His wings are covered with down and do not make a sound. That's the
reason we all dread him so. Ugh! I fairly shiver when I think of him. He
nearly got me once. His sharp claws scratched my ears."

Ko-ko-ka was very hungry. He knew the rabbits were in that meadow, and
hated to go off without one. While Wa-poose had been talking, he had
been sailing slowly round the field. Now he was coming back again.

As he flew over little Luke's head he looked down. Perhaps he saw a
slight movement as little Luke tried to look up at him. Instantly he
swooped and his sharp claws struck the little boy's hat.

"Hi, there!" said little Luke in astonishment. It was Ko-ko-ka's turn to
be astonished now. He dropped the hat, flapped his great wings, and
floated off towards the woods.

Little Luke left his hat where it fell and waited to see what the
rabbits would do. After a short time the fun began again. There were two
young ones that little Luke noticed in particular. They began their race
in the middle of the field. Round and round they went and each time
round their circles became larger.

Now on the other side of the clover field there was an open gap in the
fence. All at once the danger signal sounded again. Thump! thump! thump!
Again every rabbit squatted, with ears and eyes alert to catch sound or
sight of an enemy.

It was too late. Through the gate bounded a ball of reddish, yellow fur.
Snap! And the teeth of Kee-wuk the Red Fox had seized one of the young
rabbits by the neck. Swinging the limp body over his shoulders, he
trotted quietly off through the gap.

That ended the fun. As they saw the Red Fox every rabbit sprang to his
feet, and with a hop, skip, and jump went over the fence and out of the
clover field. And little Luke saw them no more that night.

XXVIII. WHY THE WILD FOLK NO LONGER TALK THE MAN-TALK

Now in his talks with his wild friends little Luke noticed that they
used many Indian words such as he had learned from Old John the Indian.

"Why is it," said he, one day to Wa-poose, "that you wild folk use so
many of the Red Men's words?"

"Well," said the old rabbit, "that is a long story. But if you will sit
down here beside me, I will tell you about it."

* * * * *

"In the first days," said Wa-poose, "when the world was new, the men and
the wild folk were much alike. They all spoke one language.

"In those days it was always summer. All the year round the grass