THE PRAIRIE-DOG TOWN 



with his fore paws folded downward, looking 

 soberly but curiously in the direction of the in- 

 truder. If the object that, had drawn the 

 Mayor's attention continued to move the dogs 

 would keep up an incessant barking, accom- 

 panying each bark with a quick jerk of their 

 bodies and short tails until the disturbing object 

 was out of sight. But if it chanced to draw 

 near they would all spring into their holes, leav- 

 ing nothing but the little mounds of dirt with 

 the well trodden paths between them to mark 

 the place that but a moment before was alive 

 with noise, curiosity and excitement. 



As Sam drew near the town on his first visit 

 the excitement and fear was so great that each 

 animal fairly turned a somersault as it pitched 

 forward into its underground home. In a few 

 minutes, however, the curiosity that character- 

 izes these animals forced one of the nerviest of 

 them to stick his head out quickly and look 

 around. When he saw Sam standing within a 

 short distance of him he darted into his hole 

 again, quicker than a flash of lightning. Sam 

 was interested. This was something new in his 

 life. He hid behind a clump of weeds and 

 [55] 



