160 FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS 



through his thick tail he gets no ic)" air to give him a 

 sore throat." 



" Isn't it wonderful," said Rap, as if he could hardly 

 understand it all. " I know by myself," he added, 

 " that you can go longer without being hungry Avhen 

 you are asleep than when you're awake. Sometimes 

 I've slept twelve hours, but when I'm awake I eat 

 breakfast, diinier, and tea all in twelve hours." 



" The streams are not frozen yet, even the little ones," 

 said Mr. Blake ; " it ought to be a good season for the 

 Skunks, wlio are great drinkers. Does Nez do much 

 trapping ? Of course now there can be very little to 

 take hereabouts." 



" He catclies Skunks, Ival)bits, Minks, and a few Foxes 

 and Otters," said Ohif, '' Up to tliis week he has done 

 well on Coons, — his place looks something like a fur- 

 trading post. Nez is bound to catch something wherever 

 he camps. There's a Fox been eating up a lot of fowls 

 that belonged to an old woman down in the hollow, and 

 he has to be caught, or tlie poor old body will starve. 

 This Fox is too cute to trap, so Nez planned to watch 

 for it to-niglit. He has a good dog and thought you 

 might like to go out, for old times' sake, though a Fox 

 is small game after Panthers and Clrizzlies." 



" Full moon, too, nothing could be better," said the 

 Doctor, adding Avith a boyish laugh, " it's a duty to 

 kill a Fox that steals a poor woman's poultr}^, isn't it, 

 Jack ? " 



" It's a poor sportsman who ever lacks an excuse for 

 fair hunting." Then the men began discussing Foxes 

 so earnestl}^ that Nat had to speak twice before he was 

 heard. 



