112 ^ RIVERBY 



bank at the edge of the swamp. " He is carrying 

 food into his den," I said; " let us watch him." 

 In four or five minutes he reappeared, coming back 

 over the course along which he had just passed, 

 running over and under the same stones and down 

 the same decayed log, and was soon out of sight in 

 the swamp. We had not moved, and evidently he 

 had not noticed us. After about six minutes we 

 heard the same rustle as at first, and in a moment 

 saw the weasel coming back with another mouse in 

 his mouth. He kept to his former route as if chained 

 to it, making the same pauses and gestures, and 

 repeating exactly his former movements. He dis- 

 ■#^f' appeared on our left as before, and, after a few mo- 

 ments' delay, reemerged and took his course down 

 into the swamp again. We waited about the same 

 length of time as before, when back he came with 

 another mouse. He evidently had a big crop of 

 mice down there amid the bogs and bushes, and he 

 was gathering his harvest in very industriously. We 

 became curious to see exactly where his den was, 

 and so walked around where he had seemed to dis- 

 appear each time, and waited. He was as punctual 

 as usual, and was back with his game exactly on 

 time. It happened that we had stopped within two 

 paces of his hole, so that, as he approached it, he 

 evidently discovered us. He paused, looked stead- 

 ily at us, and then, without any sign of fear, entered 

 his den. The entrance was not under the rocks as 

 we had expected, but was in the bank a few feet be- 

 yond them. We remained motionless for some time, 



