animal's course was crooked. Then there was a long
break in it, showing possibly that the creature had run a fence or
swung from one tree to another.

"That's a Coon," said Yan eagerly, for he had not forgotten any detail
of the other lesson.

Caleb made no reply.

The Hound tongued a long way off, but came back to the pond and had
one or two checks.

"It's a great running for a Coon," Yan remarked, at length in doubt.
Then to Caleb, "What do you think?"

Caleb answered slowly: "I dunno what to think. It runs too far for a
Coon, an' 'tain't treed yet; an' I kin tell by the Dog's voice he's
mad. If you was near him now you'd see all his back hair stannin' up."

Another circle was announced by the Dog's baying, and then the long,
continuous, high-pitched yelping told that the game was treed at last.

"Well, that puts Fox and Skunk out of it," said the Trapper, "but it
certainly don't act like a Coon on the ground."

"First there gets the Coon!" shouted Blackhawk, and the boys skurried
through the dark woods, getting many a scratch and fall. As it was,
Yan and Wesley arrived together and touched the tree at the same
moment. The rest came straggling up, with Char-less last and Guy a
little ahead of him. Guy wanted to relate the full particulars of his
latest glorious victory over Char-less, but all attention was now on
old Turk, who was barking savagely up the tree.

"Don't unnerstan' it at all, at all," said Caleb. "Coony kind o' tree,
but Dog don't act Coony."

"Let's have a fire," said the Woodpecker, and the two crowds of boys
began each a fire and strove hard to get theirs first ablaze.

The firelight reached far up into the night, and once or twice the
hunters thought they saw the shining eyes of the Coon.

"Now who's to climb?" asked the Medicine Man.

"I will, I will," etc., seven times repeated; even Guy and Char-less
chimed in.

"You're mighty keen hunters, but I want you to know I can't tell what
it is that's up that tree. It may be a powerful big Coon, but seems to
me the Dog acts a little like it was a Cat, and 'tain't so long since
there was Painter in this county. The fact of him treeing for Turk
don't prove that he's afraid of a Dog; lots of animals does that
'cause they don't want to be bothered with his noise. If it's a Cat,
him as climbs is liable to get his face scratched. Judging by the
actions of the Dog, _I think it's something dangerous_. Now who
wants the job?"

For awhile no on