The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1930-07-18
Continuation Of
CHAPTER XI

- N-@
sound struck our ears. I paused
in wonder as to whence the
noise proceeded, while Franz ex-
claimed, Oh, father, can that be
Swift, our young onager?"
1T cannot possibly be Swift"
I said; adding, after listening at
tentively a minute or two, 81 am
inclined to think it must be the
cry Of a bittern, a fine handsome
bird of the nature of a heron"
"Oh! may I shoot it, father?
But I wonder how a bird can
make that roaring noise! One
would think it was an OK, it is
more like lowing than braying."
"The noise creatures make de
ponds more on the construction
of the windpipe, it's relation to
the lungs and the strength of the
muscles which force out the
breath, than on their size. AS, for
example, how loud is the song of
the nightingale and the little n
airy. Some people say that the
bittern booms with his long bill
partly thrust in the Doggy ground,
which increases the hollow muf-
fled sound of its very peculiar
cry
Franz was very anxious that
the first trophy of his gun should
be so rare a bird as the bittern;
the dogs were sent into the wood,
and we waited some distance
apart, in readiness to fire.
All at once there was a great
rustling in the thicket Franz
fired, and l heard his happy voice
calling out:
I've hit him! I've hit him!"
What have you hit?" shouted
] in return.
"a wild pig" said he; but
bigger than Fritz's."
aha l see you remember the
agouti! Perhaps it is not a hog
at all but n of u little pigs
from the farm. What will the old
SOW say to you, Franz?"
l soon joined my boy, and found
him in transports of joy over an
animal certainly very much like
a pig, although its snout was
broad and blunt. 1t was covered
with bristles, had no tail, and in
color was a yellowish gray.
Examining it carefully, and 40
ticing it's webb feet and its cur
ious teeth, l decided that it must
be a capybara, a water-loving an
imal of South America, and Franz
was overjoyed to find that he had
shot "a new creature" as he said.
1t was difficult to carry it home,
but he very sensibly proposed
that we should open and clean
the carcase, which would make it
lighter-and then putting it in a
game bag, he carried it till quite
tired out; he then asked if l
thought Bruno would let him
strap it on his back. We found
the dog willing to bear the bur
den, and reached Woodlands soon
afterward.
There we were surprised to see
Ernest surrounded by a number
of large rats which lay dead on
the ground.
Where can all these have come
from?" exclaimed 1. "Have you
and your mother been rat-hunting
instead of gathering rice as you
intended?"
I'VE came upon these creatures
quite unexpectedly" he replied,
while in the rice swamp. Knips,
who was with us, sprang away to
a kind of long-shaped mound
among the reeds, and bounced up
on something which tried to es-
cape into a hole. He chartered
and CRASHED his teeth, and the
creature Kissed and squeaked, and
running up l found he had got a
big rat by the tail; he would not
let go, and the rat could not turn
in the narrow entrance to bite
him, but l soon pulled it out and
killed it with my stick.
1.-The mound was a curious erec-
ton, so l broke it open with
some difficulty, and in doing this
dislodged quite a dozen of the
creatures. Some l killed, but
many plunged into the water and
escaped.
ION examining their dwelling l
found it a vaulted tunnel made
of clay and mud, and thickly lined
with sedges, rushes and water
lily leaves. I
"There were other mounds or {
close by, and seeking an
entrance to one l stretched my
game bag across it, and then ham {
mered on the roof till a whole
lot of rats sprang out, several t
into the bag. l hit away
right and left, but began to re- {
pent OF my audacity when 6
found the whole community run
ming about in the widest excite {
ment, some escaping, but many I
stopping in bewilderment, while c
others actually attacked me. t
ut was anything but pleasant
[ assure you, and l began to think I
Of Bishop Hattie in the Mouse /
Tower on the Rhine. Knips liked /
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