e prisoner rolled his signal call, and then a third
Snowshoe Rabbit appeared.

"Look at all the Rabbits!" exclaimed my friend. "Where is my gun?"

"No," I said, "you don't need your gun. Wait and see. There is something
up. That little chap is ringing up central."

"I never saw so many together in all my life," said he. Then added:
"I've got an acetylene lantern; perhaps we can get a picture."

[Illustration]

As soon as he had his camera and lantern, we went cautiously to the
rabbity side of the woods; several ran past us. Then we sat down on a
smooth place. My friend held the camera, I held the light, but we rested
both on the ground. Very soon a Rabbit darted from the darkness into the
great cone of light from the lantern, gazed at that wonder for a moment,
gave a "thump" and disappeared. Then another came; then two or three.
They gazed into this unspeakably dazzling thing, then one gave the alarm
by thumping, and all were lost to sight.

But they came again and in ever-increasing numbers, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10 at
last, now in plain view, gazing wildly at the bright light, pushing
forward as though fascinated. Some two or three so close together that
they were touching each other. Then one gave the thumping alarm, and all
scattered like leaves, to vanish like ghosts. But they came back again,
to push and crawl up nearer to that blazing wonder. Some of the back
ones were skipping about but the front ones edged up in a sort of
wild-eyed fascination. Closer and closer they got, then the first one
was so near that reaching out to smell the lantern he burnt his nose,
and at his alarm thump, all disappeared in the woods. But they soon
returned to disport again in that amazing brightness; and, stimulated
by the light, they danced about, chasing each other, dodging around in
large circles till one of the outermost leaped over the camera box and
another following him, leaped up and sat on it. My friend was just
behind, hidden by the light in front, and he had no trouble in clutching
the impudent Rabbit with both hands. Instantly it set up a loud
squealing. The other Rabbits gave a stamping signal, and in a moment all
were lost in the woods, but the one we held. Quickly we transported it
to another leatheroid box, intending to take its picture in the morning,
but the prisoner had a means of attack that I had not counted on. Just
as we were going to sleep he began with his front feet on the resounding
box and beat a veritable dr