TOUCHES OF NATURE 41 



swallow the garter snake, and he had made some 

 headway, though the little snake was fighting every 

 inch of the ground, hooking his tail ahout sticks 

 and hushes, and pulling hack with all its might, 

 apparently not liking the look of things down there 

 at all. I thought it well to let him have a good 

 taste of his own doctrines, when I put my foot 

 down against further proceedings. 



This arming of one creature against another is 

 often cited as an evidence of the wisdom of Nature, 

 but it is rather an evidence of her impartiality. She 

 does not care a fig more for one creature than for 

 another, and is equally on the side of both, or per- 

 haps it would be better to say she does not care a 

 fig for either. Every creature must take its chances, 

 and man is no exception. We can ride if we know 

 how and are going her way, or we can be run over 

 if we fall or make a mistake. Nature does not care 

 whether the hunter slay the beast or the beast the 

 hunter; she will make good compost of them both, 

 and her ends are prospered whichever succeed. 



" If the red slayer think he slays, 

 Or if the slain think he is slain, 

 They know not well the subtle ways 

 I keep, and pass, and turn again." 



What is the end of Nature ? Where is the end 

 of a sphere ? The sphere balances at any and every 

 point. So everything in Nature is at the top, and 

 yet no one thing is at the top. 



She works with reference to no measure of time, 

 no limit of space, and with an abundance of mate- 



