16 THE FACE OF THE FIELDS 



But this is the Law of the Camp, and as beau- 

 tifully untrue of the Jungle, and of my woods 

 and pastures, as Hathi's account of how, before 

 Fear came, the First of the Tigers ate grass. Still, 

 Nebuchadnezzar ate grass, and he also grew eagles' 

 feathers upon his body. Perhaps the First of the 

 Tigers had feathers instead of fur, though Hathi 

 is silent as to that, saying only that the First of 

 the Tigers had no stripes. It might not harm us 

 to remember, however, that nowadays — as was 

 true in the days of the Sabretooth tiger (he is a 

 fossil) — tigers eat grass only when they feel very 

 bad, or when they find a bunch of catnip. The 

 wild animals that Hathi knew are more marvel- 

 ous than the Wild Animals I Have Known, but 

 Hathi's knowledge of Jungle law is all stuff and 

 nonsense. 



There is no ogre, Fear, no command, Obey, but 

 the widest kind of a personal permit to live — 

 joyously, abundantly, intensely, frugally at times, 

 painfully at times, and always with large liberty; 

 until, suddenly, the time comes to Let Live, when 

 death is almost sure to be instant, with little pain, 

 and less fear. 



But am I not generalizing from the single case 



