Page:The Way of the Wild (1923).pdf/128

 and listening. When he thought he heard a sound they would twitch this way and that trying to locate it. His eyes were large and very br ight. He peered this way and that looking about at all the wonderful things. His pink nose twitched trying to smell out the different scents of the woods.

His mother had given him and the rest of the family many lessons on the danger of the woods. She had taught him to listen and to look and also to smell. So he had these three ways of guarding himself, listening, looking, and smelling.

The woods were very quiet. He was sure that none of his enemies were about. There was no hawk or owl, or fox or weasel in the whole woods.

The forest carpet was fresh and green and he wanted so much to run and frolic. So he took a few hops away from the bush.

Something said to him just as plainly as though his mother had spoken, "Go back, go back!" At first he listened to the voice and went back, but he soon yielded to the lure