THE WEASEL 83 



and bewilder him that the terrier could rush in 

 and crush him before he recovered his wits. But 

 I had miscalculated; the blow did indeed stun 

 and confuse him, but he was still too quick for 

 the dog, and had him by the lip like an electric 

 trap. Nip lifted up his head and swung the 

 weasel violently about in the air, trying to shake 

 him off, uttering a cry of rage and pain, but did 

 not succeed in loosening the animal's hold for 

 some moments. When he had done so, and at- 

 tempted to seize him a second time, the weasel 

 was first again, but quickly released his hold and 

 darted about this way and that, seeking cover. 

 Three or four times the dog was upon him, but 

 found him each time too hot to be held. Seeing 

 that the creature was likely to escape, I set my 

 foot upon him again, and made a finish of him. 

 The weasel is the boldest and most blood- 

 thirsty of our small mammals ; indeed, none of 

 our larger beasts are more so. There is some- 

 thing devilish and uncanny about it. It persists 

 like fate ; it eludes, but cannot be eluded. The 

 terror it inspires in the smaller creatures — rats, 

 rabbits, chipmunks — is pitiful to behold. A rat 

 pursued by a weasel has been known to rush into 

 a room, uttering dismal cries, and seek the pro- 

 tection of a man in bed. A chipmunk will climb 

 to the top of a tall tree to elude it, and then, 



