The Washington times., 1901-11-10
Ernest seton-Thompson.

Ernest Seton-TiOmpsOn.
A new book by Ernest Seton-Thompson
IS an event in the literary world, as well
as a delight t. all who love the friendship
and study Of animals. His latest work,
Lives Of the Hunted contains the bioG-
raphies Of five quadrupeds and three
birds, all illustrated in the authors in
iInitahle style. It can hardly be said that
TIE book as a whole will produce so great
an impression as that made by wild
Animals l Have Known" for in the first
place. it lacks the attraction of being an
absolutely new thing n literature; aad, in
the second place. while two or three of
the stories are fully equal to anything in
the first book, the others are less ambi-
tious and consequently less thoroughly ef-
fective But there is no bYd work i'll any
of them. and this collection CT animal
tales-will prove Il worthy companion to
its predtcc cssoIs.
The stories Of "Krag, the Kootenay
Ram" johnny Bear and Tito; the
Story OF the Coyote That Learned How,
are particularly delightful; and Tine
Kangaroo Rat' is an exquisite bit of pO-
etical and whimsical fancy, which has
not its like in anything else that the au-
thor has written. "Chink; the Develop
mont Of a Pup win appeal to every dos
lover; and the teal story. the chickadoe
story, and the sparrow story fill up the
intorstices Of the group.
The avowed object of MIR Seton-Thomp-
son, as explained in his preface, is not
to prevent ali hunting, or to promote
vegetarian diet, or anything OF that kind;
but merely TO check the useless slaughter
of animals which do no harm. When 4
man can put such an argument in a form
so thoroughly convincing and impressive
as that of these biogra phies of animals,
his advent is certainly 4 blessing to the
civilized world.
The story Of the Kootensy Ram affects
one much as the story of Lcbo, in the
first book. 1t is the life of 4 splendid
wild creature, sagacioUs, rCsJUIceful.
brave, loyal to his kind. hunted through
his own mountains for no reason save the
insatiate rapacity and greed of man.
There is a touch of weird superstition -
the end. such as grows up in lonely noun
tain cgions, as it does in seaside places.
Where men are in touch with the mighty
elemental forces of nature, they are apt
TO believe readily in an unseen world.
There is something uucaHny in the last
chase Of Scotty on the trail Of the koote-
nay Ram; one feels the breath of a
malign fate in the air, ana the current Of
in the final dramatic climax Krag is
avenged. There are hundred minor in
cideGts in the story, any one of which
would make hunters tale by itself, but
the final catastrophe is one of the sagas
Of the dlmb brute world
Quite different is Johnny Bear" the
story OF little dy'speptic. whining cub,
who lived with his mother Grumpy. in
the Yellowstone Park. This is pure
comedy. with only a touch of Uathcs at
the end. Johnny is the clown Of Mr.
Thompson's collection Perhaps few
people know that the bears in that vicin-
ity come to the hotel door and ask for
scraps, but they do. and after reading
the adventure which Johnny's mother had
at that same door. no one is likely to for
get the circumstance. Johnny, who was
spoiled bear cub. smeIed plum lam.
and begged his mother to enquire for
some; and this is what happened:
That week the hotel people had
Drought q new Cat from the East
She was not much more than a kitten,
rat still had a litter Of her own and
at the moment that Grumpy reached
the door, the Cat and her family were
summing themselves on the tor step
Pussy opened her eyes to see this
her.
The Cat had revor before sesn a
~ Bear-she had not been there long
- enough; she did not know even what
Bear was. She knew what q Dog
was and here was a bigger. more aw-
iul; bobtailed black Dog than ever she
had dreamed Of coming right at her
Her first thought was to fv for her
HE. But her next was for the kit
tens She must take care Of them
She rnrst at least cover their retreat.
90, Ike a brave little mother she
bracec herself on that d0Orsttu and
Spreading her bacl-. her claws her
tan, and everything she had to spread
she screamed out at that Bear an
unmistakable order 10
STOP"
Tho language must have been Cat
nut the meaning was clear to the
Bear. Tor these who saw il maintain
stcutIy that Grumpy not only stopped
but she also conformed to the custom
Of the country, and, I'm token of sur
render. held up her hands
However, the position she thus took
made her so high that the Cat seemed
tiny in the distance below Old
Grumpy had faced "A Grizzly once, and
was she now to be held up by a miser-
able little spike-tailed skunk. no big
ger than mouthful2 She was asharn-
ed Of herself, especially when a wall
from Johnny smOte on her ear and re
minded her Of her plain duty. as well
as supplied his usual moral support
so she dropped down on her front
feet to proceed.
Again the Cat shrieked "Stopr'
But Grumpy ignored the command
A scared new from kitten nerved
the Cat, and she launched her ultf-
matum, which ultimatum was herself.
Eighteen sharp claws, a mouthful Of
keen teeth. had Pussy. and she worked
them all with a desperate VIII when
she landed on Grumpys bare bald,
sensitive nose, just the spot of ali
2 where the Bear could not stand it
nnd then worked backward to a point
outside the EWgeB al f1IFTTfUy'g f1a
After one or two vain attempts to
shake the spotted fury of old
Grumpy did Just what most creatures
would have done under the circtIm-
Etances; she turned tail and b0lted out
OF the enemy : country into her own
woods.
But Puss fighting blood was up.
She was not content with repelling the
enemy; she wanted 10 infiict a crush
ing defeat II achieve an absolute and
final rout. And. however fast old
Grumpy might 90. 1t did not count
for the Cat was still on top, working
her teeth and claws like little demon.
Grumpy. always srratic. now became
panlcstricken. The trail Of the pair
was hecked with tufts of long back
hair, and there was even bloOdshCd
Tin the fiftieth degreej. Honor surely
was satisfied, but Pussy was not.
Round and round they had gone in the
mad race. Grumpy was frantic. alb
solutely Inundated and ready TO make
any terms; but Pussy was deaf to her
cough-like yelps. and no one knows
how far the Cat might have ridden
chat day had not Johnny unwittingly
put new idea into his mothers head
by Dawlinz IN his best style from the
top Of his last tree. which tree
Grumpy made for and scrambled up.
This was so clearly the enemy's
country. and I'm view OF his re-enforce-
ments, that the Cat wisely decided to
follow no farther. She Jumped from
the climbing Bear TO the ground, and