314 Sporting Sketches 



hesitated; then as a tall monster appeared right 

 before him, he sprang as he never had done and 

 whirred his wings like mad. He was at top speed 

 and pointed straight for the corn, when a new noise 

 broke out, and, to his horror, the tip of his right 

 wing refused to work, and despite his desperate 

 efforts he slanted down to the ground. Luckily he 

 did not strike very hard, yet he was jarred and con- 

 fused and greatly frightened. In an instant he re- 

 covered sufficiently to remember what was necessary, 

 and with a quick run he again sprang into the air 

 and desperately beat his wings, only to whirl through 

 a swift semicircle and crash down upon his back. 

 For a few seconds he was too stunned to act, then 

 he recovered and sprang to his feet. If the wing 

 refused to serve, there was an unrivalled pair of 

 legs, and away he raced straight for the old roosting- 

 place, where the roots were in the ground. One of 

 these was hollow, and into the dark hole he dived 

 and crept along a couple of feet till he could go no 

 farther. 



For hours he lay there, frightened, very hungry, 

 but determined to stick until he heard his mother's 

 call. It was a terrible day. Strange noises sounded 

 on every side, and twice the black-and-white monster 

 came and snuffed fiercely into the root. The last 

 time it scraped madly with great claws, but suddenly 

 it uttered an awful yell and went away. (Robert 

 didn't know it, but the dog-whip had touched that 

 monster, because the bigger and wiser monster had, 

 as occasionally happens, mistaken a bit of brilliant 

 trailing for chipmunk hunting.) % 



All disturbance had long ceased when Robert 



