The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1926-04-02
Chapter H-Continued

into two channels. He had but one
choice to follow-the stream that
flowed a little south and east. This
stream did not run swiftly. 1t was
not filled with shimmering rifles, and
rocks about which the water sang and
foamed. 1t grew black, like the forest.
1t was still and deep. Without know
ing it, Baree was burying himself
deeper and deeper into Tusoo's old
trapping grounds. Since Tusoo had
died, they had lain undisturbed except
for the wolves, for Gray Wolf and
KaZan had not hunted on this. side OF
the waterway-and the wolves them
selves preferred the more open country
for the chase.
Suddenly Baree found himself at tile
edge of deep, dark pool in which the
water lay still as oil, and his heart
nearly jumped out Of his body when a
great, sleek, shining creature sprang
out from almost under his nose and
landed with tremendous splash in
the center of it. 1t was Nekik, the
otter.
The otter had not heard Baree. and
in another moment Napanekik, his
wife, came sailing out of patch OF
gloom, and behind her came three
little offers, leaving behind them four
shimmering wakes in the Oily-loOking
water. What happened after that
made Baree forget for few minutes
that he was lost. Nekik had disap-
peared under the surface, and now he
rame up directly under his unsuspect-
ing mate with force that lifted her
half out of the water. Instantly he
was gone again, and Napanekik took
after him fiercely. To BARGE it did
not look like play. Two of the baby
offers had pitched on the third, which
seemed to be fighting desperately. The
chill and ache went out of Barees
body. His blood ran excitedly; he for
got himself, and let out bark. In a
flash the offers disappeared. For sew
eral minutes the water in the pool con-
tinued to rock and heave-and that
was all. After little, Baree drew
4 himself back into the bushes and
went on.
1t was about three O'Clock in the
afternoon, and the sun should still
have been well up in the sky. But 1t
was growing darker steadily, and the
strangeness and fear of it all lent
greater speed to Baree's legs. He
stopped every little while to listen,
and at one of these intervals he heard
a sound that drew from him a re-
sponsive and joyous whine. 1t was a
distant hOwl-a VOLTS howl-Straight
ahead of him. Baree was not thinking
of wolves but of Kazan, and he ran
through the gloom of the forest until
he was winded. Then he stopped and
listened long time. The wolf-howl
did not come again. Instead of it
there rolled up from the west a deep
and thunderous rumble. Through the
treetops there flashed vivid streak of
lightning. A moaning whisper of wind
rode in advance of the storm; the
thunder seemed searching Baree out
where he stood shivering under a
canopy Of great spruce. This was his
second storm. The first had frightened
him terribly, and he had crawled far
back into the shelter Of the windfall.
The best he could find now was a hol-
low under big root. and into this he
skunk, crying softly. 1t was baby
ish cry, cry for his mother, for
home, for warmth, for something soft
and protecting to nestle up TO; and as
he cried, the storm burst over the
forest.
Baree had never before heard so
much noise, and he had never seen
the lightning play in such sheets of
fire as when this June deluge fell It
seemed at times as though the whole
world were aflame, and the earth
seemed to shake and roll under the
crashes of the thunder. He ceased his
crying and made himself as small as
he could under the root. which pro-
tected him partly from the terrific
beat of the rain which came down
through the treetops in a flood. It
was now so black that except when
the lightning ripped great holes in the
d
trunks twenty feet away. Twice that
distance from BARGE there was huge
dead stub that stood out like ghost
each time the fires swept the sky, as
II defying the flaming hands up there
to strickland strike, at last, one of
them did! A blush tongue of snap
ping flame ran down the old stub
and as 1t touched the earth, there
came a tremendous explosion above
the treetops. The massive stub shiv.
cred. and then it broke asunder as If
cloven by gigantic ak. If crashed
down so close to Baree that earth and
sticks flew about him, and he let out
a wild yelp of terror as he tried to
crowd himself deeper into the shallow
hole under the root.
With the destruction of the old stub
the thunder and lightning seemed tc
have vented their malevolence. The
thunder passed on into the south and
Aocf lilo ha ,ovlfno 90 40. &ho,sox. :