Redruff 



love, and skilled in the learning of the woods, 

 she ran in silence till quite near, then sprang 

 with a roar of wings right in his face, and 

 tumbling on the leaves she shammed a lameness 

 that for a moment deceived the poacher. But 

 when she dragged one wing and whined about 

 his feet, then slowly crawled away, he knew just 

 what it meant — that it was all a trick to lead 

 him from her brood, and he struck at her a sav- 

 age blow ; but little Brownie was quick, she 

 avoided the blow and limped behind a sapling, 

 there to beat herself upon the leaves again in 

 sore distress, and seem so lame that Cuddy 

 made another try to strike her down with a 

 stick. But she moved in time to balk him, and 

 bravely, steadfast still to lead him from her help- 

 less little ones, she flung herself before him and 

 beat her gentle breast upon the ground, and 

 moaned as though begging for mercy. And 

 Cuddy, failing again to strike her, raised his 

 gun, and firing charge enough to kill a bear, he 

 blew poor brave, devoted Brownie into quiver- 

 ing, bloody rags. 



This gunner brute knew the young must be 

 hiding near, so looked about to find them. But 



343 



