The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1912-04-20

|
ously routed by his small antagonist
the affair was Of no great moment
His hurts were not deep. and they
were soon forgotten. But to the moth
or lynx it was different. Her security
was gone. She felt that both the fox
and the bear were after her little
ones. She no longer dared to hunt
at any distance from home; and near
home, thanks to her own reputation,
1t was bad hunting. All she could
do was to lie in wait, with infinite
patience, for chickadees and wood
mice; while her hunger grew, and the
| supply of precious milk in her breasts
began to diminish, and the little ones,
whose eyes We're now Just opening,
became more and more insistent IN
their demands
About three days after the episodes
of the fox and the bear there came to
the knoll an immense COW moose,
seeking, as the lynx had done, soil
| tude and security. To the other side
of the knoll she came; and had no
suspicious of the presence Of the lynx,
who glared down upon her unseen
from bush screened crevice near the
summit. She was black and grim and
very formidable looking, the great
moose, and could well have smashed
the life out of the giant cat with one
stroke of her splayed fore hoof. So
the lynx had no notion of interfering
with her. But she was interested in
the errand that brought the dark tree
eater to this retreat And she hope.
fully licked her whiskered jaws.
About daybreak, on the soft moss at
the foot of the rock, the moose gave
birth to a long legged, shuddeTing
calf. Forgetful at once of all her suf-
fering, she licked the newcomer long
and lovingly till its soft Goa was dry
and glossy dark; and at last, along in
the warm of the day, it staggered
feebly to it's feet and made its first
effort to nurse. It was grotesquely
gaunt, and lank, and big headed, and
loose jointed, and it's spTawling legs
We're too weak to support it's weight
long. In two OF three minutes it sank
down again on the moss, where It lay
staring around with mild, injurious
eyes while it's mother gazed upon it
in a tender ecstasy. To her it was
the one thing of beauty that the whole
green forest held
Suddenly faint sound, other than
that of rustling leaf and twig, caught
her vigilant ear. She turned her head
sharply There among the cedar
trunks, not hundred feet away, was
the bear, turning over and munching
a cluster of bright yellow fungi. A
bear! That was the most to be dread
ed of all possible enemies. With a
harsh cry, a sort of coughing below,
she rushed at him.
At sight of this black whirlwind
sweeping down upon him the bear was
surprised and panied. He was not a
very big bear. And she was a very
big moose. If capable of refection,-a
point on which doctors differ with
some acrimony,-he perhaps reflected
that the knoll was not a lucky neigh
borhood for him. Too many mothers,
and hardly enough mushrooms In any
case, he decided to go away at once
And he acted with such alertness
upon this decision that he managed to
keep certain distance between his
hind quarters and those furiously
pounding hoofs. He felt that he had
reason to congratulate himself.
The lynx had been watching from
her high crevice when the moose
made her mad charge upon the bear.
Her pale, round eyes famed. Sound
lessly she dropped from her ambush.
'AN'C 'oo nv NlS HUN bllt lSCDlG
victim. The lynx was too expert and
too wary hunter for that She want
ed no struggle that would attract
the mothers attention from the pur-
suit of the bear So the unfortunate
calf, which had only just opened his
eyes upon life, went out of it without
knowing what had happened to him.
Without an instant's delay the lynx
began dragging the limp but still
quivering prey up the ROCK. Her only
chance was to get it speedily beyond
the mothers reach.
The lynx was marvelously strong
for beast of her weight, which was
not more than forty-odd pounds, and
she was desperate with determine
ton. She knew that this prize would
keep her from necessity of leaving
the den till her little ones should be
past their first helplessness. Nothing
should be allowed to snatch it from
her! But for all her furious efforts
SO unmanagable was the limp form
| nit e. no,