252 WITH THE U. S. NATURALISTS 



his camera that first day. He's anxious to do ail 

 he can to help you, I Imow tliat, and, so far as I 

 am concerned, if you get into any difficulty in your 

 bird work, come and ask me about it. I shall be 

 willing to help you, so far as I can, even if you did 

 make me put a bullet into Nero ! ' ' 



''I'm sorry, sir," said the boy, "but there wasn't 

 anything else I could do, was there ? ' ' 



"Under the circumstances," the Feather Man 

 answered, ' ' I think you did perfectly right. Good 

 luck to you, my boy, and come to see me again 

 some time." 



Shan thanked him and started back to the cabin, 

 revolving in his mind all that he had learned about 

 birds, their coloration and their feathers. 



As the boy approached the cabin, however, he 

 became conscious of a hum of voices, a sound 

 strange and menacing near his home, for he knew 

 that Bull Adam resented the presence of stran- 

 gers. Fearing that something was wrong, the lad 

 broke into a run. 



Turning the corner of the path and reaching the 

 point at which the cabin first was visible, he saw 

 two men standing near the door and one, a com- 

 plete stranger to him, entering the house. 



Shan's first feeling was that of anger. He was 



