<p>A great tongue of blue flame licked downwards, -and a moment later the thunder crashed in real -earnest. There was a hoarse murmur in the far -distance, and I saw the tree-tops, fields away across -the level country-side, bend their tall heads as the -first gust struck them. Presently a breath of air, -cold, damp, and delicious, ruffled my fur, and, as -the lightning flared again through the gloom, the -first drop of rain, the size of a wren’s egg, struck -me full in the face.</p> - -<p>With a sudden start I realized that it was now -too late to dream of returning, and that, if I -wished to avoid the worst ducking of my life, I -must seek shelter of some kind. Racing round -the club-like top of the pollard I discovered a knot -hole just large enough to hold me, and into this -I forced my way—barely in time, for almost -instantaneously the full force of the tempest was -upon me. One gust of wind, so fierce that I felt -the sturdy old oak quiver to its very roots, then a -smashing downpour of hail. Not ordinary hail,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_172"></a>[172]</span> -but lumps of ice as large as walnuts, which almost -instantaneously levelled the field of oats flat with -the ground, stripped the foliage from the trees, and -danced into white drifts which lay inches deep -against the hedge bank.</p> - -<p>In between the hail clouds pennons of blue and -white electric fire sprang and vanished; but the -clamour of the pounding ice and the roar of the -wind almost drowned the bellowing thunder. -Closer and closer glared the lightning. The hail -turned to rain, which fell in solid sheets. The -sharp alternations between darkness and intense -white light dazzled me so greatly that I could -hardly see. I felt stunned, deafened, and horribly -frightened.</p> - -<p>Of a sudden the rain ceased absolutely. Instantly -the whole world was bathed in white fire, and -simultaneously the very heavens seemed to crack -with a crash that, I think, actually stunned me for -the moment. When I came to myself again it -was raining almost as fiercely as ever. Flash and -crash still followed for some minutes with hardly -abated rapidity and intensity, but very soon it -began to grow lighter. The storm, like most -such, was of small area, and travelling so rapidly -that it passed almost as quickly as it had come.</p> - -<div class="figcenter illowp53" id="illus08" style="max-width: 31.25em;"> - <img class="w100" src="images/illus08.jpg" alt="" /> - <p class="caption">DOWN THE NEAR SIDE OF THE TRUNK WAS A DEEP AND WIDE NEW SCAR</p> -</div> - -<p>‘My poor Sable!’ I thought as I started<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_173"></a>[173]</span> -hurriedly homewards. ‘What a terrible fright -she and the kittens will have had!’ As I crossed -the road into the coppice signs of the storm were -everywhere visible. The ground was covered with -green leaves, among which the fast-melting hail-drifts -gleamed oddly white. Every puddle brimmed, -every branch dripped, and from the meadow below -the voice of the swollen brook rose hoarsely.</p> - -<p>I made along the hedge, crossed into the coppice -trees, and rattled rapidly homewards among the -soaking foliage. A slight smoke rising in the -distance startled me, but it was without the -slightest premonition of coming misfortune that -I quickened my pace, uttering a slight bark to -signal my approach.</p> - -<p>There was no reply, and the last part of my way -I covered at full speed. Reaching the nearest side -of the path, I stopped, stared, staggered, and nearly -lost my hold. It was from our own beech-tree -that the smoke was rising. The ground below -was strewn with white fragments of splintered -wood. Down the near side of the trunk was a -deep and wide new scar, blackened in the centre.</p> - -<p>Shaking and trembling all over, I crept up. -But, no, I cannot tell you what I saw. They had -all taken refuge in the nest, and their death must -have been mercifully instantaneous.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_174"></a>[174]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX<br /> -<span class="smaller">WAR DECLARED AGAINST OUR RACE</span></h2> - -</div> - -<p>I think the shock of the disaster which robbed me -at one fell swoop of wife, family, and home must -have so completely stunned all my faculties that for -a time I was unable to realize fully what had happened. -I vaguely remember wandering round and -about the still faintly-steaming ruins of the beech-tree, -and calling piteously for Sable. Lucky for -me that no enemy came near. Even a boy with a -catapult could have made an easy prey of me, for -all my senses were strangely dulled.</p> - -<p>What first brought me to myself again was a low -but familiar call which came from a small larch -near by. Looking up, I could hardly believe my -eyes when I caught sight of a small dark squirrel -crouching on a branch at no great height from the -ground shivering piteously.</p> - -<p>‘Walnut!’ I exclaimed in absolute amazement.</p> - -<p>I had felt so certain that the poor charred -remains in my broken home comprised the whole<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_175"></a>[175]</span> -of my family. Was it possible that one of them -had escaped, after all?</p> - -<p>The poor little chap was so shockingly frightened -that it was a long time before he could give me -any clear account of how he had escaped. It -appears that when my poor Sable saw the storm -coming she at once set to work to take her family -from the summer drey in the larch back to the -hollow in the beech-trunk. She had been afraid, -Walnut said, that the wind might blow the drey -away. The jump across the path from tree to tree -being too much for the youngsters, their mother -had led the way down to the ground, ordering them -all to follow her closely. Walnut, however, who -had never seen a thunderstorm, and who, of course, -did not realize the danger, thought it would be a -fine joke to remain behind. In the hurry of the -moment Sable, no doubt, never noticed until too -late that he was not with the others, and when the -storm broke the darkness at once became almost -impenetrable.</p> - -<p>When the hail began, Walnut, terrified almost -out of his senses, wished most devoutly that he -had not been such a fool, for great lumps of ice -beat through the roof of the drey, and the tree -swayed so frightfully that he expected every<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_176"></a>[176]</span> -moment the whole nest would be torn away and -sent flying in fragments to the ground. However, -it was too late for useful repentance, so he was -forced to stay where he was. Then came the final -fearful crash, and he remembered nothing more -until he found himself clinging desperately to a -bough a long way below the drey. When the -weather cleared a little he had gone across to the -beech-tree, but the smoke frightened him so that -he had not dared to climb.</p> - -<p>That night we two spent amid the dripping -ruins in the larch. After the great heat the night -breeze struck bitter cold, and we lay chilled and -shivering, though too miserable to care much one -way or the other. As soon as ever it grew light -we left that part of the coppice for ever. I took -my son to the extreme opposite end of the wood, -and there had the good luck to stumble almost -immediately upon possible quarters. These were -in a vast oak, the boughs of which were beginning -to decay from sheer old age. In the end of one -branch, broken short off by some long past gale, -was a deep hole which had evidently been formerly -the habitation of a pair of stock-doves, for the -remains of their nest were mouldering just inside -the entrance. I had no spirit to build new<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_177"></a>[177]</span> -quarters, so with sore hearts we took possession of -this shelter. Later, when I recovered my energies -a little, I collected moss to line it, and made a -dry and fairly comfortable residence.</p> - -<p>Of the time that followed I will not speak. -But for Walnut I should not have cared to live. -As it was, I hardly took the trouble to eat, but -sat and moped from day to day, until I grew -thin and bony; my coat stared, and I looked like -an old squirrel.</p> - -<p>But time cures all sorrows, and happily for us, -just as a squirrel’s life is shorter than a man’s, so -much the more rapidly do his griefs pass away. -Walnut grew from day to day, and became a -strong, handsome fellow, well able to take care -of himself. I was very proud and fond of him, -and gradually his bright companionship did me -good, and amid new scenes I began slowly to take -a fresh interest in life.</p> - -<p>Our new home was very near to the far end -of the wood path, close to the other gate, which -opened on to the road; the same road which ran -past the Hall, across the brook, to the village -beyond. As I have, I think, mentioned before, -the new people at the Hall had closed this path, -padlocked the gates, and posted notices forbidding<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_178"></a>[178]</span> -anyone from using the short cut. This course -caused intense dissatisfaction among the villagers, -and more than once I saw a passing labourer shake -his fist in silent anger as he tramped along the -dusty road past the locked, iron-spiked gate.</p> - -<p>It was not long before we began to realize the -reason of this proceeding. One day the ginger-whiskered -keeper appeared outside the gate with -a cart loaded with coops. Unlocking the gate, he -and another man carried in the coops one by one. -All our curiosity aroused, Walnut and I followed -cautiously, and watched them lay the coops down -in an open glade, not far from our oak tree, open -them, and let loose dozens of young pheasants, -which scuttled about without attempting to fly, -tame as so many barn-door fowls. Next came a -proceeding which interested me far more. Taking -two bags from the cart, the keeper proceeded to -scatter a quantity of Indian corn and other food -about in the grass, then, picking up the coops, he -departed.</p> - -<p>So soon as ever they were gone, down swooped -Walnut and myself, and, sending the frightened -young pheasants scuttling in every direction, set -to work on the corn. It was nearly a year since -I had tasted this delicacy, which Jack Fortescue<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_179"></a>[179]</span> -used to give me as a treat in the old, quiet days -at the Hall. The food was a godsend to us, for, -as I have said, the supply of nuts, mast, and -acorns, was of the shortest in our neighbourhood -that season. I let my mother know, and she as -well as Cob and my sister and their young ones -were very soon on the spot. The pheasants got -precious little of that meal, or of many subsequent -ones which the keeper carefully brought day by -day. However, they were not much to be pitied, -for the supply of ants’ eggs was plentiful all over -the coppice, and pheasants do better on ants’ eggs -than on almost any artificial food they can be given.</p> - -<p>I noticed that Rusty never troubled to come down -to the pheasant food, though his wife and family -of three sturdy sons regularly attended our daily -free feed. I had my own suspicions, and these were -confirmed when his wife told me that he was often -away for whole days together. When she remonstrated -with him he only laughed, and this made -her seriously uneasy. Rusty had grown to be the -largest and most powerful squirrel that I have -ever seen in my life. No other in the wood could -have stood up to him for a minute. He was also -astonishingly brave and independent, and would -venture across open fields for any distance.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_180"></a>[180]</span></p> - -<p>One day he said to me:</p> - -<p>‘Hulloa, Scud! why don’t you ever come to the -Hall nowadays? I believe you’re scared. Don’t -you want another taste of those cob-nuts?’</p> - -<p>‘You don’t mean to say you go there?’ exclaimed -I.</p> - -<p>‘Of course I do. Great polecats! do you think -I’ve got nothing better to do than mess about here -all day picking up a few rotten grains of corn or -green acorns?’</p> - -<p>‘You ran fast enough on the day you and I got -shot at,’ I retorted, rather annoyed at his insinuations.</p> - -<p>‘A precious pair of young idiots we were!’ he -returned scornfully. ‘I take jolly good care they -don’t see me nowadays.’</p> - -<p>‘How do you manage that?’</p> - -<p>‘Why, in the first place I go at dawn, before any -one is about; in the second, I don’t cut across the -lawn, but round to the right of the house. Are -you game to come to-morrow morning?’</p> - -<p>A longing to see the old place once more came -over me. I was also anxious to find out what -Rusty was about, for I did not believe for a -moment that the attraction lay in the cob-nuts. I -hesitated.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_181"></a>[181]</span></p> - -<p>‘Very well,’ said Rusty, taking my silence for -consent. ‘Meet me at sun-up by the pool at the -other end of the wood.’</p> - -<p>I won’t describe how we reached the Hall, except -to say that, instead of working down the road-hedge -to the left, as we had done on the previous -occasion, we struck boldly out down the right-hand -side to the large meadow. Rusty guided me round -to the home farm-buildings, which lay some quarter -of a mile to the right of the Hall. The farm and -rick-yards were surrounded on two sides by a stone -wall, outside which was a strip of laurel shrubbery.</p> - -<p>‘Now, you wait here,’ said Rusty with a patronizing -air which I could not help resenting. ‘I’m -going over the wall for my breakfast. You needn’t -watch if you don’t like.’</p> - -<p>‘Don’t be a fool, Rusty!’ exclaimed I angrily, -for I thought it sheer bravado on his part. ‘There’s -nothing to eat there, except the chicken grain you -profess to despise.’</p> - -<p>‘Oh! isn’t there?’ jeered my brother; and before -I could say another word he had leaped on to the -wall, and with another bold spring was down in the -yard.</p> - -<p>It was still very early, a bright cloudless August -morning, and everything dripping with dew. The<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_182"></a>[182]</span> -place appeared to be deserted, although from the -kitchen chimney of the farm-house a slight blue -smoke was rising. Climbing into the top of a -laurel, I got a good view of the whole yard, and -watched Rusty nimbly scuttle across towards the -further buddings. Behind these he was lost to -sight.</p> - -<p>Suddenly arose the wild cackling of a frightened -hen, and next moment, to my utter horror, there -came Rusty round the corner of a shed, head up, -as bold as brass, with a young chicken swinging by -the neck between his sharp teeth. At the same -moment I saw—what he failed to notice—a man, -who raised his head cautiously over the half-door -of a cowshed on the far side of the yard, and the -level rays of the rising sun glinting on the barrels -of a gun. I gave one sharp bark of warning. Too -late! A puff of smoke sprang from the muzzle, -the heavy report sent the sparrows up in a chattering -cloud, and of my brother no more remained -than a little red rag of broken fur stretched on the -cobbles which paved the yard.</p> - -<p>I suppose the man with the gun could not have -heard my attempted warning. If he had, nothing -could have saved me, for I was too horror-stricken -for the moment to move at all. I sat like a stuffed<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_183"></a>[183]</span> -squirrel and watched him walk across to where -Rusty lay. ‘Well, I never would ha’ believed it!’ -he said wonderingly, holding the small bunch of -mangled fur out at arm’s length. ‘If one of them -chicks has gone I’ve lost a dozen; and to think it -was this here little red rascal!’ He turned and -called loudly, ‘Jim, bring me a hammer and a -nail.’</p> - -<p>A tousle-headed boy came out of the back door -of the farm-house with the required implements. -The man took the hammer, and deliberately nailed -the dead body of my brother against the tarred -wooden wall of one of the barns. ‘You’ll do for a -warning,’ he remarked grimly as he turned away. -And, sick at heart, I dropped out of sight and -made the best of my way back to the coppice.</p> - -<p>Such was the end of the strongest and bravest -squirrel whom I ever knew. You must not imagine -for one moment that such a crime as he was guilty -of is a common one among squirrels. It is, indeed, -very rare for one of our family to take to a carnivorous -diet, but when he does fall into such a -habit he never abandons it. They say that there -is a kind of parrot in New Zealand, called the kea, -which in old days, before sheep were imported into -the islands, lived entirely upon seeds and insects.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_184"></a>[184]</span> -But the bird found it was easier to pick at the raw -skins of newly-killed sheep, hung out on the fences, -than to hunt food for itself; and, once it acquired -a taste for blood, there was no more caterpillar-hunting -for the kea! Next thing the shepherds -knew, sheep were found dying or dead all over the -ranges, the fat above the kidneys torn out by the -powerful hooked beak of this goblin bird. Now -the Government has set a price upon the head -of the kea, and the outlaw lives a proscribed and -hunted life.</p> - -<p>Far be it from the squirrels that, as a race, they -should take to the evil habit of flesh eating. But -from time immemorial a few in each generation -have begun with devouring birds’ eggs; from that -gone on to eating young hedge-sparrows, redstarts, -and the like; and finally, like my poor brother, -taken to larger game, such as young pheasants, -ducks, or chickens. But they seldom have the -chance of long continuing such raids, for, unlike -foxes, rats, polecats, and other enemies of the -poultry yard, they do not hunt by night, but boldly -in broad daylight. Consequently they almost -inevitably meet fate in the shape of a charge of -lead.</p> - -<div class="figcenter illowp53" id="illus09" style="max-width: 31.25em;"> - <img class="w100" src="images/illus09.jpg" alt="" /> - <p class="caption">‘AND TO THINK IT WAS THIS HERE LITTLE RED RASCAL’</p> -</div> - -<p>Whether the man who shot Rusty told the story<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_185"></a>[185]</span> -to the ginger-whiskered keeper, or whether the -latter himself surprised some of us feasting on his -pheasant food in the coppice I do not know, but from -that very day dated the war against the squirrels -on the Hall estate.</p> - -<p>That same afternoon, having discharged the -unpleasant duty of telling poor Rusty’s widow of -the sad event of the morning, I was roaming sadly -about our oak-tree, searching under the bark for -the insects which inhabited the rotten wood, when -I heard a gun fired twice at the other end of the -coppice. At first I hardly moved, for I took it -that the keeper was merely killing a weasel or some -such vermin. But when two more shots followed -quickly, and immediately afterwards the vicious -crack, crack of a lighter weapon, I was amazed, for, -like all other woodland dwellers, I was perfectly -well aware that the shooting season had not yet -commenced. When the double barrel spoke again, -and this time nearer, I called Walnut, who was up -in the top branches, and together we took hasty -refuge in our hole.</p> - -<p>We had not been there five minutes before there -came a quick scuttering of claws up the rough -bark, and simultaneously the tramping of heavy -feet through the bracken at a little distance.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_186"></a>[186]</span></p> - -<p>I was moving to the entrance to find out what -was going on when something fairly shot into the -hole, knocking me back to its farthest end. When -I had picked myself up, there was Cob lying panting, -almost too much exhausted to speak.</p> - -<p>‘They’re after us, Scud!’ he gasped at last.</p> - -<p>‘Who? What?’</p> - -<p>‘The keeper and a boy. They’ve shot three of -us already, and I’m frightened to death about -Hazel. I was away from home and couldn’t get -back. I saw three dead bodies.’</p> - -<p>Here a gruff human voice broke in from below.</p> - -<p>‘Where’s the dratted little beggar got to? I -seed him jump into this here oak. He can’t be -far off.’</p> - -<p>‘He’s sure to be in one of the holes in the trunk,’ -replied more sharply pitched tones which I recognized -at once as those of the high-collared boy -whose mark I still bore in the shape of a shot hole -in one ear. ‘Climb up, Tompkins, and see.’</p> - -<p>‘Climb! Thank’ee, sir. I wasn’t engaged to -break my neck climbing trees—not at my age. -Tell you what, sir. I’ll go on with the gun. You -can wait here quietly, and after a bit he’s sure to -come out, and then you can shoot him.’</p> - -<p>‘All right,’ answered the boy, and we plainly<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_187"></a>[187]</span> -heard Tompkins stamping off. Cob was crazy to get -away and go in search of his wife and family, but -the boy below, who had about as much idea of woodcraft -as a frog has of flying, made such a noise -moving from one foot to the other, breathing hard -and shifting his rifle about, that even a hedgehog -would have known better than to take the chances -of showing himself.</p> - -<p>His patience was about on a par with his other -performances, for in less than five minutes he -became tired of waiting, and moved off after the -keeper.</p> - -<p>But we heard no more shots. Bad news spreads -like magic in a wood, and by this time every -squirrel of the forty or fifty who inhabited our -coppice was snug under cover, and it would have -taken better eyes than those of Ginger or his -young friend to find us. After another half hour or so -we heard the far gate slam to, and knew that danger -was over—at least, for the present. Then Cob -went off as hard as his legs would carry him, -and later on I was delighted to hear that he had -found Hazel and his two young ones quite safe and -unhurt.</p> - -<p>To say that we were furious at this wanton -massacre is to put our feelings very mildly. From<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_188"></a>[188]</span> -time out of mind the lives of the squirrels on the -Hall estate had been sacred, and except when -trespassing louts—such as those who had caused -the death of my father—had attacked us we had -lived safe and happy from one generation to another.</p> - -<p>As a race, we squirrels are very conservative and -home loving. So long as we are not molested, the -same families and their children remain in the -same wood year after year, never emigrating unless -driven to do so by over-population or lack of food. -If, on the other hand, the squirrels in any particular -locality are regularly persecuted by man, always -their worst enemy, the survivors will very soon -clear out completely. There are to-day whole -tracts of beautiful beech woods in Buckinghamshire, -where, though food is perhaps as plentiful -as anywhere else in England, yet hardly a squirrel -is to be seen. Our race has been so harried that -they have left altogether. Modern high preserving -is what we unlucky squirrels cannot stand. Where -the owner’s one idea is to get as large a head of -pheasants as the coverts can possibly carry, every -other woodland creature goes to the wall, and the -keepers shoot us down as mercilessly as they kill -kestrels, owls, jays, hedgehogs, and a dozen other -harmless birds and beasts.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_189"></a>[189]</span></p> - -<p>Very soon it became clear that the new tenant -of the Hall had declared war against us. The -pheasants, of which an immense number had been -turned down, were his only care. He used to -come and strut about while Tompkins was feeding -them. As Walnut said, he only needed a long -tail and a few feathers to resemble exactly a stupid -old, stuck-up cock-pheasant himself.</p> - -<p>Again and again during that August Tompkins -with his twelve bore, and the band-box boy with a -small repeating rifle, invaded the wood and fired -indiscriminately at every squirrel they could set -eyes on. But, as you may imagine, we very soon -learnt caution, and when news of their approach -was signalled from tree to tree, every squirrel in -the coppice took instant cover. Still, our enemies -occasionally succeeded in cutting off one of our -number in some tree where total concealment was -impossible, and then the cruel little brute of a boy -would make him a target for his tiny bullets, often -inflicting half a dozen wounds before a vital spot -was struck. Then at last the tightly-clutching -claws would slowly relax, and the poor, bleeding -little body come thudding down from bough to -bough, to be pounced on by the young murderer -with a yell of fiendish glee.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_190"></a>[190]</span></p> - -<p>In those days I kept Walnut very close at home. -Except at dawn or just before dusk we never ventured -far from cover, with the result that neither -was ever shot at. It was uncommonly lucky for -us that this was the time of most plentiful food, -for otherwise, being afraid to roam far in search of -provender, we must often have gone hungry. But -though, as I have already mentioned, the early -drought had caused a famine in nuts, acorns, and -mast, yet there was plenty else to eat. It was as -wet now as it had been dry in the earlier part of -the year, and the steamy heat had produced amazing -crops of mushrooms and other fungi. The -hedgerows, too, which before the rain had looked -thin and brown, were now full of rank, new growth, -while as for insects of all kinds, they fairly swarmed. -On the pheasant food, too, we levied regular toll. -In any case, the fool of a keeper threw down twice -as much as the birds cared to eat.</p> - -<p>In those days our enemy was busy with other -weapons beside the gun. Men were constantly at -work lopping the underbrush to keep the rides open, -while much spading went on to clear the water-logged -ditches.</p> - -<p>September was three parts gone, and the -pheasants were nearly full grown, but as yet so<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_191"></a>[191]</span> -tame that they had almost to be kicked before they -would use their wings. They were still fed in the -small glade close below the oak, when Walnut and -I, peeping out cautiously from the end of the hollow -branch, would watch our enemy with the ginger -whiskers strewing the wheat, and then, as soon as -he was safely out of the gate, make a wild rush -down and eat our fill. Pheasants are quite the -most utter fools of any birds that I know. With -their great weight and strong beaks we could have -done nothing to resist had they chosen to attack -us when we raided their larder. But this never -seemed to occur to them. You have only to look -very fierce and rush at him for the largest cock-pheasant -to run for dear life.</p> - -<p>More often than before, the new master of the -Hall began to accompany his keeper and watch -the feeding process. Great hazel-sticks! the man -was as fussy as a hen with ducklings.</p> - -<p>However, there’s many a slip ’twixt the nut and -the teeth, and our pompous friend was not destined -to have things all his own way after all.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_192"></a>[192]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_X">CHAPTER X<br /> -<span class="smaller">POACHERS AND A BATTUE</span></h2> - -</div> - -<p>One still night about ten days before the end of -September, Walnut and I were roused by a light -which, flashing across the opening to our retreat, -was reflected into our eyes. It passed immediately, -but not before we were both broad awake.</p> - -<p>Several men were trampling about close underneath -the oak.</p> - -<p>‘Lie still, Walnut,’ I ordered uneasily, for this -was something new to me. I had never before -heard men moving in the wood so late at night, and -I was at first inclined to think that there might be -some new plot of Tompkins or his satellites a-foot. -Very cautiously I peered out. There was a young -moon somewhere behind the soft veil of cloud, -which covered the sky so that it was not too dark -to see the figures of three men moving cautiously -across the glade in which the pheasants fed. One -carried a dark lantern, the tiny beam of light from -which was what had roused us the moment before.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_193"></a>[193]</span></p> - -<p>‘They’ll be in them young beeches,’ said one in -a hoarse whisper. ‘There ain’t any in the oak.’</p> - -<p>I saw them all three move cautiously across into -a clump of young beeches which stood just across -the glade. There they stopped, and the lantern -was flashed upwards into the low branches, its light -gleaming golden upon the yellowing leaves. A -slight rustle followed, and a voice muttered:</p> - -<p>‘I sees ’em. Shut the lantern an’ help me fix -the smudge.’</p> - -<p>The three now stooped together on the ground -and appeared to be gathering dry leaves and heaping -them together in a little pile. Presently I -heard the faint scratching of a match, and a small -blue flame illuminated three eager faces. Two of -them were men whom I had never seen before; the -third I recognized as a labourer whom I had more -than once watched shake his fist fiercely as he -passed the locked gate of the coppice.</p> - -<p>The man who held the match touched it to the -leaves, but before they could burst into bright -flame the two others penned the little fire by -holding a couple of sacks round it.</p> - -<p>One of the men threw a handful of powder over -the fire which at once choked it down, making it -burn with a sickly blue flame. Then they all three<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_194"></a>[194]</span> -stood perfectly still, hiding the fire with their sacks, -but keeping their heads turned as far as possible -away from the smoke which went wreathing up in -thick columns into the foliage above them.</p> - -<p>Before many moments had passed there came a -slight whirr, the sound of wings beating on leaves, -and with a flop, down fell a great pheasant almost -on the heads of the watchers. Quick as a cat, one -of the men reached out one arm, seized the bird, -and wrung its neck. He had hardly done so when -there was another rustle and thud, and a second of -our oppressor’s pets shared the fate of the first.</p> - -<p>It was evident that from the stuff they put in -the flame there arose poisonous fumes that stupefied -the roosting birds.</p> - -<p>Very soon even we could smell the noisome stuff, -and Walnut wrinkled up his nose in disgust. -Even a human being, let alone a squirrel, whose -sense of smell is fifty times more acute, could easily -have perceived it.</p> - -<div class="figcenter illowp53" id="illus10" style="max-width: 31.25em;"> - <img class="w100" src="images/illus10.jpg" alt="" /> - <p class="caption">A SMALL BLUE FLAME ILLUMINATED THREE EAGER FACES.</p> -</div> - -<p>Presently the poachers lifted up the whole fire, -which we now saw had been built upon a small -square of sheet-iron, and removed it bodily to a -fresh spot, under another tree. Here no fewer than -four pheasants were secured one after another, and -then the fire was moved again. So they went on<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_195"></a>[195]</span> -for two hours or more, working round and round -the glade. As nearly all the pheasants roosted in -this part of the coppice there was no need to go -further afield. At last, when their sack was fairly -bulging with dead game, they took their departure.</p> - -<p>Twice during the next three nights did the gang -of poachers return, and each time went home with -a score or more of long-tails. Tompkins at last -began to miss his birds at feeding-time, and to -suspect that something was wrong. Walnut and I -sat secure in our retreat overhead, and jeered at the -man’s utter stupidity. Why, even if he had no -nose for the brimstone, of which the whole place -fairly reeked, there were great footprints all over -the place telling their story in large type to anyone -who had eyes! Yet the keeper absolutely walked -over them without looking at them. The very -idea of poachers never seemed to occur to him. I -verily believe he thought that we had something -to do with the disappearance of his precious -pheasants, for as he left the coppice he fired at and -killed a poor young cousin of ours.</p> - -<p>The leaves had begun to fall once more, when -one day the pompous little fat man accompanied -Tompkins through the coppice. They stopped -in the glade below us, and it was evident the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_196"></a>[196]</span> -new tenant was uneasy. He began peering and -pointing, and questioning the keeper as if he were -only half satisfied.</p> - -<p>‘Oh, they’re all right, sir,’ replied the keeper -hastily, in answer to his questions. ‘You see, sir, -they’ve got so big now they don’t need the grain. -They’re round in the bracken finding their own -feed.’</p> - -<p>The master swallowed his story like a thrush -swallowing a worm. Indeed, he was evidently -rather pleased, for he thought the birds would be -wild and strong on the wing for next day.</p> - -<p>That same night I was wakened by gunshots. -Never before had I heard a gun fired at -night, and the sound was most alarming. I -thought at first that the firing was at a distance, -but just as I looked out the darkness was lit by a -flash quite close at hand. The report was, however, -strangely slight. As a matter of fact, the -guns were loaded with reduced charges.</p> - -<p>Immediately at the report down flopped a -pheasant to the ground. The poacher gang were -at work, and as time was short were shooting the -pheasants as they roosted. Pop, pop, pop! The -pheasants were falling at the rate of one a minute. -There would be very few left for our stout friend<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_197"></a>[197]</span> -at the Hall and his swell city friends next day. -Two sacks were full.</p> - -<p>‘Just a dozen more,’ we heard one of them say.</p> - -<p>‘Right oh!’ answered another. He spoke out -loud, for by this time the gang had been so long -undisturbed that they had become quite reckless, -and neglected the precautions which they had at -first observed.</p> - -<p>The words were hardly out of his mouth before -there was a sudden rush of feet, and there came -the keeper, his son, another man, and the fourth -was no other than the new tenant himself.</p> - -<p>Ginger recklessly rushed forward shouting. Next -instant a gun cracked—I never saw who fired the -shot—and Ginger, with a hideous yell, fell forward -on his face, and lay twitching in a horrid fashion -on the ground.</p> - -<p>I saw Ginger’s son charge forward, swinging his -stick, with the other man close behind him. I -saw the poachers run for their lives, leaving the -spoil behind them. But what was the new Squire -about? He never budged, but stood there like a -stuck pig; and even in the dim light it was easy -to see his legs quaking and the shivers that shook -his podgy frame.</p> - -<p>Not until poachers and pursuers had vanished<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_198"></a>[198]</span> -through the trees, and the crashing sound of their -running feet had almost died in the distance, did -the cowardly little man move slowly up to where -his keeper lay.</p> - -<p>‘Are—you—much—hurt, Tompkins?’ he stammered, -in shaking accents.</p> - -<p>Tompkins only groaned, and the stout man, -kneeling beside him, fairly wrung his hands in hopeless -incompetency. At last he seemed to remember -something, and pulling out a flask from his pocket, -put it to Tompkins’s lips just as the keeper’s son -and the other man returned empty-handed.</p> - -<p>The new Squire turned on them, storming at -them for having allowed the poachers to escape, -without seeming to heed the fact that his keeper -still lay unconscious at his feet. He stamped and -swore and almost shrieked in his impotent anger. -Presently his son and the other man hoisted up -Tompkins, who seemed to have got the charge in -his legs, and between them carried him off, the -little stout man stalking growling along in the -rear. Then, at last, Walnut and I were left to get -some sleep.</p> - -<p>However, there was no peace for us. By ten -o’clock next day the coppice was full of beaters, -making noise enough to rouse a dormouse, and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_199"></a>[199]</span> -scaring the remaining pheasants nearly out of their -feathers. Instead of running or hiding, the silly -birds immediately rose and flew up over the trees, -and then began such a salvo of firing as none of -us had ever heard in our lives before. The whole -coppice was full of the sharp, sour smell of smokeless -powder, and as for us and the other coppice -dwellers, we cowered in the very deepest corners of -our various refuges, and waited with shaking bodies -and aching heads for the din to cease. At last it did -stop, but only to break out afresh at the next spinney, -and so on all day round the whole country-side.</p> - -<p>In the afternoon, after it was all over, and just -as Walnut and I were starting out to find our -evening meal, there came a fresh invasion. It was -headed by the stout new tenant, gorgeously arrayed -in a check shooting suit, which in itself was enough -to scare any self-respecting squirrel out of his wits, -and with him walked five others like unto himself. -He was evidently giving them all an account, a -glorified account, of what had happened. By the -way he pointed and ran a few steps, and let fly -with his fist, it seemed as if he personally must -have killed the whole gang of poachers, and they -all listened attentively, though one or two laughed -behind his back.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_200"></a>[200]</span></p> - -<p>I learnt afterwards from Cob that he had seen -a man going about with the sacks full of dead -pheasants the poachers had dropped. He had scattered -them here and there throughout the wood. -This had puzzled him much, and he had watched to -see if they were left there; but, no; when the shoot -was over the pheasants were picked up again -with those that had really been shot by the guests, -and in this way they made up quite a big bag.</p> - -<p>All this poaching business does not seem to have -much to do with my life. Indirectly, however, it -had, for the new tenant of the Hall was so angry -about the poaching that on the very day after the -battue he set a whole gang to work to run barbed -wire—of all awful things!—round the whole of the -coppice. Other men were put to lop the hedges -close, and two new keepers engaged. The latter -were worse than Tompkins. I suppose it was by -way of justifying their existence that they walked -about all day with their guns, firing at almost -everything they could see that was not game. It -became almost impossible to show our noses outside -our homes during daylight, and many an -evening Walnut and I went hungry to bed. Life -became one prolonged dodging, for even when the -new keepers were not about the workmen would<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_201"></a>[201]</span> -take pot shots with stones at any of us they could -view. Incidentally, too, they knocked over many -a fat rabbit and dozens of the remaining pheasants. -But of these proceedings their employer, intent -on saving his coverts from the village poachers, -remained in blissful ignorance.</p> - -<p>At last there came a crisis. Walnut and I had -taken advantage of the quiet of the midday hour—the -men being at their dinner—to steal out and -get some beech-mast, when suddenly a missile of -some sort hissed just above my head, cutting away -a twig close above. I paused an instant in utter -amazement, for I had heard no report, when—ping! -another bullet whacked on the bark close -below my feet, and there was a brute of a boy in -corduroys, his head peering from behind a trunk, -and in the very act of stretching the elastic of a -heavy catapult. One quick bark to Walnut, and -we were both away as hard as we could lay legs to -the branches. A third buckshot whizzed close -behind my brush as I fled. The boy, seeing us -run, at once followed and began positively showering -shot after us. It was impossible to reach home -under the bombardment, and if we had not been -lucky enough to find a knot-hole in a beech just -large enough to shelter the two of us, one or other—both,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_202"></a>[202]</span> -perhaps—would have been maimed or -killed.</p> - -<p>This was the last straw. For some days a vague -resolution had been forming slowly in my brain. -That night, as we crouched, almost too hungry to -sleep, in our oak-tree home, I told Walnut we -could stay there no longer, but must leave the -coppice where we had so long sheltered.</p> - -<p>He seemed rather to like the idea than otherwise, -being young and ready for adventure.</p> - -<p>Very early next morning I slipped across to the -old beech and told my mother. I was anxious that -she and the others should accompany us, but this -she would not do.</p> - -<p>‘No, Scud; I am too old to leave my home. I -shall stay here and take my chances. But you, I -think, are wise to go. Waste no time in getting -off, for you must be well away before the men come -to their work.’</p> - -<p>A few minutes later Walnut and I had crossed -the road and were hastening away across an open -field bound due north. We went that way because -we could go no other—a squirrel migrating invariably -travels north. I do not know the reason, -but some instinct implanted in us ages and ages -ago, perhaps even before men began to walk erect,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_203"></a>[203]</span> -tells us to do so, and we obey it, and shall obey -it, thousands of years hence. In just the same -way the Norwegian lemmings march in their -myriads towards the sea, and are drowned in the -salt waves in a vain, instinctive effort to reach -some place that has long disappeared beneath -the waves.</p> - -<p>I cannot tell you all our wanderings or the perils -that we encountered by the way. Twice Walnut -was very nearly caught by a weasel; once a wide-winged -hen sparrow-hawk came whistling down out -of the blue as we were crossing an open field, and -we escaped only by a happy accident into an old -drain-tile which happened to lie near by. In this -narrow refuge we both squeezed our trembling -bodies until the bird of prey had departed in -disgust.</p> - -<p>We travelled very slowly, stopping sometimes -for a whole day in any coppice in which we happened -to find ourselves. Several times we almost -made up our minds to remain for good in one or -other of these woods, but always the same difficulty -stood in our way. The scarcity of food was universal. -All the country-side had suffered alike -from the great drought of the early summer, and -mast, acorns, and nuts alike were conspicuous by<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_204"></a>[204]</span> -their absence. As far as the present went, we did -well enough. In autumn a squirrel can always find -food of some kind or another.</p> - -<p>The love of wandering was like a fever. In the -course of a week or so we two had become regular -vagabonds. There was an absolute fascination in -new scenes each day and new quarters each night; -and, feeling that we had cut ourselves off for ever -from all our ties, there seemed no special object in -stopping anywhere in particular.</p> - -<p>And yet at times I was anxious. I knew well -enough that winter was coming, and that we must -settle down and find a home and collect stores -before the cold weather.</p> - -<p>There came a morning when the sky was full of -high wind cloud, but the air so clear that distant -objects seemed but a few fields away, and, leaving -a small fir-plantation on the flank of a hill where we -had spent the night, we looked down upon a deep -valley, along the bottom of which was a long line -of timber, wide in some places, narrow in others. -Between the thinning autumn foliage one caught -here and there the sparkle of running water. A -mile or more down the valley, and on the far side -of the river, a large old-fashioned house, that -vaguely reminded me of the Hall, lay against the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_205"></a>[205]</span> -steep side of the opposite slope, with gardens -terraced to the water-edge.</p> - -<p>The wood behind it was all that we could have -hoped, and more. Ancient trees of enormous -girth and size grew so thick and close that the sun -seldom if ever reached the thickets of undergrowth -beneath their spreading tops. Hardly a sign was -to be seen of the interfering hand of man, and -though the place was full of wild life—rabbits, wood-pigeons, -and the like—pheasants were conspicuous -by their absence. A peculiarity of the wood, no -doubt on account of its damp, sheltered position, -was the immense amount of ivy which covered the -massive trunks with clinging tendrils and dark -green leaves. There was food too, for the oaks -whose roots no doubt penetrated far below the -level of the stream, had a fair crop of acorns, and, -better still, there were hazel-bushes close along the -water’s edge which were still fairly full of ripe nuts. -The place was a perfect Paradise from a squirrel’s -point of view, and my half-joking suggestion of -spending the winter in it speedily became a fixed -idea.</p> - -<p>The first thing to do was to find a residence. -This was an easy task, for there were dozens to -choose from. Walnut was very keen upon an old<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_206"></a>[206]</span> -magpie’s nest which he found in a huge thorn-tree, -and which was still in excellent repair even to the -roof; but I had had enough of built nests, and -preferred a knot-hole in a beech. Once a squirrel -takes to living in holes in trees, he usually sticks to -the same description of residence to the end of his -days.</p> - -<p>One fact which struck me as odd during our first -day’s exploration of the river-side wood was the -almost entire absence of our own tribe. We only -saw two squirrels besides ourselves, and they were -young and anything but friendly. In fact, they -both bolted before we could have a word with -them.</p> - -<p>It was the drumming of heavy rain among the -dying foliage above that woke us at daylight next -morning. The sky was one uniform grey, and -everything was soaking and dripping. We had -reason indeed to be thankful that we had found a -warm dry home, for this weather looked like -lasting.</p> - -<p>Last it did, all day long, and as there was nothing -else to do we curled up and slept. Evening came, -and still it rained—harder if anything than before. -It was too wet to go out and forage, and so we -went hungry to bed. It is a fortunate dispensation<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_207"></a>[207]</span> -that we squirrel folk can go for long periods without -food if we can find a dry place to sleep in, for -I have seldom known a squirrel who would not -sooner be hungry than wet.</p> - -<p>Next morning it was still raining, though not so -hard. Large pools lay in every depression, and the -hoarse roar of the swollen river echoed through -the soaking woods. Rain had now been falling -for thirty-six hours straight on end, and we had -been all that time without a meal.</p> - -<p>Walnut told me he was simply starving, and -must go out and find a few acorns.</p> - -<p>I let him go, but, being sleepy, I did not accompany -him.</p> - -<p>I was not at all uneasy about him, for the wood -seemed safe enough, and Walnut, now more than -six months old, was well able to take care of himself. -As for me, I drowsed until about midday, -and then looking out again found that the downpour -had at last ceased and the sun was shining -once more. I missed Walnut, for I was so much -accustomed to his nestling beside me; and, stretching -lazily, I sallied forth to look for him, stepping -daintily along the soaking boughs in order to avoid -bringing down upon myself the great drops of -moisture which hung on every yellowing leaf. I<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_208"></a>[208]</span> -made straight for the hazel-bushes, which we had -found on the first day near to the water’s edge; but -when I came in sight of the river I could hardly -believe my eyes, so tremendous a change had the -great rain wrought. In place of the shallow stream -that purled across pebble beds from pool to pool, a -broad torrent, red with the clay of the upland -fields, was raging down with appalling force and -fury. Even where the banks had been highest the -flood was level with their tops, and in many places -it had overflowed them so that the nut-bushes -stood up like islands among wide backwaters where -the current eddied lazily, swinging on its discoloured -surface millions of dead leaves and sticks.</p> - -<p>The sight fairly fascinated me, and for the -moment I forgot my hunger, Walnut, and everything -else in watching the irresistible force of the -rushing torrent and noticing the speed at which -the logs and sticks which it had tom from its banks -were carried downwards.</p> - -<div class="figcenter illowp53" id="illus11" style="max-width: 31.25em;"> - <img class="w100" src="images/illus11.jpg" alt="" /> - <p class="caption">ANOTHER MOMENT FOUND ME COMFORTABLY PERCHED IN THE BRANCHES OF THE HAZEL-BUSHES.</p> -</div> - -<p>But hunger soon reasserted its claims, and I -began to reconnoitre for the best means of reaching -the nut-bushes and breakfast. A little further -down the stream a low, flat-topped oak extended -its spreading branches more than half-way across -the flooded river, and I saw that from the point of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_209"></a>[209]</span> -one of its long limbs it would be easy to drop into -a good-sized clump of hazel-bush below. No -sooner seen than done, and another minute found -me comfortably perched in the branches of the -hazel-bushes cracking nuts and eating them with -a naturally fine appetite sharpened by forty hours -abstinence.</p> - -<p>That I was on an island completely cut off on all -sides by water troubled me not at all. I was much -too hungry to worry about that, for I felt sure that -I could jump back on to my oak bough, which -formed a bridge to bring me back to land again, -and so I worked steadily downwards from branch -to branch.</p> - -<p>I was only a foot or two from the ground when -a rustle among the thick, mossy stumps below -attracted my attention. Glancing down, the sight -that met my eyes almost paralysed me with -horror.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_210"></a>[210]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XI">CHAPTER XI<br /> -<span class="smaller">MY LAST ADVENTURE</span></h2> - -</div> - -<p>The animal which had just pushed its way out of -the hollow recesses of the hazel-roots resembled -nothing so much as a weasel, but a weasel of such -giant proportions as I had never before dreamed of. -From nose to tip of tail it was nearly two feet long. -The creature had a domed head, with prominent -eyes and widely arched eyebrows, giving it a -strangely sinister appearance. It was, in fact, -though I did not realize this at the time, no other -than the rare and dreaded polecat, which keepers -call the foumart.</p> - -<p>When I first caught sight of this monster I was -sitting on a bough barely a couple of feet from the -ground, and so great was my amazement and -fright that for an instant I sat staring down into -the glaring yellow eyes, unable to collect my senses -at all. Of a sudden the creature launched itself -upwards with almost the quickness and ferocity of -a striking snake. Its thin lips, curled back, showed<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_211"></a>[211]</span> -two rows of close-set white teeth, sharp as needles, -and at the same instant an abominable odour, like -that of a stoat, but far more fœtid, nearly suffocated -me.</p> - -<p>Recovering myself just in time, I made one -desperate spring, and succeeded in reaching a twig -out of reach of the brute’s jaws. But the foumart -had no idea of being so easily cheated of his meal. -The branches, thick and close-set, offered him an -easy ladder, and to my horror and alarm, he came -after me with unexpected and startling speed. I -completely lost my head, and dashed away up -to the top of the hazel-bush with a recklessness -inspired by terror.</p> - -<p>In my haste I found that I had ascended, not the -main stalk of the clump, but another not so tall. -The result was that the oak branch from which I -had dropped was now a long way above me. But -a rustle in the foliage below told me that my enemy -was at my heels, and nerved me to attempt the -jump.</p> - -<p>My claws just grazed the under side of the oak -bough. I fell back, and next moment had plunged -with a splash into the swirling waters of the swollen -torrent.</p> - -<p>The fall carried me far below the muddy surface,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_212"></a>[212]</span> -but next moment I rose, gasping for breath, and -struck out vehemently. I know that it is popularly -supposed that a squirrel cannot swim, but that -when he wishes to cross a river he launches himself -upon a piece of floating bark, and using his tail as a -sail, ferries himself across. A squirrel, as a matter -of fact, is a very fair swimmer, and can, and does at -a pinch, cross wide rivers in this way. Though I -had never tried it before, yet I found myself quite -able to keep my head above water; but a very -short struggle convinced me that it was foolishness -to attempt to make head against the fierce current -of the flooded stream.</p> - -<p>For I had fallen not into the placid backwater -behind the nut-bush island, but out into the edge -of the main stream, and a cross current catching -me, had sent me swinging out into the very centre -of the racing river. For a few moments I beat -the water desperately with all four paws in a -frantic effort to get back to the shore which I had -left; but very soon I exhausted myself so completely -that I could fight no longer, and, paddling -feebly, was swept down-stream at a positively -terrifying speed.</p> - -<p>It was now late in October, and the water was -very cold. Soon I began to feel quite numbed.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_213"></a>[213]</span> -Besides this, I was horribly frightened, while the -pace at which the small whirlpools into which I -was constantly flung, spun me around, made me -giddy, and added to the hopelessness of my feelings. -The whole experience was so horrifying that -I may be forgiven for confessing the terror I felt. -Once or twice I saw tree-roots or projecting points -of high banks forming promontories which extended -out into the flood, and so long as strength lasted -I made fierce efforts to reach them. But in each -case the current, rendered the more irresistible by -opposition, mocked my puny efforts and whirled -me away out into the centre again. Once a small -log, floating almost submerged, overtook me as I -battled with the stream, and, catching me across -the neck, pushed me quite under water and drove -over me. When I rose once more, my strength -was almost spent, and I felt that I could not much -longer continue the useless struggle.</p> - -<p>I was sinking lower and lower in the water; my -strokes were becoming more feeble every moment, -and it was only a question of a few minutes before -I must have sunk for good, when I suddenly caught -sight of a long narrow plank, evidently torn from -some paling by the flood, sweeping down, end on, -beside me. With a last despairing effort I struck<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_214"></a>[214]</span> -out for it, and just before it had passed quite out -of my reach, succeeded in scrambling upon one end -of it. It dipped beneath my water-logged weight, -and the current almost snatched me away. But, -clinging with all my claws, I managed to crawl -along to its centre, and found to my joy that it -would support me.</p> - -<p>But, even so, my position was extremely perilous. -The way in which the banks flew by showed how -rapid was the rush of the flooded river. Suppose -the plank caught against any obstacle, it must at -once roll over and plunge me again into the water. -Happily, however, this did not happen, and though -time and again it checked and quivered, I managed -to retain my hold, and so was swept along almost -as fast as a man could run.</p> - -<p>I passed the large house down the valley, and -beyond it the river broadened, but still ran with -almost unabated speed. Soon I had cleared the -wood, and was driving along between pastures -which sloped steeply upwards from bluff-like banks. -Once I saw a drowned sheep caught in the -brambles under a curve, and shuddered to think -how soon the same fate might befall me. Field -after field flew by, and once more the river plunged -into the shadow of thick trees, and then a new and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_215"></a>[215]</span> -terrifying sound came to my ears. It was the -deep, sullen roar of falling water.</p> - -<p>Sweeping round a wide curve, I became aware -of a long weir in front penning the brimming river -which foamed along its top, while through the open -sluice-gates the main stream plunged in a mass of -yellow foam. Now, indeed, I gave myself up for -lost, for I saw that I could not hope to survive the -passage down that fierce fall. On like an arrow -sped the plank, straight for the centre of the opening, -and all hope that it might drift against the -weir was gone, when, suddenly, with a jar that -almost flung me from my insecure perch, the front -end of the plank struck something hidden below -the muddy water, probably a sunken stake, and -instantly was swung side on, jamming across the -very mouth of the gates. Gathering all my few -remaining energies, I made a feeble leap, and more -by good luck than good management reached the -top of the weir. Even then my troubles were not -over, for the weir was old and broken, and in places -the flood was actually foaming over its top. But -after waiting a little to recover my strength, I -succeeded in jumping these gaps, and at last -struggled safely ashore once more.</p> - -<p>I was soaked as I had never been in my life<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_216"></a>[216]</span> -before, chilled to the bone, so exhausted that I -could hardly move, and yet intensely grateful to -be once more on firm ground. Luckily for me, -the sun was still shining, and the air mild and -warm for the time of year; so I crawled up into -a small tree, and lying out on a branch on the -sunny side, waited for my dripping fur to dry a -little.</p> - -<p>My position was far from an enviable one. Here -I was, in a strange wood, far away from our winter-quarters, -and separated from Walnut, without food, -friends, or a home. However, Walnut was luckily -well able to look after himself, and there was no -doubt about finding food of some sort, so I consoled -myself with the thought that I would start as soon -as possible and make my way back to the river -wood.</p> - -<p>While I sat there sunning myself I was surprised -and pleased to hear a familiar gnawing sound in a -neighbouring beech-tree, and suddenly there came -into view another squirrel, a handsome fellow with -an uncommonly light coat. I called to him, and -he came across in a most friendly way.</p> - -<p>He remarked on my dripping coat civilly, and I -told him the story of my misfortunes.</p> - -<p>‘Ugh!’ he shuddered, with a glance at the foaming<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_217"></a>[217]</span> -river, ‘I wouldn’t take a swim in that—not for -a coppice full of cob-nuts!’</p> - -<p>We chatted for a while, and my new friend was -good enough to show me a nice lot of fir-cones, on -which I made a much-needed meal. Then I told -him that I meant to go back up-stream to the -river wood, and I suppose I must have dilated on -its attractiveness, for suddenly he proposed accompanying -me.</p> - -<p>‘Like you,’ he said sadly, ‘I have lost my wife -and all my family. I don’t know what became of -them. I was out one day feeding, and when I -came home they were all gone. There were footsteps -below the tree, so no doubt I have some -ruffianly man to thank for stealing them.’</p> - -<p>I was anxious to start at once, but the pale -squirrel, who told me that his name was Crab, -begged me to share his quarters for the night and -put off my departure till the morning. Oddly -enough, though very tired, I was singularly unwilling -to defer my start. However, he over-persuaded -me. And for him the delay proved sad -indeed, though fortunate enough for me.</p> - -<p>Crab’s quarters were in a very odd place—in the -hollow head of a large pollard willow not far from -the water’s edge. I told him that I had never<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_218"></a>[218]</span> -before seen a squirrel live in a willow, and he -explained that he had adopted this refuge because -the ground beneath was so wet and swampy that it -choked off human intruders. By degrees I found -out that this wood was simply at the mercy of -tramps and other vagabonds who camped there in -numbers. Crab showed me the ashes of their fires -alongside of the rough cart-track which ran through -the coppice, and the places where they had cut wood -to burn; evidently here was the other extreme from -the Hall grounds—a country utterly neglected by -its owners. Not a rabbit was to be seen, and Crab -told me that, except for wood-pigeons and small -birds, there was hardly a living thing in the wood.</p> - -<p>‘The gipsies even catch the hedgehogs, roast -them in clay, and eat them,’ he said with a -shudder.</p> - -<p>‘And who are gipsies?’ I inquired, puzzled. I -had never heard the word before.</p> - -<p>Crab shuddered.</p> - -<p>‘Brown men with traps and snares, and black-haired -women with red handkerchiefs and shining -earrings. Terrible people! Cleverer than keepers, -and much more greedy. Pray you may not see -any,’ he ended.</p> - -<p>What Crab told me made me the more anxious to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_219"></a>[219]</span> -clear out of this ill-omened spot, and next morning, -as soon as the dew was a little off the grass, we -started. Crab did not know much about the way -we had to travel, but the river was our guide. -What we both were chiefly afraid of were open -meadows over which we knew that we had to pass. -However, I was by now such a hardened wanderer -that the risks of such a journey did not trouble me -greatly.</p> - -<p>It was an ideal autumn morning, calm, with a -warm sun shining out of a blue sky, and the rain-washed -air marvellously clear. Small birds chirped -and twittered in every hedge, but I could see for -myself that what Crab had told me was true. There -was no game left in the whole country-side. Even -rabbits were very scarce. The fields, too, were -neglected. They were not half drained, so that the -grass was rough, and patchy with clumps of reeds. -The hedges were untrimmed, immensely high, and -yet full of gaps. The lane running parallel with the -river was scored with deep ruts which brimmed -with muddy puddles.</p> - -<p>The tall hedges offered us excellent travelling, -and we saw nobody except a couple of farm-labourers -striding along through the mud, their -corduroy trousers tied below their knees with<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_220"></a>[220]</span> -string, and their short clay pipes leaving a trail of -strong-smelling blue smoke in their wake.</p> - -<p>For half a mile or so we kept the hedge alongside -the lane. Then the road turned abruptly away from -the river, so we left it, crossed a meadow, and got -into another hedge which seemed to lead us in the -right direction. It brought us after a time into a -large leasowe sloping to the river. This leasowe I -remember as one of the most beautiful places which -I have ever seen. The ground, dropping sharply, -was thickly studded with clumps of alder and hazel, -the tops of which had been cut at irregular interval, -while the roots had grown to enormous dimensions. -Each clump was surrounded by a tangle of blackberry -and brier, making a thick, impenetrable -shelter. The leaves of these various trees were all -in the full splendour of late autumn tints, and -contrasted brilliantly with the green of the grass -and the myriads of scarlet hips and haws; while -there were dotted about the leasowe a number of -crab-apple trees whose scarlet leaves and red and -golden fruit gave a last touch of gorgeous colouring -to the whole scene.</p> - -<p>There were a good many nuts, and we crossed -leisurely from clump to clump, now stopping to -shell a nut, now to sample the crimson side of a<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_221"></a>[221]</span> -crab apple. I was tasting some over-ripe blackberries, -many of which contained the most delicious -little white grubs, when Crab suggested that it -was time to push on, as we still had a long way -to go, and the shadows were almost at their -shortest.</p> - -<p>Between us and the far hedge was a widish -interval of fairly open grass, bounded on the upper -side by a regular thicket of hazel. As we crossed -this open space Crab suddenly drew my attention -to a very odd-looking erection which stood in a sort -of bay in the hazel-brush. I had never seen anything -quite like it before, and, our curiosity -thoroughly aroused, we moved slowly and cautiously -towards it.</p> - -<p>‘’Pon my claws, I believe it’s a pheasant coop,’ I -said at last.</p> - -<p>‘There are no pheasants here,’ replied Crab. -‘Besides, it’s got no sides.’</p> - -<p>No more it had. I saw that plainly as we -approached it more closely. It appeared to be a -sort of sloping roof made of pieces of rough planking, -and propped above a hole in the ground.</p> - -<p>Suddenly Crab stopped short. ‘What’s this?’ -he exclaimed. I did not wait to explain. A -delicious morsel of white bread lay before me, and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_222"></a>[222]</span> -I fell upon it and gobbled it up promptly. It was -more than a year since I had tasted such a luxury.</p> - -<p>‘Is it good?’ inquired Crab curiously.</p> - -<p>‘Bet your back teeth it is,’ I said.</p> - -<p>‘Why, here’s another piece! I’ll try it,’ exclaimed -my friend. He did so, and approved -greatly. I found a third, and presently we were -racing in short dashes up the queer-looking erection -to which a trail of bread led directly.</p> - -<p>Inside the dug-out hollow below the sloping -roof the ground was white with crumbs.</p> - -<p>‘Crab,’ I said, after a good stare at the whole -thing, ‘I don’t quite like the look of it.’</p> - -<p>‘Why, what’s the matter?’</p> - -<p>‘I don’t know,’ I answered. ‘All I can say is, I -don’t like it. I wouldn’t go under the roof if I -were you.’</p> - -<p>‘Nonsense! Why should I chuck away the -chance of a feed like this?’</p> - -<p>Before I could object again he had jumped down -and was busily engaged with the bread. My mouth -watered. I could see no sign of danger. There -was nothing to suggest a trap. Why should not I -also enjoy the delicacies? I was on the very verge -of following Crab’s example; another second and I -should have been alongside of him, when suddenly,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_223"></a>[223]</span> -and without the slightest warning, thump! down -came the wooden roof, and Crab was a prisoner -beneath it. At the same instant there was a crash -among the hazel-bushes, a sharp yelp, and a brown-faced, -bare-legged boy, accompanied by a large -mongrel, dashed down upon me.</p> - -<p>I was off like a flash, and by a desperate effort -gained the nearest tree—an ancient pollard oak—which -stood quite by itself at some distance both -from the hedge and the hazel-bushes. The dog -bounded high against the rough trunk, but I was -safely out of his reach, and, curling myself into the -smallest possible compass, crouched in the gnarled -top of the club-like head of the tree.</p> - -<p>‘Watch him, Tige!’ shouted the boy, and the -dog at once crouched silently at the foot of the -tree, while his master walked to the trap. From -my elevated position I could watch it all, and, -what was more, see plainly an old sand-pit behind -the hazel-bushes, with a tent at the bottom of it, -two children playing outside, and a couple of ponies -grazing near by.</p> - -<p>Wrapping his hand in his cap, the boy cautiously -seized hold of my poor friend. I, of course, supposed -that he meant to make a captive of him, but, -to my horror, the young fiend wrung the unhappy<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_224"></a>[224]</span> -Crab’s neck, and marched off with him back to the -camp.</p> - -<p>‘Wot you got, Zeke?’ came a gruff voice from -the tent. ‘A partridge?’</p> - -<p>‘’Tain’t no partridge. ’Tis a squir’l. ’E’ll ait -fine.’</p> - -<p>I saw the elder ruffian seize poor Crab’s dead -body, and then, ‘Pity us ain’t got another,’ he said. -‘Two on ’em ’ud mek a nutty stew.’</p> - -<p>‘There’s another atop o’ oak—tree. Tige’s -watchin’ un.’</p> - -<p>‘Get un down!’ was the father’s order.</p> - -<p>‘You’ll ’ave to come an’ ’elp me,’ said the boy. -‘’Tis too ’igh for me to climb.’</p> - -<p>‘Mother, you skin this un,’ called the elder man.</p> - -<p>A sallow-faced woman took Crab’s body from -him, and then he and his son came up out of the pit -towards the oak.</p> - -<div class="figcenter illowp53" id="illus12" style="max-width: 31.25em;"> - <img class="w100" src="images/illus12.jpg" alt="" /> - <p class="caption">THE DOG BOUNDED HIGH, BUT I WAS SAFELY OUT OF HIS REACH.</p> -</div> - -<p>I gave myself up for lost. Remember, the tree -was a pollard, and, having been lopped not more -than four or five years before, its branches were -thin and straight. They provided no cover at all. -The crown from which they sprung was not more -than twenty feet above the ground. Once my -enemies climbed it, there was no escape; for if I -ran out to the end of a branch and dropped I<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_225"></a>[225]</span> -should undoubtedly fall into the yawning jaws of -Tige the dog. But the instinct of self-preservation -is strong. Casting round me desperately, I saw a -small crevice in the knotted trunk-top. At first it -seemed far too small to hold me, but somehow or -other I forced myself through, though I scored my -sides as I did so. My claws met no foothold, I -made a grasp at thin air, and fell flop half a dozen -feet, landing upon a bed of soft, rotten wood. -When my eyes became accustomed to the gloom, -I saw that the trunk was completely hollow for -a man’s height from the top. It was not quite -dark, for the daylight leaked through various small -crevices, but there was no hole large enough for a -man to put his hand through.</p> - -<p>The scraping of boots on the rough outside -bark jarred the whole hollow trunk. Presently -I heard a voice from below: ‘Where be ’e, Zeke?’</p> - -<p>‘Can’t see un, vather!’ cried the boy, who was -by the sound on the crown of the oak.</p> - -<p>‘That vool Tige’s let ’im go.’</p> - -<p>‘I’ll lay ’e ain’t,’ piped the boy.</p> - -<p>‘Where be ’e, then?’</p> - -<p>Silence and more groping up above. I began to -hope that the hole through which I had passed -might escape the sharp eyes of the boy.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_226"></a>[226]</span></p> - -<p>No such luck.</p> - -<p>‘’E’s down inside, vather. ’Ere be th’ ’ole.’</p> - -<p>‘Put thy ’and down an’ pull un out.’</p> - -<p>The light was cut off from above.</p> - -<p>‘Her’s all ’ollow inside,’ cried the boy. ‘I can’t -reach un.’</p> - -<p>‘Cut a stick an’ put un through.’</p> - -<p>A pause, and presently a long bough came poking -down, which I easily avoided. But—worse luck!—the -boy’s quick ears heard me moving.</p> - -<p>‘He’s here, vather. I heard un. Tell ee what. -Us’ll smoke un out.’</p> - -<p>Memory flashed back to the poachers and the -suffocated pheasants. Now, indeed, I was lost. -In helpless terror I heard them piling leaves and -twigs below the tree, and then the click of a -striking match.</p> - -<p>Blue fumes began to eddy through a knot-hole, -but the bed of rotten wood below me was so -thick and damp that they passed over my head -and I was still able to breathe.</p> - -<p>I heard the man swearing, and then he called to -his boy:</p> - -<p>‘Zeke, fetch t’ chopper. Us ’ll have to cut un -out.’</p> - -<p>Soon there came a pounding on the outside of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_227"></a>[227]</span> -the trunk which reverberated through the hollow, -jarring me horribly. The outer crust was of no -great thickness, and could not resist their blows for -very long.</p> - -<p>Rotten wood, bits of rubbish of all kinds began -to rain down upon me through the smoke which -still hung about the hollow interior of the tree. -Thinking any fate better than dying like a rat in a -trap, I climbed back up the wall of my refuge in -an attempt to reach the knot-hole again. Half -suffocated and completely dazed, I did manage to -struggle up to it, got my paws on either side and -tried to force my way through. Alas! A splinter -broke away from the rough wood at the edge of -the hole, and pinned me helplessly. I could get -neither forward nor back.</p> - -<p>Fate was too strong for me. I gave up all hope, -and ceased to struggle. In another minute at -most the boy would find me, and I should share -poor Crab’s fate. I heard a crash as the chopper -broke through the bark below, and Zeke’s voice:</p> - -<p>‘Vather, ’e be up top again.’</p> - -<p>Then it seemed to me that a miracle happened. -Instead of the old fellow’s voice, the crisp, curt -tones that cut the air were those of my one-time -master, Jack.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_228"></a>[228]</span></p> - -<p>‘Hi, you fellows, what are you about?’</p> - -<p>Down dropped Zeke. There followed a crash -among the bushes. A short interval. Would -Jack find me? I struggled again furiously, but in -vain. The splinter held me tight, and the only -result of my efforts was exquisite pain.</p> - -<p>‘I wonder what those gipsy chaps were after?’ -came Jack’s voice. ‘I’d better have a look.’</p> - -<p>Fresh sounds of scrambling, and all of a sudden -my master’s face over the edge of the gnarled oak -crown.</p> - -<p>‘Why, it’s a squirrel!’</p> - -<p>Summoning all my remaining energies I gave a -pitiful choked squeak, a feeble attempt at the cry -I used to call him with in the long-gone days at -the Hall.</p> - -<p>‘What! No, it can’t be! It’s absurd! And -yet’—Jack’s voice rose to a shout—‘by Jove, <i>it is -Nipper</i>!’ I felt his hand round me, his touch as -gentle as ever. ‘You poor little chap, how did -you come here? And stuck tight, too! Never -mind, poor old Nipper boy. I’ll get you out all -right. Just wait a jiffy.’</p> - -<p>Out came his knife, and with the utmost gentleness -he cut the wood away all round. In another -minute I was free, and safe in his hand.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_229"></a>[229]</span></p> - -<p>‘What, hurt, old chap? I must get it out.’ -With wonderful tenderness and deftness he -pulled out the sharp splinter. ‘There, it’s not -much. Only a skin wound. How in the name -of all that’s wonderful, did you come here, half a -county away from the Hall?’</p> - -<p>As he spoke he slipped me into the pocket of his -Norfolk jacket and dropped quickly out of the tree.</p> - -<p>When he took me out again we were in the -terraced garden of the house which I had seen by -the river. Jack ran up the drive and burst into the -house, shouting at the top of his voice:</p> - -<p>‘Harry, where are you?’</p> - -<p>Next minute out ran his brother.</p> - -<p>If ever I longed to be able to talk man-talk, -then was the time! How astonished they all were, -for Mabel and Mrs. Fortescue soon joined the boys, -and were full of the same amazement at what they -considered my strange and mysterious reappearance. -I always wonder if they knew how much stranger -I thought it at the time.</p> - -<p>And yet it was simple enough. The house belonged -to Mrs. Fortescue’s brother, a wealthy -bachelor whose hobby it was to travel all over the -world. It was he who had brought Lops, the -flying squirrel, home from Mexico, and Joey, the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_230"></a>[230]</span> -cockatoo, from West Africa. He had lent the -Fortescues his house, and there they were living, -and there Jack had joined them for one of his brief -holidays.</p> - -<p>As my old master took me up to his room that -night, ‘Old chap,’ he said, ‘you and I are not -going to part any more, even if I have to take you -back to London town.’</p> - -<p>No more we have. He did take me back to -London, but it was only for a few weeks. For the -Fortescues came into some money unexpectedly.</p> - -<p>That is two years ago. Now we are back at the -dear old Hall. The new tenant with his band-box -son, his ginger-whiskered keeper, his tame -pheasants and his barbed wire, are things of the -evil past. As for me, I live in honoured liberty in -the Hall grounds. Last year I married again, and -I have three fine sons who are all nearly as fond of -Jack and his family as their father. Visitors come -from a distance to see Jack’s ‘furry family,’ as they -call us. We run in a body at his approach down -from the elm-trees to smother him with caresses.</p> - -<p>Indeed, he deserves our love. Would that all -other humans were as good to squirrels as he is.</p> - -<p class="titlepage smaller">BILLING AND SONS, LTD., PRINTERS, GUILDFORD</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<p class="titlepage smaller">UNIFORM WITH THIS VOLUME</p> - -<div class="ads box-outer"> - -<div class="figleft" id="ad"> - <img class="w100" src="images/ad.jpg" style="max-height: 20em;" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="titlepage larger">ANIMAL<br /> -AUTOBIOGRAPHIES</p> - -<p class="center"><span class="smaller">EDITED BY</span><br /> -G. E. MITTON</p> - -<p class="center smaller">EACH CONTAINING 12 FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS<br /> -IN COLOUR</p> - -<p class="center smaller">SQUARE CROWN 8VO., CLOTH, GILT TOP</p> - -<p class="center smaller">PRICE <b><span class="larger">6/=</span></b> EACH</p> - -<div class="tr"> - -<div class="left top"> - -<p class="center smaller">THE LIFE STORY OF<br /> -<span class="p120">A BLACK BEAR</span><br /> -BY H. PERRY ROBINSON</p> - -<p class="center smaller">With 12 full-page Illustrations in Colour by<br /> -<span class="smcap">J. Van Oort</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="right top"> - -<p class="center smaller">THE LIFE STORY OF<br /> -<span class="p120">A FOX</span><br /> -BY J. C. TREGARTHEN</p> - -<p class="center smaller">With 12 full-page Illustrations in Colour by<br /> -<span class="smcap">Countess Helena Gleichen</span></p> - -</div> - -</div> - -<div class="tr"> - -<div class="left"> - -<p class="center smaller">THE LIFE STORY OF<br /> -<span class="p120">A CAT</span><br /> -BY VIOLET HUNT</p> - -<p class="center smaller">With 12 full-page Illustrations in Colour by<br /> -<span class="smcap">Adolph Birkenruth</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="right"> - -<p class="center smaller">THE LIFE STORY OF<br /> -<span class="p120">A RAT</span><br /> -BY G. M. A. HEWETT</p> - -<p class="center smaller">With 12 full-page Illustrations in Colour by<br /> -<span class="smcap">Stephen Baghot de la Bere</span></p> - -</div> - -</div> - -<div class="tr"> - -<div class="left"> - -<p class="center smaller">THE LIFE STORY OF<br /> -<span class="p120">A DOG</span><br /> -BY G. E. MITTON</p> - -<p class="center smaller">With 12 full-page Illustrations in Colour by<br /> -<span class="smcap">John Williamson</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="right"> - -<p class="center smaller">THE LIFE STORY OF<br /> -<span class="p120">A SQUIRREL</span><br /> -BY T. C. BRIDGES</p> - -<p class="center smaller">With 12 full-page Illustrations in Colour by<br /> -<span class="smcap">Allan Stewart</span></p> - -</div> - -</div> - -<p class="center"><span class="smaller">PUBLISHED BY</span><br /> -A. & C. BLACK, 4, 5, & 6, SOHO SQUARE, LONDON, W.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="ads box-outer"> - -<p class="center larger"><span class="smaller">WHAT THE PRESS SAYS OF</span><br /> -ANIMAL AUTOBIOGRAPHIES</p> - -<p class="center smaller">(<i>For volumes, prices, etc., see previous page</i>)</p> - -<div class="box-inner"> - -<p>‘Embodies a realistic and highly-interesting life story of the fox as -told by the fox himself. Mr. Tregarthen knows his subject, and he -knows how to write about it. From the first page to the dramatic and -pitiful closing incident, when the hunter leaves the fox to his well-earned -rest, the interest in his sorrows and joys, his adventures, flights, -and escapes, never flags.’—<i>Literary World.</i></p> - -<p>‘The story is a really fine one, full of true feeling for the wild, easy -to read, and hard to put down. It has several excellent coloured illustrations, -and will rank as one of the most desirable gift-books of the -season.’—<i>Guardian.</i></p> - -<p>‘Miss Hunt undoubtedly understands cats as well as women, and she -uses her intimate knowledge with discretion; she chastens her revelations -of feline inwardness with a commendable economy and sense of -fitness. Loki, the smoke-blue Persian who unfolds the tale, is distinctly -attractive. Towards the close, indeed, the story almost rises to -a problem novel.’—<i>Athenaum.</i></p> - -<p>‘He is a delightful creature, and his autobiography will appeal to -cat-lovers, as it has more than a touch of feline nature in it.’—<i>Spectator.</i></p> - -<p>‘Will charm many children.’—<i>Athenaum.</i></p> - -<p>‘Mr. Robinson’s work is excellent.... Any parent who wishes to -find out whether his children take an interest in animals should place -this book in their hands; the boy who can stop reading it without reluctance -may at once be declared to have no interest in natural history. -The illustrations are good, and add much to the attractiveness of the -book.’—<i>Aberdeen Journal.</i></p> - -<p>‘A work which we commend to young and old alike.’—<i>Athenaum.</i></p> - -<p>‘A wonderfully interesting story—one which boys will devour with -eagerness, while their elders may learn from it much that will be new to -them.’—<i>Scotsman.</i></p> - -<p>‘A curious and varied story. Will be read with unfailing interest.’—<i>Educational -Times.</i></p> - -<p>‘No book could give more delight to a dog-lover than this beautiful -volume.’—<i>World.</i></p> - -<p>The <i>Observer</i> says: ‘That a great many children, and their elders, too, -take a continuous interest in the life stories of animals has been proved -again and again, and therefore the idea of this series is one which is -sure to commend itself to a large circle of readers. These volumes -show that the happy idea has been very happily carried out.’</p> - -</div> - -<p class="center"><span class="smaller">PUBLISHED BY</span><br /> -A. & C. 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