Down North and Up Along 
your feet when he finishes with a dozen staccato 
barks. But not he. While you are pitying 
his condition, he is coolly dropping scales on 
your head from a fir cone which he is cutting 
up with as much energy as if he had not sung 
a note within the memory of man. He is good 
company in the woods, as he never fails to as- 
sault you with a torrent of squirrel back talk, 
which is a great deal better than no talk, and 
then he will very likely make amends by sing- 
ing to you, though, truth to tell, you never feel 
quite sure whether his remarkable and very 
energetic song would bear translating to polite 
ears. 
Our fears for what was to come as v/e moved 
over the last stage of our journey turned out 
as they always did. The dreary behind-the- 
mountain road suddenly brought us into a new 
world; and as had happened each time before, 
as soon as the view burst upon us, we were 
tempted to exclaim, " This, then, is better than 
all the rest." 
286 
