THE SNOW-WALKERS 



even to dig his own hole, but appropriates that of 

 a woodchuck, or hunts out a crevice in the rocks, 

 from which he extends his rambling in all direc- 

 tions, preferring damp, thawy weather. He has 

 very little discretion or cunning, and holds a trap 

 in utter contempt, stepping into it as soon as be- 

 side it, relying implicitly for defense against all 

 forms of danger upon the unsavory punishment he 

 is capable of inflicting. He is quite indifferent to 

 both man and beast, and will not hurry himself to 

 get out of the way of either. Walking through the 

 summer fields at twilight, I have come near step- 

 ping upon him, and was much the more disturbed 

 of the two. When attacked in the open field he 

 confounds the plans of his enemies by the unheard- 

 of tactics of exposing his rear rather than his front. 

 "Come if you dare," he says, and his attitude 

 makes even the farm-dog pause. After a few en- 

 counters of this kind, and if you entertain the usual 

 hostility towards him, your mode of attack will 

 speedily resolve itself into moving about him in a 

 circle, the radius of which will be the exact distance 

 at which you can hurl a stone with accuracy and 

 effect. 



He has a secret to keep and knows it, and is 

 careful not to betray himself until he can do so with 

 the most telling effect. I have known him to pre- 

 serve his serenity even when caught in a steel trap, 

 and look the very picture of injured innocence, 

 23 



