66 FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS 



"It's all ready," said Dodo, who had gone ahead, 

 " only Uncle Roy and Nez have wandered away, and 

 daddy says we must not dig out the roast birds until 

 they come back. Can't you moo-oo to call them, 

 daddy, the same way that Xez did ? " 



"I can try, girlie. Nat, go over to the cabin and 

 see if you can find a great cone-shaped thing made of 

 bark." 



Nat soon returned l)reathless, but with the desired 

 article. '' It was hanging by the chimney on an old 

 pair of some kind of queer fiat spiked Deer horns." 



" Antlers, Nat ; Ave don't call those tliiogs horns when 

 tliey belong to Deer. They must be the antlers of Nez' 

 famous Moose. You must ask him to tell you about it 

 some da3\ Let me have the horn." 



" It's like a little megaphone, you know," said Nat ; 

 " the thing they called out the programme with at the 

 circus, only that was tin and this is old dry bark." 



" So it is, and that, like many other things, had its 

 beginning in some simple invention of a woodsman. 

 Let me have it — Moo-oo-oo-o ! AVher ! ]\loo-oo-oo-o I " 



" Oh, what a queer foggy noise I " cried Dodo, stop- 

 ping up her ears. 



" I'm afraid, LTncle Jack," said Olive, " if I were a 

 jNIoose I should run away from a mate with such a 

 voice." 



"May I try?" said Rap. 



" Certainly. I never was a good JNIoose caller, it 

 always gave me a sore throat." 



Rap took the cone and called gently at hrst, raising 

 the horn and then lowering it to the ground, making a 

 very good imitation of Nez' call. 



