Evening star., 1926-05-09

own country; he was Wanderer re-
turned to his heath. Whatever
strange people lived here were his
people Yet. paradoXically. they were
enemy people. He knew that, knew
it without question. knew it indubit
ably, for the wind told him.
While the doctor and Ray pitched
the tents, Ump stealthily crawled
across the glade to the great bleached
snag stretched from the forest on one
hand 10 the roaring little river on the
other. 1t was a huge snag. 6 feet
high as it lay. and 200 feet long, Are
smitten out of the father forest of the
present forest. imp managed, with
the aid of a leaning limb, to climb
upon it. Thence he made his way to-
ward is fortress-like butt, at the river.
Slowly, cautiously, he advanced. He
was in the midst of a thousand mighty
dangers. Near him the doctor puffed
and shouted as he swung a hand axe,
but Ump was silent and wide-eyed.
He knew what he knew, which was
what the air and the feel of it told
him; he knew that this was no time
| for careless shouting. Along the log
| seas of tree fern SWarmed, as high as
| the logs white top, so that it formed
a wooden road through the surface of
the fern brake. Down this road crept
imp. At the butt the roots stuck up
! like a wall; imp climbed among them.
stuck his nose out, looked, and
! listened.
| The forest was still. The great frs,
| like aged prophets, crooned a little
! high above. In the river was group
of subdued voices, as though a clan
of hunters. heads together, muttered
over their plans. Beneath the great
frs. cavern after gloomy cavern open
ed out. And as imp watched he saw
the wilderness. He saw one of his
own people-hs enemy friends. He
froze, a little white speck up among
the roots, scarcely drawing breath.
1t was a smooth tawny body. Only
| for an instant did he see it. 1t came
out of the gloom, lightly leaped over
a brown log, disappeared in the gloom.
1t was only a shadow of tawniness.
a hint of sinuous body. But the
clean white fangs glinted in the twi-
light forest. And from them a limp
body hung, a body that would have
made many creatures the sizes of imp.
And imp knew; the white fangs, the
lifeless body hanging from them
these were the wilderness. Some
where he had known it all before
when and how he did not know.
THE paunchy doctor was industri-
ously sharpening peg when Ump
flung upon him. The little dog seemed
crazed. He danced around the man,
yelped. tried to tell him of the great
fanged enemy in the forest. He
scrambled back on the snag. ran its
length, took a long look into the gloom
where the beast had appeared, and ran
back.
The Doctors fat hand swept imp
aside. Get away" he growled. Go
lie down. Did you see a mouse?"
Ump, humiliated, skunk off, the stub
Of his tail trying to sneak between
his legs. Alene reached to pick him
up. He growled a quavery. fierce lit.
tie growl that babe her mind her own
affairs. He found a shoe box and
to fasten his eyes on the huge doctor.
imp was loyal. Here, in the pres
ence of enemies, he was beginning to
find his own relationship to his mas
ter For the first time in his life he
felt an overwhelming love for the
master From every hand came
squalls and cries that he alone under
stood. The intense reality of them
Ito him) made him wild TO rush and
tell the whole thing to the doctor.
He felt important. He and he
alone understood the cries and squalls.
heard the overtone of hidden life, felt
the full meaning of that single pic
ture he had seen of tawny body and
white fanes. He wished to rush up