UNREST AND REST 



145 



have a well-hidden entrance, and ground whereon 

 you will leave as few traces of your presence in the 

 way of footprints as possible. That is where my 

 cousins the water-rats show themselves so wise, for 

 they make their front-door under the water. The 

 weak point of their arrangements is that they will 

 insist on having a back-door as well on the upper 

 part of the bank, which shows their enemies where 

 to look for the front-door. 



I saw a clever pair of dogs one day catch several 

 of my cousins, and, though I was very sorry for my 

 own relations, I could not help feeling that they 

 had brought the trouble upon themselves by making 

 that silly back-door ; also it was impossible not to 

 admire the way in which the two dogs set about 

 their work. I trust that I can admire true genius, 

 even in an enemy. When they had found that 

 tell-tale back entrance, one of them stayed there 

 while the other ran down the bank to the edge of 

 the water. Then, when all was ready, the gentle- 

 man at the top knocked very hard at the back-door 

 — that is to say, he put his nose into the hole and 

 blew through his nostrils and snorted, and then 

 began to scratch with all his might and to bite out 

 great lumps of sod with his teeth. 



This naturally frightened the inhabitant of the 



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