The Story of a Graysquirrel 



and the Snake's dread jaws with the rows 

 of pointed teeth clamped on the mother's 

 neck, and another fold of that long, hell- 

 ish length was hitched around her throat. 

 Scratch she could and struggle, but bite 

 she could not, for the coil held her as in 

 a vise. For a moment only could she 

 make a sound, the long, long, screaming .,. 



"Queeee" the Squirrel call for help; and ,//' '// 



Bannertail, lazily dozing on his sunning .1' A 



perch, sprang up and set his ears acock. /(' / 



It was not repeated, but the sound of .1 J ^ 



struggle was there, and the keen-eyed |' f . -f .' *\ 

 father Squirrel saw the flash of a silver »v / §\ ) y ^ r 

 tail, the signal of his kind. And from \ / <'*U\/ 

 that perch high in the air he leaped in one ^ \ \f~^'0T ' w -^ 

 long, parachuting leap; he landed on the )) / M 



"i 



\ 



ground, and in three mighty bounds he ///£^#^ v 



was at the place. The horror of the "^ 



Snake was on him. It set his coat a- A " ^^^ ' 

 bristling; but it did not hold him back. ^ 



It only added desperation to his onset. / / 



[237] 



; ( 



