134 Ways of Wood Folk. 



through the forest one sometimes comes upon two 

 sets of huge antlers locked firmly together, and white 

 bones, picked clean by hungry prowlers. It needs 

 no written record to tell their story. 



Once I saw a duel that resulted differently. I 

 heard a terrific uproar, and crept through the woods, 

 thinking to have a savage wilderness spectacle all to 

 myself. Two young bulls were fighting desperately 

 in an open glade, just because they were strong and 

 proud of their first big horns. 



But I was not alone, as I expected. A great flock 

 of crossbills swooped down into the spruces, and 

 stopped whistling in their astonishment. A dozen 

 red squirrels snickered and barked their approval, 

 as the bulls butted each other. Meeko is always 

 glad when mischief is afoot. High overhead floated 

 a rare woods' raven, his head bent sharply downward 

 to see. Moose-birds flitted in restless excitement 

 from tree to bush. Kagax the weasel postponed his 

 bloodthirsty errand to the young rabbits. And just 

 beside me, under the fir tips, Tookhees the wood- 

 mouse forgot his fear of the owl and the fox and his 

 hundred enemies, and sat by his den in broad day- 

 light, rubbing his whiskers nervously. 



So we watched, till the bull that was getting the 

 worst of it backed near me, and got my wind, and the 

 fight was over. 



