Kagax the Bloodthirsty. 57 



glided over in silence. He was near his den now. 

 He could see the old pine that lightning had blasted, 

 towering against the sky over the dark spruces. 



Again the deep Whooo-hoo-hoo / rolled over the hill- 

 side. To Kagax, who gloats over his killing except 

 when he is afraid, it became an awful accusation. 

 " Who has killed where he cannot eat ? who strangled 

 a brooding bird ? who murdered his own kin ? " came 

 thundering through the woods. Kagax darted for his 

 den. His hind feet struck a rotten twig that they 

 should have cleared; it broke with a sharp snap. 

 In an instant a huge shadow swept down from the 

 stub and hovered over the sound. Two fierce yellow 

 eyes looked in upon Kagax, crouching and trying to 

 hide under a fir tip. 



Kagax whirled when the eyes found him and two 

 sets of strong curved claws dropped down from the 

 shadow. With a savage snarl he sprang up, and his 

 teeth met; but no blood followed the bite, only a 

 flutter of soft brown feathers. Then one set of sharp 

 claws gripped his head; another set met deep in his 

 back. Kagax was jerked swiftly into the air, and 

 his evil doing was ended forever. 



There was a faint rustle in the thicket as the 

 shadow of Kookooskoos swept away to his nest. 

 The long lithe form of a pine marten glided straight 



