had been feasting on eggs. The eggs were nearly as
large as fowls', of a deep green colour, with polished shells. There
had been about a dozen in the nest, which was only a small hollow in
the ground lined with dry grass, but most of them had been broken,
and the contents devoured by the weasel. Only two remained entire,
and these he took, and tempted by his hunger, soon broke the shells
at the small end and sucked them clean. They were raw, but never had
eggs, boiled, fried, or poached, tasted so nice before! He had
just finished his meal, and was wishing that a third egg had remained
in the ruined nest, when a slight sound like the buzzing of an insect
made him look round, and there, within a few feet of him, was the big
black weasel once more, looking strangely bold and savage-tempered.
It kept staring fixedly at Martin out of its small, wicked, beady
black eyes, and snarling so as to show its white sharp teeth;
and very white they looked by contrast with the black lips, and
nose, and hair. Martin stared back at it, but it kept moving and
coming nearer, now sitting straight up, then dropping its fore-feet
and gathering its legs in a bunch as if about to spring, and finally
stretching itself straight out towards him again, its round flat
head and long smooth body making it look like a great black snake
crawling towards him. And all the time it kept on snarling and
clicking its sharp teeth and uttering its low, buzzing growl. Martin
grew more and more afraid, it looked so strong and angry, so
unspeakably fierce. The creature looked as if he was speaking to
Martin, saying something very easy to understand, and very dreadful
to hear. This is what it seemed to be saying:--

"Ha, you came on me unawares, and startled me away from the nest I
found! You have eaten the last two eggs; and I found them, and they
were mine! Must I go hungry for you--starveling, robber! A miserable
little boy alone and lost in the forest, naked, all scratched and
bleeding with thorns, with no courage in his heart, no strength in
his hands! Look at me! I am not weak, but strong and black and fierce;
I live here--this is my home; I fear nothing; I am like a serpent,
and like brass and tempered steel--nothing can bruise or break me:
my teeth are like fine daggers; when I strike them into the flesh of
any creature I never loose my hold till I have sucked out all the
blood in his heart. But you, weak little wretch, I hate you! I
thirst for your bloo