64 FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS 



the rafters of the cabin, stood in corners, or were stuck 

 in the little cracks between the logs. — Fishing-poles, 

 a Winchester rifle, a double-barrel shot-gun, bunches 

 of herbs, the furry skins of several kinds of small 

 beasts, a Fox tail fastened to a stick for a duster, and 

 many other fascinating objects. 



"Sleep out all night, missy?" said Nez in astonish- 

 ment ; " why, o' course, that wuz ahvays the kind of 

 campin' 1 did when I wuz trappin'." 



" Why didn't wild beasts eat you, and why didn't 

 you get all damp and mouldy?" persisted Dodo. 



" Mostly on account of the dry air in those places, 

 and campfires, I reckon, and sleepin' with one eye 

 open," said Nez, laughing. " Here comes Renny, he 

 wants his supper, I guess." 



"Why, it's a Fox! Won't he bite? I thought 

 Foxes were wild beasts," said Nat, as a young Fox, 

 looking something like a small collie dog, trotted up 

 to the cabin, sniffing about and eyeing the strangers 

 suspiciously. 



" That Fox won't bite, he's a pet of the young uns. 

 His mother was killed for chicken stealin', I reckon, 

 along in May ; and Stubble nosed out the hole on the 

 other side of the mountain, and I found two pups in 

 it. One died, and we raised this. We've got a 

 young Coon, too, somewhere about." 



" He is just as pretty as a dog. Will he never run 

 away and try to fijid his mother ? " asked Rap. " I 

 had a tame Coon once, and it staj^ed round all right, 

 but along in the second spring it ran away." 



" I reckon the Fox will too, when he gits old enough 

 to take a mate and set up house for himself. They all 



