ld
manage it.

Caleb remarked his perplexity and said: "Yes; that's so. You ain't
fifteen foot spread across the wings, are you? But hold on--"

He walked to a tall thin tree near at hand, cut it through with the
axe in a few minutes, and threw it so as to rest against the lowest
branch of the big Basswood. Up this Yan easily swarmed, carrying a
stout Elm stick tied behind. When he got to the great Basswood he felt
lost in the green mass, but the boys below carried torches so as to
shed light on each part in turn. At first Yan found neither hole in
the trunk nor Coon, but after long search in the upper branches he saw
a great ball of fur on a high crotch and in it two glowing eyes that
gave him a thrill. He yelled: "Here he is! Look out below." He climbed
up nearer and tried to push the Coon off, but it braced itself firmly
and defied him until he climbed above it, when it leaped and scrambled
to a lower branch.

Yan followed it, while his companions below got greatly excited, as
they could see nothing, and only judged by the growling and snarling
that Yan and the Coon were fighting. After another passage at arms
the Coon left the second crotch and scrambled down the trunk till it
reached the leaning sapling, and there perched, glaring at the hunters
below. The old Hound raised a howl when he saw the quarry, and Caleb,
stepping to one side, drew his revolver and fired. The Coon fell dead
into their midst. Turk sprang to do battle, but he was not needed, and
Caleb fondly and proudly wiped the old white pistol as though it alone
were to be thanked for the clever shot.

Yan came down quickly, though he found it harder to get down than up.
He hurried excitedly into the ring and stroked the Coon with a mixture
of feelings--admiring its fur--sorry, after all, that it was killed,
and triumphant that he had led the way. _It was his Coon_, and
all admitted that. Sam "hefted" it by one leg and said, "Weighs thirty
pounds, I bet."

Guy said: "Pooh! Tain't half as big as that there big Woodchuck I
killed, an' you never would have got him if I hadn't thought of the
axe."

Yan thought it would weigh thirty-five pounds. Caleb guessed it at
twenty-five (and afterward they found out that it barely weighed
eighteen). While they were thus talking the Dog broke into an angry
barking such as he gave for strangers--his "human voice," Caleb called
it--and at once there stepped into the circle William Raften. He had
seen the lights in