“Why won’t he?”
“I guess you’ll have to go to him to get your information.”
“That’s what I want to do.”
“All right. We’ll try the trolling again if you like.”
“Pretty soon,” replied Walter, whose desire for an argument was keener than his wish to be out on the water under the burning sun. “Just now I’m interested in that flicker. What does he make all that noise for?”
“He’s after the worms in that dead tree where he’s hammering.”
“A bird is a cruel animal.”
“How’s that?”
“Why, he’ll smash and hammer a poor little worm or a bug he catches till there isn’t a spark of life left. Oh, I don’t believe in harming the birds,” Walter hastily added as he saw a look of surprise on Dan’s face. “It isn’t that. Only when I hear so much about saving the birds, I can’t help thinking of the poor little grubs and bugs his birdship doesn’t have any mercy for. See? Why don’t we try to save the bugs and worms as well as the birds?”