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— 
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Way-Atcha, the Coon—Raccoon 
them back a little while she looked hard ahead and 
around. Then she crouched; her hair rose up; she 
growled. Father came alongside. The youngsters 
had no desire now to rush ahead. There around 
the water so full of game were other hunters, splash- 
ing, catching frogs, and feasting. They were in 
size like Way-atcha’s people, and when the tail of 
one was turned there surely were the seven rings 
that make the tribal flag of Coon-Raccoon. 
But some one was trespassing. Which family 
owned this hunting? That is always a serious 
question in the woods. Father Coon stood up very 
high on his legs, puffed out his hair, and walked 
forward from the cover, along the open margin. 
There was a noisy rush of the other family, then 
three young in it went whimpering to their mother, 
and their father stood up high, puffed out his hair, 
and came marching stiffly and openly toward Way- 
atcha’s father. Each gave a low growl, which 
meant, ‘Here you, get out of this or Pl make you!” 
Then, since neither got out, they squared up face 
to face. Each felt that he himself was right, and 
the other all wrong. Each felt that he must protect 
his family and drive the trespassers away; and so 
they stood and glared at each other, while the young 
ones of each crowded closely behind their mothers. 
This is the animal law of range. ‘The first finder 
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