was seen nibbling industriously with his sharp teeth,
and committing as much havoc in the forest as if he
had been armed with the woodman's axe; others sported
in the eddies. Racoons sat in the tree-tops; the marten,
the black fox, and the wolf prowled in the woods in
quest of prey; mountain sheep and goats browsed on
the rocky ridges; and badgers peeped from their holes.
Here, too, the wild horse sprang snorting and dishevelled
from his mountain retreats--with flourishing
mane and tail, spanking step, and questioning