t distinctly
jostled.

When the cubs discovered that a third cub had pushed its way into their
proper bed, they grumbled and shoved all the harder. Dusty Star soon
found that there were two sides to his share of the den: one was the
soft one against Goshmeelee: the other was the hard one against a piece
of hemlock root. The more the cubs shoved, the more he felt the root. It
was no good saying "Don't!" The cubs didn't understand "Don't." Even
when their mother growled at them, they kept on pushing and grumbling
and making a fuss, so that _no_ one could be comfortable, or pretend to
go to sleep. Dusty Star made medicine with his voice--much medicine. He
also pushed and shoved. He was not very polite; but then when people are
sleepy they are not always polite, and the cubs really were very
inhospitable. Goshmeelee was at her wits end to know what to do. Short
of cuffing everybody all round, there seemed nothing to be done but
growl. So growl she did, till all her body seemed a big thunder-box,
with a lid that was always on the point of bursting open.

But by degrees the cubs got sleepier and sleepier, and at last forgot to
push. And the rumbling in the thunder-box died away. And Dusty Star,
pressed close against the great old thundermaker, slept his first sleep
among the bears.

When the early morning twilight was stealing into the black places of
the swamp, he crept softly out of the warm furry darkness of the lair,
and picked his way across the bog.

And when he finally reached home, he found that Kiopo had not yet
returned from his night's hunting, and so would not ask him any awkward
questions about his very beary smell. For though you might hide things
from Kiopo's eyes, and ears, it was dreadfully difficult to conceal them
from his nose.

CHAPTER XIV

THE "YELLOW DOGS"

One day about a week after Dusty Star's night in the swamp, he was
returning with Kiopo from a long excursion in the forest, which they had
been exploring to the east, when suddenly a large fox came leaping down
a run-way straight in front of them.

He stopped dead the moment he caught sight of them. Kiopo, who was in
front, growled.

Dusty Star expected to see the fox instantly turn tail, and was
surprised to see that it stood its ground, though it held one paw
suspended, as if for immediate escape. Still growling in a threatening
manner, Kiopo advanced. His hackles were raised, and Dusty Star saw that
he lowered his body slight