WITH BEAK AND CLAW 3 



got up from the rough door-sill of the cabin, on 

 which he had been sitting, and slipped into the 

 woods. The stolid expression was gone, his face 

 was awake with the woods cunning. The spirit 

 of the hunter, which lies deep in every boy 's heart, 

 had taken possession of him. 



The lad's bare feet made little noise, for several 

 years of trailing had taught Shan how to walk 

 without unduly disturbing the wild life of the for- 

 est. As he crossed a brook, however, a Belted 

 Kingfisher rose up from the limb of a tree, 

 rattling his danger cry and alarming every forest 

 creature within hearing. But Shan was after big- 

 ger game and pushed on. The Kingfisher flew 

 back to his chosen perch and resumed his watch 

 over the water, in which the gleam of a shining 

 scale would mean dinner. 



Shan knew well the windings of the road by 

 which the stranger had gone and was aware that 

 the short-cut he was taking would soon bring him 

 to a point where he could overlook the road and 

 make sure that the unwelcome visitor had indeed 

 gone in the direction of the Forks. Having ar- 

 rived at the place, Shan slipped into a dense clump 

 of bushes, where he could see without being seen, 

 and set himself to watch. 



