HIS FIRST WINTER 129 



frozen twenty yards which separated him from the 

 beast he meant to strike down. 



Closer — closer ! 



Raising himself suddenly with a strong spring- 

 ing bound, which tightened up his wiry muscles 

 automatically, the fierce carnivore fell on his 

 strong victim so dexterously that retaliation was 

 impossible. 



The wolverine lay dead, with his carotids cut 

 through by razor teeth. Purring softly, his slayer 

 lapped the warm blood as it trickled over the 

 snow. 



Crack I A tree spUt from base to tops by a 

 frost-blow. The lynx went off in sideway jumps, 

 mewing in cresendo key, until, realizing that the 

 terrifying noise meant no more than his own cater- 

 waulings, was nothing, indeed, but another of the 

 ambuscades of which Nature sets so many, he re- 

 turned warily, to finish his meal in peace. 



Fantastical, long-eared, shadowy forms, playing 

 on an illumined horizon, lured him to hunt again. 

 Rabbits ! Long searched for, out after hours, 

 wantonly endangering the precarious existence a 

 carefully contrived winter colour scheme was 

 designed to continue. 



17 



