well to jump to cover first and investigate afterwards.

I paddled swiftly to the point, landed and crept to a rock from
which I could just see the fallen tree. Mooween was coming. "My
bear this time," I thought, as a twig snapped faintly. Then
Koskomenos swept into the woods, hovering over the brush near the
butt of the old tree, looking down and rattling--klrrrik, clear
out! klrrr-ik, clear out! There was a heavy rush, such as a bear
always makes when alarmed; Koskomenos swept back to his perch;
and I sought the shore, half inclined to make my next hunting
more even-chanced by disposing of one meddlesome factor. "You
wretched, noisy, clattering meddler!" I muttered, the front sight
of my rifle resting fair on the blue back of Koskomenos, "that is
the third time you have spoiled my shot, and you won't have
another chance.--But wait; who is the meddler here?"

Slowly the bent finger relaxed on the trigger. A loon went
floating by the point, all unconscious of danger, with a rippling
wake that sent silver reflections glinting across the lake's deep
blue. Far overhead soared an eagle, breeze-borne in wide circles,
looking down on his own wide domain, unheeding the man's
intrusion. Nearer, a red squirrel barked down his resentment from
a giant spruce trunk. Down on my left a heavy splash and a wild,
free tumult of quacking told where the black ducks were coming
in, as they had done, undisturbed, for generations. Behind me a
long roll echoed through the woods--some young cock partridge,
whom the warm sun had beguiled into drumming his spring
love-call. From the mountain side a cow moose rolled back a
startling answer. Close at hand, yet seeming miles away, a
chipmunk was chunking sleepily in the sunshine, while a nest of