s raked the side of his face, and her fine,
punishing fangs tore a gash in his neck, dangerously near his throat.
With a yelp of pain and terror he tore himself free of those deadly
teeth and bounded out of reach. And the raccoon, silently triumphant,
backed up again into her posture of defence against the rock.

But the Irish setter, in that half-minute, had learned a great deal
about raccoons. He now refused to come within four or five feet of his
small antagonist. He leaped up and down, snapping and barking, but had
no more stomach for the actual encounter. His noisy threatenings,
however, which did violence to the silver magic of the night, soon
brought no answer; and the black and white mongrel, barking in great
excitement, rushed up to take a hand in the affray.

At the sight of the quietly desperate raccoon he stopped short. But
his hesitation was from discretion, not from cowardice. He knew that
the raccoon could master him. He took some sort of swift counsel,
therefore, with the blustering setter; and then, having apparently
received assurance of support, sprang boldly on the enemy.

There was a sharp tussle, a confusion of snapping, snarling, clawing,
growling, and squealing; while the Irish setter, having reconsidered
his promise to take a hand, contented himself with barking brave
encouragement from a safe distance. At last the black and white
mongrel, finding that he was getting badly worsted and receiving no
support, tried to draw away; and the raccoon, fearing to be dragged
from her post of vantage against the rock, at once let him go. Both
combatants were breathless and bleeding, and they eyed each other with
the watchfulness born of respect.

The little mongrel now seemed to hold a second and more elaborate
conference with the Irish setter. Possibly he conveyed his opinion of
the latter's character, for the proud-plumed tail drooped
disconsolately, and the loud-mouthed threatenings ceased. Just what
new courage the sagacious mongrel might have succeeded in infusing
into the volatile heart of his ally, just what plan of concerted
action might have been evolved, to the ruin of the heroic little
fighter under the rock, will never be known; for at this moment a
second and larger raccoon came running swiftly and silently up the
bank.

It was the mother 'coon's mate, who had heard the noise of combat
where he was foraging by himself, far down the brook. At sight of this
most timely reinforcement, the be