she slipped
into the hole, and dragged Hans after her. The juniper-bush entirely
covered the entrance. She could see everyone who approached, without
being seen. Unhappily, the boy too caught sight of Stubby Mons, and
called him by name. The lumberman stopped and pricked up his ears.

"Did you hear anybody call?" he asked his companion.

"N-n-n-n-aw, I d-d-d-d-didn't," answered Stuttering Peter. "There b-be
lots of qu-qu-qu-qu-eer n-noises in the w-w-w-woods."

Little Hans heard every word that they spoke, and he would have
cried out again, if it hadn't appeared such great fun to be playing
hide-and-go-seek with the lumbermen. He had a delicious sense of being
well hidden, and had forgotten everything except the zest of the game.
Most exciting it became when Stubby Mons drew the juniper-bush aside and
peered eagerly behind the boulder. Inga's heart stuck in her throat;
she felt sure that in the next instant they would be discovered. And as
ill-luck would have it, there was something alive scrambling about her
feet and tugging at her skirts. Suddenly she felt a sharp bite, but
clinched her teeth, and uttered no sound. When her vision again cleared,
the juniper branch had rebounded into its place, and the face of Stubby
Mons was gone. She drew a deep breath of relief, but yet did not dare to
emerge from the den. For one, two, three tremulous minutes she remained
motionless, feeling all the while that uncomfortable sensation of living
things about her.

At last she could endure it no longer. Thrusting little Hans before her,
she crawled out of the hole, and looked back into the small cavern. As
soon as her eyes grew accustomed to the twilight she uttered a cry of
amazement, for out from her skirts jumped a little gray furry object,
and two frisky little customers of the same sort were darting about
among the stones and tree-roots. The truth dawned upon her, and it
chilled her to the marrow of her bones. The wolf's den was not deserted.
The old folks were only out hunting, and the shouting and commotion of
the searching party had probably prevented them from returning in time
to look after their family. She seized little Hans by the hand, and
once more dragged him away over the rough path. He soon became tired and
fretful, and in spite of all her entreaties began to shout lustily for
his father. But the men were now so far away that they could not
hear him. He complained of hunger; and when presently they came to a
blu