stoutest heart. But Mux hardly seemed to un- 

 derstand. On he came, right into certain de- 

 struction, a very lamb of innocence and meek- 

 ness. O you unsuspecting little stranger ! 

 Don't you see this awful monster swelling, swell- 

 ing -into this hideous hump? No, Mux did not 

 see him. Tom was raging. His teeth gleamed ; 

 his eyes blazed green ; his claws worked in a 

 nervous way that made my flesh creep. He 

 was vanishing, not, like the Cheshire Cat, into a 

 long lovely grin, but vanishing from a four- 

 legged cat into a yellow, one-legged hump. All 

 that was left of him now was hump. 



Mux was only a few feet away. Tom began 

 to advance, not directly, but just a trifle on the 

 bias, across Mux's bows so to speak, as if to give 

 him a broadside. They were within range. 

 Tom was heaving to. I trembled for the young 

 coon. Suddenly there was a hiss, a flash of yel- 

 low in the air, and— a very big surprise await- 

 ing Thomas ! That little coon was no stupid 

 after all. He had not rolled up his sleeves, nor 

 doubled up his fists, nor put a chip upon his 

 shoulder ; but he knew what was expected of 

 him, just the same. He snapped instantly upon 

 [111] 



