REMEDY AND DISEASE 49 



with a shovel. The rest darted out of the half- 

 open door, and went leaping away over the 

 snow. 



While I was awaiting the reappearance of my 

 ferrets, and after the excited hens had calmed 

 down, a sudden commotion in the other coop 

 attracted my attention, and hastily stepping in 

 I found a fine pullet struggling and flapping in 

 her death-agonies, with my buckskin ferret hang- 

 ing to her windpipe. Seizing it by the body with 

 one hand and the moribund pullet with the other, 

 I tore it from its quarry, when it turned upon me 

 and sunk its teeth in my forefinger, nor would it 

 let go although I danced and swore and shook my 

 wounded hand violently. It was only when I 

 choked it nearly to death with the other hand 

 that I loosed its grip, slammed it in its box, and 

 fastened the cover. 



After bandaging my hand I waited for the 

 roan to come forth. What to do to entice it from 

 its safe retreat I did not know. For a while I 

 whistled. I did not know whether or not that 

 was the proper salutation, but I tried it for 

 what it was worth. It was probably not good 

 form in musteline circles, for the roan paid no 

 attention to it. 



Then I tried the bleeding form of the freshly 

 killed hen ; but the wary animal evidently had 

 seen my rude treatment of the buckskin, and 



