Kagax the Bloodthirsty. 43 



tastes the blood of his victims, and sleeps only an 

 hour or two of cat naps at a time — just long enough 

 to gather energy for more evil doing. 



As he stretched himself again, a sudden barking 

 and snickering came from a giant spruce on the hill 

 just above. Meeko, the red squirrel, had discovered 

 a new jay's nest, and was making a sensation over 

 it, as he does over everything that he has not hap- 

 pened to see before. Had he known who was listen- 

 ing, he would have risked his neck in a headlong 

 rush for safety ; for all the wild things fear Kagax as 

 they fear death. But no wild thing ever knows till 

 too late that a weasel is near. 



Kagax listened a moment, a ferocious grin on his 

 pointed face ; then he stole towards the sound. " I 

 intended to kill those young hares first," he thought, 

 " but this fool squirrel will stretch my legs better, and 

 point my nose, and get the sleep out of me — There 

 he is, in the big spruce ! " 



Kagax had not seen the squirrel ; but that did not 

 matter ; he can locate a victim better with his nose or 

 ears than he can with his eyes. The moment he was 

 sure of the place, he rushed forward without caution. 

 Meeko was in the midst of a prolonged snicker at the 

 scolding jays, when he heard a scratch on the bark 

 below, turned, looked down, and fled with a cry of 



