THE INQUISITIVE WEASELS
The Weasels were very unpopular with most of the forest people, the pondand meadow people did not like them, and those who lived in the farmyardcouldn't bear them. Something went wrong there every time that a Weaselcame to call. Once, you know, the Dorking Hen was so frightened that shebroke her wonderful shiny egg, and there were other times when evenworse things had happened. Usually there was a Chicken or two missingafter the Weasel had gone.
The Weasels were very fond of their own family, however, and would telltheir best secrets to each other. That meant almost as much with them asto share food, for they were very inquisitive and always wanted to knowall about everything. They minded their own business, but they mindedeverybody's else as well. If you told a thing to one Weasel you might besure that before the night was over every Weasel in the neighborhoodwould know all about it. They told other people, too, when they had achance. They were dreadful gossips. If they saw a person do somethingthe least unusual, they thought about it and talked about it andwondered what it meant, and decided that it meant something veryremarkable and became very much excited. At such times, they made manyexcuses to go calling, and always managed to tell about what they hadseen, what they had heard, and what they were perfectly certain itmeant.
They went everywhere, and could go quietly and without being noticed.They were small people, about as long as Rats, but much more slender,and with such short legs that their bodies seemed to almost lie on theground. All their fur was brown, except that on their bellies and theinside of their legs, which was pure white. Sometimes the fur on theirfeet matched their backs and sometimes it matched their bellies. Thatwas as might happen. You can easily see how they could steal along overthe brown earth or the dead leaves and grass without showing plainly. Inwinter they turned white, and then they did not show on the snow. Thevery tip of their short tails stayed a pale brown, but it was so tiny ashardly to be noticed. Any Hawk in the air, who saw just that bit ofbrown on the snow beneath him, would be likely to think it a leaf or apiece of bark and pay no more attention to it.
The Weasel mothers were very careful of their children and very brave.It made no difference how great the danger might be, they would stay bytheir babies and fight for them. And such workers as they were! It madeno difference to them whether it was day or night, they would burrow orhunt just the same. When they were tired they slept, and when theyawakened they began at once to do something.
IN WINTER THEY TURNED WHITE. _Page 178_]
Several families lived in the high bank by the edge of the forest, justwhere the ground slopes down to the marsh. They had lived there yearafter year, and had kept on adding to their burrows. There was only onedoorway to each burrow and that was usually hidden by some leaves or astone. They were hardly as large as Chipmunk's holes and easily hidden."It is a good thing to have a fine, large home," said the Weasels, "butwe build for comfort, not for show."
All the Weasel burrows began alike, with a straight, narrow hall. Thenmore halls branched off from this, and every little way there would be aroom in which to turn around or rest. In some of these they storedfood; in others they had nothing but bones and things which were leftfrom their meals. Each burrow had one fine, large room, bigger than anOvenbird's nest, with a soft bed of leaves and fur. Some of the roomswere so near the top of the ground that a Weasel could dig his way up ina few minutes if he needed another door. They were the loveliest sort ofplaces for playing hide-and-seek, and that is a favorite Weasel game,only every Weasel wants to seek instead of hiding. There was never a bitof loose earth around these homes, and that is the one secret whichWeasels will not tell out of the family--they never tell what they dowith the earth they dig out. It just disappears.
Weasels like to hunt in parties. They say there is no fun in doinganything unless you have somebody with whom to talk it over. One nightfour of them went out together as soon as it was dark. They were youngfellows and had planned to go to the farmer's Hen-house for the firsttime. They started to go there, but of course they wanted to seeeverything by the way. They would run straight ahead for a little while,then turn off to one side, as Ants do, poking into a Chipmunk's hole orclimbing a tree to find a bird's nest, eating whatever food they found,and talking softly about everything.
"It is disgraceful the way that Chipmunk keeps house," said one of them,as he came back from going through a burrow under a tree. "Half-eatenfood dropped right on the floor of the burrow in the most careless way.It was only a nut. If it had been anything I cared for, I would haveeaten it myself."
Then they gossiped about Chipmunks, and said that, although they alwayslooked trim and neat, there was no telling what sort of housekeepersthey were; and that it really seemed as though they would do better tostay at home more and run about the forest less. The Chipmunk heard allthis from the tree where he had hidden himself, and would have liked tospeak right out and tell them what he thought of callers who enteredone's home without knocking and sneaked around to see how things werekept. He knew better than to do so, however. He knew that when fourhungry Weasels were out hunting their supper, it was an excellent timeto keep still. He was right. And there are many times when it is betterfor angry people to keep still, even if they are not afraid of beingeaten.
After they had gone he came down. "It was lucky for me," he said, "thatI awakened hungry and ate a lunch. If I hadn't been awake to run awaythere's no telling where I would be now. There are some things worsethan having people think you a poor housekeeper."
Just as the Chipmunk was finishing his lunch, one of the Weaselswhispered to the others to stop. "There is somebody coming," said he."Let's wait and see what he is doing."
It was the Black-tailed Skunk, who came along slowly, sniffing here andthere, and once in a while stopping to eat a few mouthfuls.
"Doesn't it seem to you that he acts very queerly?" said one of theWeasels to the rest.
"Very," replied another. "And he doesn't look quite as usual. I don'tknow that I ever saw him carry his tail in just that way."
"I'd like to know where he is going," said another. "I guess he doesn'tthink anybody will see him."
"Let's follow him," said the fourth Weasel, who had not spoken before.
While he was near them they hid behind a hemlock log out of which manytiny hemlocks were growing. Once in a while they peeped between the softfringy leaves of these to see what he was doing. They were much excited."He is putting his nose down to the ground," one would say. "It must bethat he has found something."
Then another would poke his little head up through the hemlocks and lookat the Skunk. "He couldn't have found anything after all," he would say."I can't hear him eating."
"It is very strange," the rest would murmur.
Now it just happened that the Black-tailed Skunk had scented the Weaselsand knew that they were near. He had also heard the rustling behind thehemlock log. He knew what gossips Weasels are, and he guessed that theywere watching him, so he decided to give them something to think about.He knew that they would often fight people larger than themselves, buthe was not afraid of anybody. He did not care to fight them either, forif he got near enough to really enjoy it they would be likely to bitehim badly, and when a Weasel has set his teeth into anybody it is noteasy to make him let go. "I rather think," said he to himself, "thatthere will be four very tired young Weasels sleeping in their burrowsto-morrow."
"He's walking away," whispered one of the Weasels. "Where do you supposehe is going?"
"We'll have to find out," said the others, as they crept quietly out oftheir hiding-places.
The Skunk went exactly where he wanted to. Whenever he found food he ateit. The Weasels who followed after found nothing left for them. Theybecame very hungry, but if one of them began to think of going off fora lunch, the Skunk was certain to do something queer. Sometimes he wouldlie down and laugh. Then the Weasels would peep at him from ahiding-place and whisper together.
"What do you suppose makes him laugh?" they
would ask. "It must be thathe is thinking of something wonderful which he is going to do. We mustnot lose sight of him."
Once he met the Spotted Skunk, his brother, and they whispered togetherfor a few minutes. Then the Spotted Skunk laughed, and as he passed on,the Black-tailed Skunk called back to him: "Be sure not to tell any one.I do not want it known what I am doing."
Then the four young Weasels nudged each other and said, "There! We knewit all the time!"
After that, nobody spoke about being hungry. All they cared for was thefollowing of the Black-tailed Skunk. Once, when they were in the marsh,they were so afraid of being seen that they slipped into the ditch andswam for a way. They were good swimmers and didn't much mind, but itjust shows how they followed the Skunk. Once he led them over to thefarm and they remembered their plan of going to the Hen-house. They werevery, very hungry, and each looked at the others to see what theythought about letting the Skunk go and stopping for a hearty supper.Still, nobody spoke of doing so. One Weasel whispered: "Now we shallsurely see what he is about. He ought to know that he cannot do wrong ormischievous things without being found out. And since we discover itourselves, we shall certainly feel free to speak of it."
Collie, the watch-dog, was sleeping lightly, and came rushing around thecorner of the house to see what strangers were there, but when he sawwho they were, he dropped his tail and walked away. He was old enoughto know many things, and he knew too much to fight either a Skunk or aWeasel. Every one lets Skunks alone, and it is well to let Weasels alonealso, for although they are so small they bite badly.
Now the Black-tailed Skunk turned to the forest and walked toward hishole. The Screech-Owl passed them flying homeward, and several timesBats darted over their heads. When they went by the Bats' cave theycould tell by the sound that ten or twelve were inside hangingthemselves up for the day. A dim light showed in the eastern sky, andthe day birds were stirring and beginning to preen their feathers.
"What do you think it means?" whispered the Weasels. "He seems to begoing home. Do you suppose he has changed his mind?"
When he reached his hole the Black-tailed Skunk stopped and lookedaround. The Weasels hid themselves under some fallen leaves. "I bid yougood-morning," said the Skunk, looking toward the place where they were."I hope you are not _too_ tired. This walk has been very easy for me,but I fear it was rather long for Weasels. Besides, I have found plentyto eat and have chosen smooth paths for myself. Good-morning! I haveenjoyed your company!"
When even the tip of his tail was hidden in the hole, the Weaselscrawled from under the leaves and looked at each other.
"We believe he knew all the time that we were following him," they said."He acted queerly just to fool us. The wretch!"
Yet after all, you see, he had done only what he did every night, and itwas because they were watching and talking about him that they thoughthim going on some strange errand.