;
don't you see?"

"How does it happen that you are that way?"

"I was born that way. All my children are the same, and so were my
parents before me. You see, it's really a matter of ancestry. Way back
somewhere, one of my great grandparents found out it was easier to lop
around sidewise in the water than to stand straight up as you do, so he
lopped around all his life long. His son followed his example and lopped
around a little worse. So it went on, until to-day we could not
straighten up if we were to try. At least, it would take whole
generations before we could balance ourselves as well as you do. As for
me, I don't see as it matters much, for, after all, I quite agree with
my great grandfather that it is best to be comfortable, even if it does
make you ugly, ungraceful, and slow."

But just then Unfortunate Flounder learned what an unhappy thing it was
to be slow. Little White Fox from his station on the bank had been
watching, watching very sharply two dark spots that had appeared in the
water. He had watched them come closer and closer. At last he thought he
could reach out and grab one of them without getting in the water.

"Look out!" cried Salmon Trout, as he glided swiftly away. But poor
Unfortunate Flounder was too slow, and he felt Little White Fox's sharp
teeth close down on him.

Just then something happened. "Here! what are you doing in my fishing
house?" demanded an angry voice. It frightened Little White Fox so badly
that he dropped Unfortunate Flounder back into the river and looked
around.

It was Mr. Golden Marten, and this was his fishing house. At least, he
called it his, for he had made the stairway down to it. It took Little
White Fox only a moment to discover that while Golden Marten was not
quite as large as he was, his teeth were very sharp. The door to the
stairway was quite close to him, and before Golden Marten could stop him
Little White Fox was out of the door and racing for home as fast as his
little legs could carry him.

"All the same," he said to his mother that night, after he had told her
of the cave, "when I am as old as you are, I am going to have a fish
house all my own!"

CHAPTER XVI

LITTLE BROWN SEAL'S NARROW ESCAPE

One day Little White Fox was out in front of his house sunning himself.
He and his mother were living off the bounty of Big White Bear these
days, so there was nothing to worry about. He just stretched himself out
there on the white snow an