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In Quest of 

 ^yfWaptonR 

 ^ffieMId 



Waptonk. Big as he was, he ruffled all his 

 feathers and half spread his great wings till 

 he looked twice his own size, and formidable 

 enough to scare any prowler. Another step; 

 then his eyes flashed, and lowering his head 

 and black neck close to the ground he rushed 

 straight at me, hissing like forty snakes, and 

 with a gasping, terrifying cackle in his throat, 

 as if his rage were choking him. 



It was magnificent, this swift change from 

 quiet dignity to raging defiance of an enemy 

 ten times his size. The fierce hissing got 

 into my nerves, spite of myself, and made me 

 wonder if any wild animal, living constantly, 

 as animals do, on the thin edge of flight and 

 panic, could stand up against the terrifying 

 sound for a moment. I remembered the time 

 when, as a little boy, I had been soundly 

 drubbed and beaten out of the barn-yard by 

 an irate old gander, and watched now the 

 great wings with a lively memory of what 

 blows they could deal. Like a man caught 

 in a fault, I had absolutely no defense ; for 

 Waptonk was on his own ground, and I had 

 no business whatever in meddling with his 



