There were others, the furry6 things, the four-footed people of the woods, who knew just as well as the boys what good times were to be had at that particular season, and they made their plans accordingly. The boys had visited the beach that same night, roasted their corn and oysters7, and left long before. The shore was apparently9 quite deserted10. The ebbing11 tide was stealing out softly, scraping and rasping upon the little round pebbles13, sending little golden shells tinkling14 musically against each other, as the water lapped and filtered through them. Overhead shone the great yellow moon, making a wide silvery path straight out across the water. One wondered where the road ended. Back from the beach in the dark woods, plenty of life was now stirring, for the nocturnal prowlers were waking up, though the small windows of the scattered16 farmhouses17 were dark and still. Above the noise of the ebb12 tide the katy-dids were heard contradicting each other tirelessly, hoarsely18, "katy-did, katy-didn't." Crickets shrilled19 in the long, coarse beach grass; a distant screech-owl15 set up an occasional shivery wail20. Then, from amid the thickets21 of scrub oak and barberry bushes, came another call—an unusual cry, not often heard, which began with a tremulous whimper, ceased, then went on; and was finally taken up and answered by another similar whimpering cry, and still another, from different parts of the woods. The first call had been given forth22 by an old hermit23 racoon, or a "little brother of the bear." He was something of a leader, and was sending out a summons for all his relatives to join him in a moonlight frolic.
The old hermit scrambled24 hastily down from his home tree, which happened to be the deserted nest of a great owl. Plainly the old hermit would soon outgrow25 this borrowed home, for when sweet corn is in the milk, and the little salt wild oysters are plentiful26 down on the beach, then the racoon became so very fat that he could barely waddle27. Of course he felt obliged to fatten28 himself in late summer, for already he was making ready for his all-winter's sleep and his long, long season of fasting.
Having reached the ground, the hermit sent out another call—the rallying cry of his tribe; for dearly the racoon loves to feast and frolic in company and was becoming impatient to start off. The only reason, I suspect, why the old hermit lived absolutely alone, at this time, was merely because there was absolutely not an inch of spare room for another racoon in the nest.
To his joy, his kindred had responded, and soon from out of the shadowy places stole one waddling29 form, then another, until finally five racoons were in the party. Then with the hermit leading them, Indian file, they all made their way leisurely30 to the distant corn field. In and out among the tall rows of nodding, whispering blades they stole, and standing31 upon their little black hind32 feet, they would reach up the corn stalk, and deftly33 pull down a plump ear with their forepaws, which they used as cleverly as hands. They never made the mistake of selecting blackened, mildewed34 ears; these and the shrivelled, dwarfed35 ears they tossed disdainfully aside, and my! what havoc36 those coons did make in the corn field that night! They would strip off the silky green husks and eat out only the full, milky kernels37, smearing38 their black noses and paws liberally with the juice, which they would hasten to rinse39 off at the first water they found.
OUT POPPED THE FUNNY PAINTED FACE OF THE BADGER.
There were others in the field that night, but they never interfered41 with one another; there was plenty of corn for all. The woodchuck family also enjoyed sweet corn in the milk and, tempted42 by the moonlight, they had left their burrow43 to feast. Off beyond, skirting the edges of the tall corn, skulked44 a swift, fleeting45 shadow—Redbrush, the fox, bound for the chicken coops, or hoping to find a covey of quails46 or partridges sleeping in the edge of the wheat field. Back in a little creek47 which bubbled in places, broadening out into still, deep haunts for trout48 and pickerel, the moonlight found its way. Here and there you might discover the huts of the muskrats49, mostly deserted, for the inhabitants were all abroad. You might see their brown heads above water, follow the wake of their silvery trails, and hear their playful squeaks50 as they chased each other from village to village. Oh, there were squeaks a-plenty that night all through the deep clover and among the tall grain, while beneath roofs, fast asleep and dreaming, were the children.
For the most part the wild things appeared to live together in peace and harmony; occasionally bitter feelings were felt when the racoons thrust their black paws into a woodpecker's nest and robbed it of eggs. Then, too, old Mrs. Diamond-back, the turtle, would deposit her eggs in a spot which she fondly imagined very secret, failing utterly51 to look up above, where, from a branch, the greenish inquisitive52 eyes of the hermit watched her every movement. Taking it altogether, there was little to disturb their happy life then. Times were going to change and very soon in an unexpected fashion.
Clown-face, the badger, had been routed out of his distant home-nest on the far side of the mountain by an enemy. Because he enjoyed roving, he took up the life of a tramp and made a trip to the seashore, for he dearly loved the little black mussels which he remembered having once found there. As it happened, badgers53 were not common in that section of the country; perhaps one of them had never happened to venture over upon that side of the mountain even, so none of the wild things had ever encountered this queer-looking fellow.
Queer looking he certainly was, and the funniest thing about him was that the sly old fellow, who had often looked at himself in some still pool, knew exactly how odd he appeared to others. He had wit enough to use this knowledge for his own purposes. Once seen, the clown face of the badger was not soon forgotten by other animals. He soon discovered that when a stranger appeared suddenly on the trail whom he did not care to meet, all he had to do usually was to stand still, and stare and stare at the intruder, who invariably would back out or side-step from the trail, leaving it clear to the badger; why, I will explain.
In the first place, the badger was just about as broad as he was long. His thick fur coat, which was flowing and parted in the middle of his back, nearly reaching the ground, looked for all the world as if he carried a goatskin rug across his back. His legs were short and he appeared not unlike a great, hairy caterpillar54 as he waddled55 along. But his fore4 feet carried two tremendously long hooked claws which, if cornered, he would use in fight, for his courage was very great. His head was broad and furry, with short ears. The strangest thing about the badger was his face, which was marked exactly like a funny clown. Although his back was grey—one may still hear the saying, "grey as a badger"—his head and neck were of short, dark brown fur, while like a dash of white paint ran a mark of snowy fur from the bridge of his nose, back to the nape of his neck. On either cheek was another dash of white, reaching from the tops of his ears to the corners of his mouth. Below this was marked out a little crescent of white, set off by a stripe of dark fur. Altogether, the badger always appeared to be wearing a kind of painted disguise. No wonder then, when he stared straight at any animal who had never seen such a funny face, that it turned and ran in an opposite direction. Such was the make-up of Clown-face, the badger. Even now he was making his way in the moonlight to new grounds, where he would be seen and feared. Clown-face was in search of a deserted burrow into which he could crawl and rest, for he was tired. He soon came to the deserted home of the woodchuck family. Into this he crept, taking care to crawl in and turn around, so as to leave his painted face right in the doorway56; then he went to sleep.
After the hermit racoon and his friends had feasted upon sweet corn, they left the corn field and took a stroll down the beach. The tide was out. In among the wet pebbles scurried57 droves of little green crabs58, while clinging to rocks were small, salt wild oysters, which racoons dearly love and which, for this reason, are sometimes called "coon oysters," so greedily do the racoons search for them. It was a funny sight to see the five fat racoons strolling along the beach by moonlight. When they came to a bunch of oysters, down they would plump and, taking the oyster8 in their hind feet, they would deftly crack it open against a stone and dabble59 it up and down in the water with their little black hands, washing it thoroughly60. For the racoon, you know, from its habit of washing its food, is often called "Lotor, the washer." There the little company of coons stayed until turn of tide, when they went back over the wet sand, treading upon their toes and leaving their almost human five-fingered little tracks all along the beach, as they went back to the forest again.
The first to reach home that night was the woodchuck family. They were quite ready for sleep, in the fine burrow which they had spent days in digging. The bushes rustled61 as they swished them aside, and the rustling62 they made awakened63 the badger who had been dozing64 in the entrance of the burrow. Just as Dame65 Woodchuck came to her door, out popped the funny painted face of the badger right into her very eyes. It grunted66 at her fiercely and she hastily backed away with a cry of terror. Never had the woodchucks seen anything like the badger. They waited for it to come out, but it stayed right in the burrow, so the old woodchuck made bold to go to the rear entrance, and squeezing her fat body flat she entered, only to be met by the awful clown-like face again. She hastily backed out. All night the badger remained in possession of the woodchuck's burrow and for days after, until finally they left it to him and began to dig a new burrow some distance away from the old one.
The next night all the wild kindred were again astir. The woodchucks had spent most of the day upon their new burrow. They still had to add chambers67; it was at least a home, so off they went foraging68 with the others, for corn is not always in the milk and it is not always moonlight. That night the old hermit racoon had planned to go back into the forest to dig wake-robin roots. Often, after a great feast, the coons enjoy a diet of these roots, perhaps eating them as a sort of medicine, because they are hot and as fiery69 as pepper, although, with all their biting, peppery taste, the coons devour70 them greedily. In Indian file, off started the coons, and soon succeeded in finding a bed of the coveted71 wake-robin roots, which they began to tear up hastily.
Clown-face, the badger, was also abroad, hunting field-mice or any young, tender creature which he might track. Creeping through the matted jungles of undergrowth, he soon discovered the racoons digging up roots. Thinking to have some fun at their expense and perhaps drive them away from something which he might eat, suddenly he stuck his painted clown-like face through a dark opening of the bushes and grunted at them. The old hermit himself spied the horrible face first, and so frightened was he that without pausing to finish the root in his black paws, he tore off through the bushes with all the others following him. The hermit did not stop running until he reached his home tree, for never had he seen or dreamed of such a face as that which had peered out at him from the woods.
In time Clown-face, the badger, by using his wits managed to have things pretty much his own way there in the forest. He found where the young quails nested. He foraged72 in the unprotected huts of the muskrats and stole their young. He ate the turtles' eggs and made himself a great nuisance to all. The only living thing which Clown-face, the badger, dreads73 now is the hedgehog, for, being almost as ugly and strange-appearing as the badger, it does not fear him or turn aside. So between the two is a bitter feud74, because Clown-face often ventures to devour the hedgehog's rations75. Some time I know there is going to be a terrific encounter between them in the woods, because the stupid-appearing hedgehog never troubles himself to get out of the badger's way, but lies down in his very path, quite unconcernedly. One day Clown-face is going to get to the limit of his patience and rebel. Then I wonder which one will come off the better, the badger or the hedgehog?
Meantime, the wit of Clown-face, the badger, serves him very well. He still roams over the forest trails and along the beach unmolested by the dwellers76 of the wild.
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1
kernel
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| n.(果实的)核，仁；(问题)的中心，核心 | |
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milky
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| adj.牛奶的，多奶的；乳白色的 | |
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dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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fore
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| adv.在前面；adj.先前的；在前部的；n.前部 | |
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hemlock
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| n.毒胡萝卜，铁杉 | |
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furry
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| adj.毛皮的；似毛皮的；毛皮制的 | |
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oysters
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| 牡蛎( oyster的名词复数 ) | |
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oyster
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| n.牡蛎；沉默寡言的人 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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ebbing
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| （指潮水）退( ebb的现在分词 )； 落； 减少； 衰落 | |
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ebb
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| vi.衰退，减退；n.处于低潮，处于衰退状态 | |
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13
pebbles
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| [复数]鹅卵石； 沙砾； 卵石，小圆石( pebble的名词复数 ) | |
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14
tinkling
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| n.丁当作响声 | |
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15
owl
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| n.猫头鹰，枭 | |
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16
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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farmhouses
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| n.农舍，农场的主要住房( farmhouse的名词复数 ) | |
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hoarsely
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| adv.嘶哑地 | |
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shrilled
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| （声音）尖锐的，刺耳的，高频率的( shrill的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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wail
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| vt./vi.大声哀号，恸哭；呼啸，尖啸 | |
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thickets
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| n.灌木丛( thicket的名词复数 )；丛状物 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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hermit
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| n.隐士，修道者；隐居 | |
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scrambled
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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25
outgrow
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| vt.长大得使…不再适用；成长得不再要 | |
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plentiful
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| adj.富裕的，丰富的 | |
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waddle
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| vi.摇摆地走；n.摇摆的走路(样子) | |
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28
fatten
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| v.使肥，变肥 | |
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waddling
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| v.（像鸭子一样）摇摇摆摆地走( waddle的现在分词 ) | |
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leisurely
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| adj.悠闲的；从容的，慢慢的 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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hind
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| adj.后面的，后部的 | |
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deftly
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| adv.灵巧地，熟练地，敏捷地 | |
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34
mildewed
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| adj.发了霉的，陈腐的，长了霉花的v.（使）发霉，（使）长霉( mildew的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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dwarfed
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| vt.（使）显得矮小（dwarf的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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havoc
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| n.大破坏，浩劫，大混乱，大杂乱 | |
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kernels
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| 谷粒( kernel的名词复数 )； 仁； 核； 要点 | |
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smearing
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| 污点，拖尾效应 | |
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rinse
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| v.用清水漂洗，用清水冲洗 | |
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40
badger
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| v.一再烦扰，一再要求，纠缠 | |
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41
interfered
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| v.干预( interfere的过去式和过去分词 )；调停；妨碍；干涉 | |
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tempted
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| v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词） | |
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43
burrow
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| vt.挖掘(洞穴)；钻进；vi.挖洞；翻寻；n.地洞 | |
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44
skulked
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| v.潜伏，偷偷摸摸地走动，鬼鬼祟祟地活动( skulk的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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45
fleeting
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| adj.短暂的，飞逝的 | |
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quails
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| 鹌鹑( quail的名词复数 )； 鹌鹑肉 | |
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47
creek
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| n.小溪，小河，小湾 | |
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48
trout
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| n.鳟鱼；鲑鱼(属) | |
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49
muskrats
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| n.麝鼠（产于北美，毛皮珍贵）( muskrat的名词复数 ) | |
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50
squeaks
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| n.短促的尖叫声，吱吱声( squeak的名词复数 )v.短促地尖叫( squeak的第三人称单数 )；吱吱叫；告密；充当告密者 | |
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51
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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52
inquisitive
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| adj.求知欲强的，好奇的，好寻根究底的 | |
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53
badgers
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| n.獾( badger的名词复数 )；獾皮；（大写）獾州人（美国威斯康星州人的别称）；毛鼻袋熊 | |
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54
caterpillar
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| n.毛虫，蝴蝶的幼虫 | |
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55
waddled
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| v.（像鸭子一样）摇摇摆摆地走( waddle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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56
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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57
scurried
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| v.急匆匆地走( scurry的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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58
crabs
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| n.蟹( crab的名词复数 )；阴虱寄生病；蟹肉v.捕蟹( crab的第三人称单数 ) | |
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59
dabble
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| v.涉足，浅赏 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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61
rustled
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| v.发出沙沙的声音( rustle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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62
rustling
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| n. 瑟瑟声，沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的 | |
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63
awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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64
dozing
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| v.打瞌睡,假寐 n.瞌睡 | |
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dame
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| n.女士 | |
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66
grunted
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| （猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说 | |
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67
chambers
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| n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅 | |
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68
foraging
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| v.搜寻（食物），尤指动物觅（食）( forage的现在分词 )；（尤指用手）搜寻（东西） | |
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69
fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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70
devour
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| v.吞没；贪婪地注视或谛听，贪读；使着迷 | |
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71
coveted
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| adj.令人垂涎的；垂涎的，梦寐以求的v.贪求，觊觎(covet的过去分词)；垂涎；贪图 | |
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72
foraged
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| v.搜寻（食物），尤指动物觅（食）( forage的过去式和过去分词 )；（尤指用手）搜寻（东西） | |
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73
dreads
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| n.恐惧，畏惧( dread的名词复数 )；令人恐惧的事物v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的第三人称单数 ) | |
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74
feud
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| n.长期不和；世仇；v.长期争斗；世代结仇 | |
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75
rations
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| 定量( ration的名词复数 )； 配给量； 正常量； 合理的量 | |
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dwellers
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| n.居民，居住者( dweller的名词复数 ) | |
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