New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-12-19

youngsters. but their elders into a return to
nature" Under the Euise Of a thoroughly enter
tanning record of actual vacation days the
author provides instruction Of a highly practical
sort-not the least valuable part of it being that
devoted to the observation of wild animal life.
THE silent watcher sees the most" The boy
Yam, sketching in a convenient hiding place,
saw brown. furry form hop noiselessly from
the green leaves by the pond. 1t skipped over
a narrow bay without wetting its feet, paused
once or twice. then, in the middle of the open
glade, it sat up in plain view-a Rabbit"
A bunch of clover tempted him to a full
past, after which he hoped into tussock in
the midst Of the glade and there turned himself
into mossbump, his legs swallowed up in his
fur, and his laid his back like pair
of empty gloves a couple of rounded
shingles; his nose wabblingS reduced in num-
Der, and he seemed to be sleeping in the last
warm rays of the sun. Yam was very anxious
to see whether his eyes were open or not; he
had been told that Rabbits sleep with open
eyes, but at this distance he could not be sure.
He had no field-glass and Guy was not at hand,
so the point remained in doubt.
The last sun-blots had gone from the trail and
the pond all Swallowed by the trees on the
western side. A Robin began Its evening hymn
on a tall tree, where it could see the red sun
going down, and a Veery was thrilling Its weary,
weary, weary in the Elder thicket along the
brook, when another, a larger animal, doomed
up in the distant trail and glded silently toward
Yam. It's head was low, and he could not make
seconds Yam wet his finger in his mouth and
held it up. A slight GOODNESS on the side of the
coming creature told Yam that the breeze was
from it to him, and would not betray him. 1t
came on, seeming to grow larger, turned lit
tie to side, and then Yam saw plainly by the
sharp nose and ears and the bushy tail that it
was nothing less than Fox, probably the one
that had often barked near camp at night.
1t was tretting away at an angle, knowing
nothing of the watching boy nor of the crouching
Rabbit, when Yam, merely to get better look at
the cunning one, put the back of his hand to his
mouth, and, by sucking, made slight, Mouse
like squeak, sweetest music, potent speLblnder,
to a hungry Fox, and he turned like a flash. For
a moment he stood, head erect, full of polse and
force in curb; a second sQueak-he came slowly
back toward the sound and in doing passed
between Yam and the Rabbit he had crossed
its old trail without feeling much interest, but
now the breeze brought it's body scent. In
stantly the Fox gave up the Mouse hunt-no
hunter goes after Mice when big game is at
hand-and began an elaborate and beautiful
stalk of the Rabbit-the Rabbit that he had not
seen. But his nose his best guide. He
cautiously ziszagged up the wind. picking his
steps with the greatest care, and pointing with
his nose like Pointer Dog.
Now he was within twelve feet-and no move;
ten feet-and Bunny seemed in tranquil sleep;
eight feet-and now the Fox. for the first time.
seemed actually to see his victim. Van had
hard work to keep from shouting a warning;
six feet-and now the Fox was plainly preparing
for final spring
rs it right to let him?" and Vans heart beat
with excitement.
tried the footing till it was perfect, gathered
all his force. then. with silent, vicious energy.
sprung straight for the sleeper. Sleeping? Oh,
no! Not at all Bunny was playing his own
game. The moment the Fox leaped, he leaped
with equal vigor the opposite way and out under
his enemy, Reynard landed the empty
bunch of grass Again he sprang, but the
Rabbit had rebounded like ball in the other
direction and continued this bewildering sue
cession OF marvellous erratic hops. The Fox in
vain tried to keep up, for these wonderful side
jumps the Rabbits strength and the Fox's
weakness; and Bunny went zigzag-hop-skip-
into the thicket and was gone before the Fox
could get his heavier body under speed at all.
wet. heat. cold. hunger. thirst. difficult
travel. insects. hard beds aching muscles"-alI
these, Mr.. White points out. will be the portion
OF the true woodsman. How glorious are his
compensations the reader cannot but feel in the
quickening blood responding to these spirited
details of forest life The chapter con Making
Camp takes him into the heart of wholesome
primitive things. and he wanders till the last
page is reached. in land Of enchantment. He
is not TO venture there with the paraphernalia
of civilization-"To go light" We are warned in
the beginning. lis to play the game fairly
and the joy of cenqueriug the discomforts of
such woodland wanderings is wildly pictured
here Athletic requirements do not mean very
much in the forest 'Woods-walking" says Mr.
White, differs widely from ordinary walking
trap-shooting from ield-shooting"
A good pedestrian may tire very quickly in
the forest No two successive steps of the
same length; no two successive steps fall the
same quality of footing; no two successive steps
the same level. Those three the
major elements of fatigue Add further the
facts that your way is continually obstructed
by real difficulties such trees, trunks and
rocks-and lesser annoyances, such branches
bushes, and even spder-webs. These things all
combine against endurance. The inexperi-
enced does not know how to meet them with
minimum of effort The tenderfoot is in a
slant state of muscular and mental rigidity
against a fall or a stumble cut across the
face from some of the infinitely numerous
woods scourges. This rigidity speedily eX-
hausts the vital force.
So much for the philosophy of it, Its prac-
teal side might be infinitely extended. Woods
men are tough and enduring and in good condi-