— 5--M' .... I 



° < Mm**^- t^^KSWS!!!. Bannertail 



/ ,,; V ^1^,^- unwilling tribute to that Hawk, a hun- 



dred little meadows with their Mice and 

 Meadowlarks, and one open stretch of 

 marsh with its Muskrats and its Ducks. 

 But the hardwood ridges, too, he counted 

 on for dues. The Squirrels all were his, 

 if only he could catch them. Many a 

 game had he and Bannertail, a game 

 of life and death. 



They played again that morning in 

 July. It was the same old swooping of 

 the whistling pinions, and the grasping of 

 strong yellow feet with hard black claws, 

 grasping at nothing, where was a Gray- 

 coat half a heartbeat back, the same 

 flaunting silver flag, the mocking " GrrrjJ, 

 grrrff," the teasing and daring of the 

 Hawk to make another swoop. Then 

 did that big Hen-hawk what he should 

 have done before. He filled the air with 

 his war-cry, the long screaming " Yek- 

 yek-yeeeek!" Coursing low and swift 



[224] 



