It was very still in
these woods. I heard nothing but the gently rustling leaves, the faint
buzzing in the air, and an occasional tiny splash made by some small
fish skimming near the surface of the stream. When I sat down on the
root of the tree, I intended to think, reflect, make plans, determine
what I should do next; but I did nothing of the sort. I simply sat and
drank in the loveliness of this woodland scene.
The stream curved away from me on either hand, and the short stretch of
it which I could see to the left seemed to come out of the very heart of
the woods. Suddenly I heard in this direction a faint regular sound in
the water, as if some animal were swimming. I could not see anything,
but as the sounds grew stronger I knew that it must be approaching. I
did not know much of the aquatic animals in this region; perhaps it
might be an otter, a muskrat, I knew not what. But, whatever it was, I
wanted to see it, and, putting down my cigar, I slipped softly behind
the tree at whose foot I had been sitting.
Now the swimming object was in view, coming rapidly toward me down the
middle of the stream. There was but little of it above the water, and
the shadows were so heavy that I could see nothing but a dark point,
with a bright ripple glancing away from it on either side.
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