Page:Hugh Pendexter--The young timber-cruisers.djvu/108

 the hideous voice of the old squaw duck, sometimes styled the “soap-bubble” bird from its rapidly repeated “a-wa-wa-wa-wa.” Each of these unfamiliar voices contained a horrible threat to the untutored youth, and only by a great effort did he keep from crying aloud. Overhead a Wilson snipe was giving its weird wing sound of “hoo-hoo-hoo” in a whistling note.

“There is something about to attack us,” he finally cried out, unable to control himself as a heavy step sounded near his head.

“Consarn it! can’t ye keep quiet?” angrily cried Abner. “Think I’m going to set up nights with ye?”

“But I tell you, some big creature is just outside,” insisted Stanley.

“Porcupine,” quietly explained Charlie.

“Yas, it’s a porcupine,” growled Abner. “It walks heavy and sounds like a bear, but it ain’t. Now go to sleep.”

“Hark,” was Stanley’s reply. “Can’t you hear it? Two men talking in the woods.” As he paused there came a muffled note, indeed resembling the voices of two men conversing in low tones.

“That’s a coon,” impatiently informed Abner.