120 WOODLAND CREATURES 



cubs before would have imagined that they could 

 develop into long-legged graceful creatures. 



Putting them under my coat to keep them warm, 

 I tried to think of ways and means by which I 

 might take the place of the vixen ; but the 

 whimpering of the little animals showed that so 

 far they did not think much of the exchange. 

 The first thing was to feed them. I got some 

 warm milk and a fountain-pen filler, made a hole 

 with a pin in the indiarubber, and tried to get 

 them to suck the milk through it. It is wonderful 

 what strength and obstinacy there is in the youngest 

 of babies whether human or otherwise and these 

 blind, helpless mites refused most resolutely to 

 suck. It seemed as if they would never take 

 any milk, but with patience I at last overcame 

 their objections. Time after time I slipped the 

 indiarubber teat between the clenched toothless 

 gums ; at last one, the smaller, bit at it and 

 accidentally swallowed some milk, after which 

 she began to suck and there was no more trouble. 

 But the bigger cub, a male, took longer than 

 the little vixen to learn where warm milk was 

 to be had ; still he found out at last, and was 

 then the greedier of the two. In a wonderfully 

 short time, considering how tiresome they were to 

 begin with, they learnt to know sounds, and also 

 the smell of my fingers, and would wriggle out of 

 their warm bed as soon as I put my hand near 

 them. 



But this is getting on too fast ; I must go back 

 to where, having got each to swallow a few drops 



