ludicrous love-making dance, hopping from one foot to the other until
his fat stomach shook, and chuckling louder than ever. The charms of
Iskwasis were indeed sufficient to turn the head of an older beau than
Kawook. She was a distinctive blonde; in other words, one of those
unusual creatures of her kind, an albino. Her nose was pink, the palms
of her little feet were pink, and each of her pretty pink eyes was set
in an iris of sky-blue. It was evident that she did not regard old
Kawook's passion-dance with favour and sensing this fact Kawook changed
his tactics and falling on all four feet began to chase his spiky tail
as if he had suddenly gone mad. When he stopped, and looked to see what
effect he had made he was clearly knocked out by the fact that Iskwasis
had disappeared.
For another minute he sat stupidly, without making a sound. Then to
Miki's consternation he started straight for the tree in which Neewa
was sleeping. As a matter of fact, it was Kawook's dinner-tree, and he
began climbing it, talking to himself all the time. Miki's hair began
to stand on end. He did not know that Kawook, like all his kind, was
the best-natured fellow in the world, and had never harmed anything in
his life unless assaulted first. Lacking this knowledge he set up a
sudden frenzy of barking to warn Neewa.
Neewa roused himself slowly, and when he opened his eyes he was looking
into a spiky face that sent him into a convulsion of alarm. With a
suddenness that came within an ace of toppling him from his crotch he
swung over and scurried higher up the tree. Kawook was not at all
excited. Now that Iskwasis was gone he was entirely absorbed in the
anticipation of his dinner. He continued to clamber slowly upward, and
at this the horrified Neewa backed himself out on a limb in order that
Kawook might have an unobstructed trail up the tree.
Unfortunately for Neewa it was on this limb that Kawook had eaten his
last meal, and he began working himself out on it, still apparently
oblivious of the fact that the cub was on the same branch. At this Miki
sent up such a series of shrieking yelps from below that Kawook seemed
at last to realize that something unusual was going on. He peered down
at Miki who was making vain efforts to jump up the trunk of the tree;
then he turned and, for the first time, contemplated Neewa with some
sign of interest. Neewa was hugging the limb with both forearms and
both hind legs. To retreat another foot on th
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