70 WITH THE U. S. NATURALISTS 



stranger laid a restraining hand on his comrade's 

 arm. 



Shan saw the threatening gesture and blazed up 

 at once, using, unconsciously, his uncle's argu- 

 ments, 



''They're not your eggs," he said, "they're 

 mine; I found them. That wasn't your bird on 

 the nest. You didn't raise it. You didn't feed 

 it. It's a wild bird. Why should I put the eggs 

 back on your say-so?" 



The boy noted that the newcomer smiled and 

 turned his head toward the game warden with an 

 air of great interest in his reply. The latter, an- 

 gered by the boy's defiance, answered bluntly, 



**Yo'll put 'em back because I tell yo' to. I'm 

 game warden o' this county, an' what I say — 

 goes!" 



Shan looked at him with that dull, uncompre- 

 hending gaze which revealed nothing of his 

 thoughts. He rubbed his cheek meditatively with 

 one of the eggs. His expression gave no hint of a 

 slowly hardening determination. Presently he 

 said, heavily, 



''And if I don't put them back?" 



"Then yo' go to jail!" snapped the warden. 



If Shan wavered in mind for a moment, there 



