294 THE CAROLINA MOUNTAINS 
is native to these woods and an encounter with one 
is always a surprise, and nearly always pleasant, 
though you once got a shock from a grouse that 
must pretty nearly have balanced the bird's own 
distress of mind. It happened on a long, steep moun- 
tain path one spring day. Going along thinking of 
anything but danger, you suddenly stop as you hear 
the sharp hiss of a snake. You stand perfectly still 
and search the ground with your eyes. You see 
nothing, and all is silent until you move, when again 
comes that terrible danger signal. You begin to feel 
shaky at thought of the near invisible reptile, no 
doubt coiled ready to strike, when something moves 
from over a fallen log and your startled eyes behold a 
long thin thing stretching towards you. But to your 
infinite relief and amusement the snake's head re- 
solves into that of a ruffed grouse, and presently 
there fairly boils up over the log such a mass of irate 
feathers all on end, and outspread wings and tail, so 
crazy looking an object,with open mouth and hissing 
tongue, that you take the sufficiently obvious hint 
that your presence is not desired, and pretending 
all the fear the bunch of feathers thinks it is inspir- 
ing, you beat a hasty retreat, it after you, swelling, 
hissing, and triumphant. But you escape, and it no 
doubt goes back to its nest all self-complacency and 
with a fine tale to tell those children, as soon as they 
shall be hatched, of how it saved their lives one day 
and drove away a terrible human monster. Yet you 
wish it could someway know how that monster loved 
it and only ran away to please it. 
