How Animals Talk 



like a living statue, his whole attention fastened 

 on the spot where I had disappeared. He had 

 seen something, he knew not what, and was wait- 

 ing for it to show itself again. When my bonnet 

 appeared his eyes seemed to enlarge and flash as 

 he caught the motion. Without changing his foot- 

 ing, for his surprise seemed to have rooted him 

 in the ground, he began to sway his body to left 

 or right, stretching his head high or dropping it 

 low, taking a dozen graceful attitudes in order to 

 view the queer bit of moss from different angles. 

 Then he slowly raised a fore foot, put it down very 

 gently, raised it again, stamped it down hard. 

 Getting no response to his challenge, he sidled over 

 to his mother, still keeping his eyes fastened on the 

 log. At his touch or call she lifted her head, 

 pointing her nose straight at me, as if he had 

 somehow told her where to give heed. 



It was a wonderful sight, the multicolored bog 

 spread like a rug at the feet of the glorious October 

 woods, and standing on the crimson fringe of it 

 these two beautiful creatures, demanding with 

 flashing eyes who the intruder might be. For a 

 full minute, while I held motionless, the doe kept 

 her eyes steadily on the log; then," Nothing there, 

 little buck; don't worry," she said in her own 

 silent way, and went to feeding once more. 



"But there is something; I saw it," insisted the 

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