THE BEAR-SLAYER. 141

the silent little Aztec, hastily dispersed it-
self along the outer edge of the grounds
next to the chaparral abode of the jack-
rabbits, and then, while grave professors
leaned from their windows, and a hundred
curious white boys looked on, these little
brown fellows fastened all their long bird-
nets together, and stretched two wide
wings out and up the hill.

Very quiet but very quick they were, and
when all the nets had been unwound and
stretched out in a great letter V far up
the hill, it was seen that each brown boy
had a long, heavy manzanita wood club in
his hand.

Suddenly and silently as they had come
they all disappeared up and over the hills
beyond, and in the dense black chaparral.

Where had they gone and what did all
this silent mystery mean? One, two, three
hours! What had become of this strange
little army of silent brown boys?

Another hour passed. Not a boy, not a
Sign, not a sound. What did it all mean?