AT THE OUTSET. 7 



" Tell you the circumstance ? If you mean the main 

 p'ints of the matter, I can give 'em to you. It was 

 during a January thaw, and a big fresh on the lowlands. 

 It's such times, you know, when all the fun comes in 

 round here. Well, I'd lost a new boat, and found it 

 in the woods near the mouth of Crosswicks Creek. It 

 was left up in the bushes after the water had gone down 

 a bit. I scrambled out of my skiff to reach to it, when 

 the critter looked up and grinned right in my face. 

 He'd been curled up in the boat, and didn't show any 

 notion of leavin' ; but I did, and, makin' one big jump 

 for my skiff, the critter follered suit, and made for the 

 woods. I didn't look behind, thinkin' he was comin' 

 for ra-e ; but it seems he wasn't, and that was the last 

 of him." 



" Is that all ?" I asked, with a show of disappointment. 



" All ? Yes, and if you'd been in my place half the 

 facts would have satisfied you. Critters like painters 

 might go, and bears weren't always pleasant to meet 

 with, but all the others were good in their way, and, 

 along with the miles of big woods, made it a pleasant 

 country. I don't say it to tease you none, but you've 

 got now to take up with small fry, and only think about 

 them that's gone for good. When I hear the tap-tap of 

 the sapsuckers I think of the log-cocks, and when there's 

 a bayin' hound in the fields I can hear the wolves, which, 

 'long late as '95, used to keep me 'wake o' nights. Things 

 have littled down since I was a boy, sure enough. What 

 you call trees we'd say were saplins', and such trees as 

 I've cut are too scarce to count. Afore you're fairly in 

 a woods now you're on t'other side of 'em." 



