Upweekis the Shadow. 129 



and they would all keep close in the den. I found a 

 place, some dozen yards above, where it would be 

 possible to watch them , marked the spot by a blasted 

 stub, to which I made a compass of broken twigs ; 

 and then went back to camp. 



Next morning I omitted the early fishing, and was 

 back at the place before the sun looked over the ridge. 

 Their den .was all quiet, in deep shadow. Mother 

 Lynx was still away on the early hunting. I intended 

 to kill her when she came back. My rifle lay ready 

 across my knees. Then I would watch the kittens a 

 little while, and kill them also. I wanted their skins, 

 all soft and fine with their first fur. And they were 

 too big and fierce to think of taking them alive. My 

 vacation was over. Simmo was already packing up, to 

 break camp that morning. So there would be no time 

 to carry out my long-cherished plan of watching 

 young lynxes at play, as I had before watched young 

 foxes and bears and owls and fish-hawks, and indeed 

 almost everything, except Upweekis, in the wilderness. 



Presently one of the lucivees came out, yawned, 

 stretched, raised himself against a root. In the morn- 

 ing stillness I could hear the cut and rip of his claws 

 on the wood. We call the action sharpening the 

 claws; but it is only the occasional exercise of the 

 fine flexor muscles that a cat uses so seldom, yet must 



