THE CHIPMUNK 25 



the rocks and stones beneath, and had pressed 

 him so closely that he, had taken refuge in the 

 top of a tree. But weasels can climb trees, too, 

 and this one had tracked the frightened chip- 

 munk to the topmost branch, where he had tried 

 to seize him. Then the squirrel had, in horror., 

 let go his hold, screamed, and fallen through the 

 air, till he struck the branch as just described. 

 Now his bloodthirsty enemy was looking for him 

 again, apparently relying entirely upon his sense 

 of smell to guide him to the game. 



How did the weasel know the squirrel had not 

 fallen clear to the ground ? He certainly did 

 know, for when he reached the same tier of 

 branches he began exploring them. The chip- 

 munk sat transfixed with fear, frozen with ter- 

 ror, not twelve feet away, and yet the weasel saw 

 him not. 



Bound and round, up and down, he went on 

 the branches, exploring them over and over. 

 How he hurried, lest the trail get cold ! How 

 subtle and cruel and fiendish he looked ! His 

 snakelike movements, his tenacity, his speed ! 



He seemed baffled; he knew his game was 

 near, but he could not strike the spot. The 

 branch, upon the extreme end of which the 

 squirrel sat, ran out and up from the tree seven 

 or eight feet, and then, turning a sharp elbow. 



