THE CHIPMUNK 29 



attacked me unhesitatingly. This I did not 

 give him a chance to do, and he whipped into 

 his den beneath me with a defiant snort. Far- 

 ther on, a saucy chipmunk presumed upon my 

 harmless character to an unwonted degree also. 

 I had paused to bathe my hands and face in a 

 little trout brook, and had set a tin cup, which I 

 had partly filled with strawberries as I crossed 

 the field, on a stone at my feet, when along 

 came the chipmunk as confidently as if he knew 

 precisely where he was going, and, perfectly 

 obHvious of my presence, cocked himself up on 

 the rim of the cup and proceeded to eat my 

 choicest berries. I remained motionless and ob- 

 served him. He had eaten but two when the 

 thought seemed to occur to him that he might 

 be doing better, and he began to fill his pockets. 

 Two, four, six, eight of my berries quickly dis- 

 appeared, and the cheeks of the little vagabond 

 swelled. But all the time he kept eating, that 

 not a moment might be lost. Then he hopped 

 off the cup, and went skipping from stone to 

 stone till the brook was passed, when he disap- 

 peared in the woods. In two or three minutes 

 he was back again, and went to stuffing himself 

 as before ; then he disappeared a second time, 

 and I imagined told a friend of his, for in a mo- 

 ment or two along came a bobtailed chipmunk. 



