sounded, The leopard turned and made for the three deer. The sambar and chital ran. Tiny Tim was not so quick. The grass around him was as high as he was and prevented him from moving fast.
The sambar looked back at the little fellow struggling among die grass blades. The giant, risking death in the claws of the leopard, ran back, picked up Tiny Tim in his jaws and joined the chital in a race for safety.
The leopard, although the greatest killer in the cat world, could not keep up with the deer. They left him far behind and Vic heard him a mile away roaring his anger because his quarry had escaped him.
Vic went back to the Hunt cabin. He told the boys about his bravery in facing three deer and a leopard.
‘Well, I don’t suppose you got the leopard,’ Hal said, ‘but it’s great that you brought home three deer. Did you put them in a cage?’
‘No,’ Vic admitted. ‘I didn’t bring back all three.’
‘1 suppose you got the two big ones.’
‘Not exactly.’
Too bad,’ Hal said, ‘but it’s great that you got the mouse-deer. It can’t go fast so it was easy to catch. It’s really the most important of the three. It’s unique and valuable because of its remarkably small size. So we must congratulate you on bringing home one of the most unusual deer in the world. Where did you put it, this Tiny Tim as you call it?’
1 couldn’t catch it.’
‘But it’s so easy to catch in the long grass and rocks. What was the trouble?’
The big fellow came back and carried it off.’
Neither Hal nor Roger could think of anything more to say.
It was getting dark, Vic went to his quarters nearby.
Roger was angry with Hal. He blamed Hal for taking on this stupid city bum.
As they entered the cabin Roger noticed something moving into a dark corner. It looked like a harmless garter snake. It was small, not more than four feet long.
‘Good,’ thought Roger. ‘I’ll give him a treat. I won’t do anything but scare him half to death.’
After Hal was in bed and asleep, Roger picked up the snake by the tail and slipped it into Hal’s bed. That suited the snake to a T. It snuggled up to Hal to get his warmth;
Hal woke, felt something squirming about on his ribs, let out a yell and threw the serpent out on the floor. Roger laughed till he ached.
‘You love animals so much, how about that one?’ he said.
Hal looked at the snake and his face went white.
‘You don’t need to worry,’ Roger said. ‘It’s not poisonous.’
‘Not poisonous!’ roared Hal. That’s a hooded cobra!’
Roger apologised. ‘Gee whiz, I didn’t know.’ He fully expected Hal to blow up and was astonished when his patient brother merely dropped the snake into a burlap bag and said:
That’s just fine. One of the chief things we were told to get - a hooded cobra! Thanks a lot for what you did, little brother. And if you ever do it again I’ll knock your head off.’
Chapter 4
Three Prizes
Early in the morning Roger, Hal and Vic went back to the spot where Vic had failed to capture the sambar, chital and mouse-deer. Perhaps the animals liked this place and would return to it.
The first thing Hal saw was a rope in a tree.
That must be my lasso. Why didn’t you bring it home,
Vic?’
Vk stared at the lasso as if he had never seen it before. 1 forgot it. Guess I was too excited. The leopard came down and I was afraid he was going to come after me.’
‘Well, there’s no leopard today, so you can rest easy. Listen. I believe they are coming. They like this place. Be very quiet so we won’t frighten them.’
The sambar led the way. The chital came next. Then Tiny Tim, the little mouse-deer, bunted his little head against the grasses and pushed his way in beside his friends.
Vic said, ‘Won’t they run when they see us?’
‘I don’t believe so,’ said Hal. ‘Deer are friends of man. They are like the dolphin and porpoise that swim along close to a ship because they like people. Deer don’t run from men unless
The sambar looked back at the little fellow struggling among die grass blades. The giant, risking death in the claws of the leopard, ran back, picked up Tiny Tim in his jaws and joined the chital in a race for safety.
The leopard, although the greatest killer in the cat world, could not keep up with the deer. They left him far behind and Vic heard him a mile away roaring his anger because his quarry had escaped him.
Vic went back to the Hunt cabin. He told the boys about his bravery in facing three deer and a leopard.
‘Well, I don’t suppose you got the leopard,’ Hal said, ‘but it’s great that you brought home three deer. Did you put them in a cage?’
‘No,’ Vic admitted. ‘I didn’t bring back all three.’
‘1 suppose you got the two big ones.’
‘Not exactly.’
Too bad,’ Hal said, ‘but it’s great that you got the mouse-deer. It can’t go fast so it was easy to catch. It’s really the most important of the three. It’s unique and valuable because of its remarkably small size. So we must congratulate you on bringing home one of the most unusual deer in the world. Where did you put it, this Tiny Tim as you call it?’
1 couldn’t catch it.’
‘But it’s so easy to catch in the long grass and rocks. What was the trouble?’
The big fellow came back and carried it off.’
Neither Hal nor Roger could think of anything more to say.
It was getting dark, Vic went to his quarters nearby.
Roger was angry with Hal. He blamed Hal for taking on this stupid city bum.
As they entered the cabin Roger noticed something moving into a dark corner. It looked like a harmless garter snake. It was small, not more than four feet long.
‘Good,’ thought Roger. ‘I’ll give him a treat. I won’t do anything but scare him half to death.’
After Hal was in bed and asleep, Roger picked up the snake by the tail and slipped it into Hal’s bed. That suited the snake to a T. It snuggled up to Hal to get his warmth;
Hal woke, felt something squirming about on his ribs, let out a yell and threw the serpent out on the floor. Roger laughed till he ached.
‘You love animals so much, how about that one?’ he said.
Hal looked at the snake and his face went white.
‘You don’t need to worry,’ Roger said. ‘It’s not poisonous.’
‘Not poisonous!’ roared Hal. That’s a hooded cobra!’
Roger apologised. ‘Gee whiz, I didn’t know.’ He fully expected Hal to blow up and was astonished when his patient brother merely dropped the snake into a burlap bag and said:
That’s just fine. One of the chief things we were told to get - a hooded cobra! Thanks a lot for what you did, little brother. And if you ever do it again I’ll knock your head off.’
Chapter 4
Three Prizes
Early in the morning Roger, Hal and Vic went back to the spot where Vic had failed to capture the sambar, chital and mouse-deer. Perhaps the animals liked this place and would return to it.
The first thing Hal saw was a rope in a tree.
That must be my lasso. Why didn’t you bring it home,
Vic?’
Vk stared at the lasso as if he had never seen it before. 1 forgot it. Guess I was too excited. The leopard came down and I was afraid he was going to come after me.’
‘Well, there’s no leopard today, so you can rest easy. Listen. I believe they are coming. They like this place. Be very quiet so we won’t frighten them.’
The sambar led the way. The chital came next. Then Tiny Tim, the little mouse-deer, bunted his little head against the grasses and pushed his way in beside his friends.
Vic said, ‘Won’t they run when they see us?’
‘I don’t believe so,’ said Hal. ‘Deer are friends of man. They are like the dolphin and porpoise that swim along close to a ship because they like people. Deer don’t run from men unless
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