nuts; he listened to the whistle which Scarface blew to call
the men to the hunt. He wished that he could blow the whistle and hunt
with the men.

Then a rabbit hopped across his path and stopped and looked at him.
How Fleetfoot longed to catch the rabbit and to hold him in his hands!
He stood perfectly still; he could hear himself breathe; he tried to
breathe more quietly, for he did not want to frighten the rabbit.

The rabbit started. How Fleetfoot wished he would go down the path
where he had scattered burrs! But the rabbit took another path and
Fleetfoot ran to catch him. He was almost sure he could lay his hands
on the rabbit's stumpy white tail.

The rabbit was too quick for him, yet Fleetfoot did not give up. He
started on a hard chase and forgot about everything else. Up hill and
down the rabbit ran and Fleetfoot followed after. Not until the
rabbit was out of sight did Fleetfoot give up the chase. Then he
stopped and rested a while and tried to get his breath.

While Fleetfoot was resting he looked at the squirrels which were
chattering in the trees. He watched them hold nuts with their forepaws
while they gnawed through the shells. He listened to their chattering
and then he wandered on.

Fleetfoot did not know that he had crossed the narrow valley. He did
not know that he had wandered into a strange land. He thought nothing
about where he was until some time had passed. But after a while
everything seemed still, and Fleetfoot began to feel lonesome. And
so he turned around to go back to the women and children.

Fleetfoot walked and walked, but he did not find them. He called, but
no answer came. So he wandered on and on.

Soon Fleetfoot knew he was in a spot he had never seen before.
Everything seemed strange. He looked this way and that; but he could
not tell which way to go. And so the lost child wandered farther and
farther away from home.

He was choking down a sob when he caught sight of some women with
packs upon their backs. Fleetfoot thought he had found his people
going home with their loads of nuts. He ran and called to his mother.

A strange woman stopped and looked at the child. Then she gave a
signal to her clan.

Fleetfoot was within reach of the strange woman before he saw his
mistake. He tried to run away. But he could not do it. A big man
caught him and lifted him up and put him upon his shoulder. Strange
men, women, and children crowded around and stared into his face.

[Illus