y could,
only swallowing a bite out of each, from the thick, flaky meat behind
the head. They were young, you see--though not more foolish than lots
of sportsmen we hear about. In a very few minutes, of course, every
fish that could get away had got away as far as possible from that
deadly pool. And then the two reckless fishermen crawled ashore and
began a tug of war with a stick. They could just not help playing, you
see, any more than kittens or puppies could; though they were still
lonely and anxious. And in their play they kept very close to the
water's edge, in case the fox should happen along to inquire after
their parents.

"The fox did not turn up. But after some time they caught sight of a
great, dark bird winnowing his way slowly above the tree tops. Just to
be on the safe side, they got into the water so quickly that one of
them, to save time, threw himself in backwards. They did not know that
it was only a fishhawk, an amiable soul, quite indifferent to such
delicacies as young otters. Another thing they did not know was that
if the fishhawk _had_ wanted them, he could have caught them more
comfortably in the water than on shore.

"When the great bird was well out of sight they started off down
stream, partly to have another look for their lost parents, partly
because they had nothing better to do. But they did not go very far
that day, or have any more very exciting adventures. They spent most
of their time in the water, where they had no foe to watch out for
except the mink. And, as the fish had now learned to beware of them,
they had enough to do in satisfying their lively appetites. That night
they slept in the den, lying close to the water's edge, lest the fox
should come. And they had no visitors.

"The next day they were feeling more confident, more sure of
themselves. So they set out on a longer expedition. In the course of
the morning they killed a big muskrat, after a sharp fight, and felt
terribly proud of themselves. They got bitten, of course, and had
their fur all mussed up, so it meant a long, elaborate toilet in the
warm grass by the water's edge. And it was not till early in the
afternoon that they came once more to the fateful slide where their
parents had so mysteriously vanished.

"At the sight of it, as they came upon it suddenly around a bend of the
stream, their fur bristled and they crouched flat, glancing angrily
this way and that. Then they stole forward, an