1 62 The Wilderness Hunter 



again. It got into a little shallow eddy and caught 

 a minute fish, which it carried to a half-sunken stone 

 and greedily devoured, tugging voraciously at it 

 as it held it down with its paws. Then its evil gen 

 ius drove it into a small puddle alongside the brook, 

 where I instantly pounced on and slew it ; for I knew 

 a friend in the Smithsonian at Washington who 

 would have coveted it greatly. It was a soft, pretty 

 creature, dark above, snow-white below, with a very 

 long tail. I turned the skin inside out and put a 

 bent twig in, that it might dry; while Ammal, who 

 had been intensely interested in the chase and cap 

 ture, meditatively shook his head and said &quot;wagh,&quot; 

 unable to fathom the white man s medicine. How 

 ever, my labor came to naught, for that evening I 

 laid the skin out on a log, Ammal threw the log into 

 the fire, and that was the end of the shrew. 



When this interlude was over we resumed our 

 march, toiling silently onward through the wild and 

 rugged country. Toward evening the valley wi 

 dened a little, and we were able to walk in the bot 

 toms, which much lightened our labor. The hunter, 

 for greater ease, had tied the thongs of his heavy 

 pack across his breast, so that he could not use his 

 rifle; but my pack was lighter, and I carried it in a 

 manner that would not interfere with my shooting, 

 lest we should come unwares on game. 



It was well that I did so. An hour or two be 

 fore sunset we were traveling, as usual, in Indian 



