The Story of a Graysquirrel 



the very final instant, rejoicing in his 

 every nerve at tension, and just as those 

 deadly grappling-irons of the Hawk were 

 almost at his throat, he would duck, 

 the elusive, baffling tail would flash in 

 the Hawk's very face, and the place the 

 Graycoat had occupied on the trunk was 

 empty. The grapnels of the Hawk 

 clutched only bark ; and an instant later, 

 just above, the teasing head and the 

 flaunting tail of Bannertail would re- 

 appear, with loudly voiced defiance. 



The Hawk, like the Bull, is not of 

 gentle humor. He is a fierce and angry 

 creature, out to destroy; his anger grows 

 to fury after such defeat, he is driven 

 wild by the mockery of it, and often- 

 times he begets such a recklessness that 

 he injures himself by accident, as he 

 charges against one of the many sharp 

 snags that seem ever ready for the Squir- 

 rel-kind's defense. 



[219] 



