Page:The Way of the Wild (1923).pdf/211

 be after us with their guns. Not only that, but they will poison us and trap us, until there aren't a dozen crows left in this mighty clan."

The chairman looked around in triumph to see if his words had made their proper impression. They certainly had. They had created consternation in the clan. All was excitement. A chorus of wild caws arose. Old crows craned their necks anxiously and looked hard at the president. Such consternation had never been known in the maple grove.

Finally the commotion subsided. "Wise leader?" asked a sleek crow near the chairman, "what do you suggest? How would you ward off such a calamity? We will be guided by your wisdom. Such a calamity cannot be permitted. We are the scavengers of the country. What would become of all the dead horses and calves and other carrion that men are too lazy to bury if it was not for us? Why, the whole countryside would be filled with stench. Men ought to think of that."

"They ought to think of many things which they do not," said the president. "What I