sound that was too faint for my ears, and 

 poked his inquisitive nose all over me, even 

 putting it down inside my collar, where it 

 felt like a bit of ice creeping about my neck. 

 Not till he had clawed his way inside my 

 coat and put his nose in my vest pocket did 

 he find the cause of the mysterious sounds 

 which he heard. It was my watch ticking, 

 and in a moment he had taken it out and was 

 playing with the bright thing, as pleased as 

 a child with a new plaything. He made a 

 famous pet, full of tricks and drollery, catch- 

 ing chickens by pretending to be asleep 

 when they came stretching their necks for 

 the crumbs in his dish, playing possum when 

 he was caught in mischief, drinking out of a 

 bottle, full of joy when he could follow the 

 boys to the woods, where he ran wild with 

 delight but followed them home at twilight, 

 and at last going off by himself to his home 

 tree to sleep away the winter but I must 

 tell about all that elsewhere; 



Like the bear, Mooweesuk is a peaceable 

 fellow and tends strictly to his own affairs 

 as he wanders wide through the woods. 



37 



To The^Bear 



462557 



