18 THE MOOSE 



young one of last year was safe where she had left 

 him previous to her coming to the island, and of 

 the dangers that beset her almost as soon as she 

 entered the opposite woods. The smoking embers 

 of a fire was evidence to an old and worldly-wise 

 beast like herself of the presence of those strange 

 two-legged creatures from afar who are more to 

 be dreaded than the wolves in winter. Then the 

 devil-stick, whose breath means death and desola- 

 tion to whom it touches spoke, and the dogs — 

 fierce beasts akin to the wolves — gave tongue and 

 chase. Only by a miracle and her own adroitness 

 had she escaped alive. 



The calf did not understand what it all meant, 

 but he shivered involuntarily, drawing closer ; and 

 the cow, realizing his pathetic ignorance, licked his 

 soft coat sympathetically. She was safe, so what 

 matter ? All through the night she had schemed 

 and plotted how best to get back to the island 

 unseen, circling wide in order to put her enemies 

 off the track. 



But their little home set in the rushes of the 

 lagoon was a sanctuary no longer. The despoilers 

 were abroad, and any day might descend on the 

 island dwellers. 



