THE DISCONTENTED SQUIRREL 71 



saved himself from being carried out to sea by 

 climbing up the last pole. Now the current was 

 the other way, and the river full from bank to 

 bank: the poor squirrel on his pole-top was in the 

 middle of the swirling current, and dared not 

 venture into the water again, either to go forward 

 or back to the wood. 



The fisherman went home to his tea; but, two 

 hours later, just about sunset, he strolled back to 

 the sea-front, and there still sat the squirrel 

 hunched up on the top of his pole. Presently a 

 fishing-boat came in from the sea, with only 

 one person, a young man, in it. The old man 

 hailed him, and called his attention to the 

 squirrel on the pole. "All right; I see him!" 

 shouted back the young fellow. "I'll try to get 

 him off!" 



Then, as the swirling current carried the boat 

 up to within about three yards of the pole, he leant 

 forward and thrust out an oar until the blade 

 touched the pole; and no sooner had it touched 

 than down like lightning came the squirrel from 

 his perch, leaped upon the oar, and from the oar 

 to the boat, then quickly bounded up the mast and 

 perched himself on the top. 



The squirrel had not understood the man's 

 friendly intentions, and his lightning-quick action 

 appeared not to have been prompted either by 

 reason or instinct, but rather by that intuitive 

 faculty one is half-inclined to believe in, which 

 causes an animal suddenly threatened with destruc- 



