As Slicko came nearer to the pile of nuts, and saw how nice they looked, she said to herself:
“Oh, there will be enough for all winter. How lovely!”
But there was something else besides the nuts there on the ground, though Slicko did not see it. If she had noticed it, and had kept out of the way, she might not have had as many adventures as she did have. But little squirrels are not always wise and smart, any more than real children are.
Right up to the pile of nuts scampered Slicko. She took up some chestnuts in her paws, that were like little hands, and then, all of a sudden, something clicked, and snapped, and Slicko felt herself caught by one leg, and held tightly.
[CHAPTER VII]
SLICKO IS CAUGHT
Poor Slicko was so surprised at first, and her leg pained her so much, from whatever it was that had grasped it, that the little squirrel lay quite still for a moment. Her heart beat very fast, and she thought of the many dangers, which her father and mother had told her might happen to little squirrels.
“And I’m sure something dreadful has happened to me!” thought Slicko, as she looked all around with her bright eyes. “Yes, something dreadful has happened. I wonder what it is. Can it be that an owl, or a hawk or a snake has caught me?”
Slicko tried to think of these different birds and the snake, for each one has a different way of catching a squirrel, and Slicko wanted to make sure which it was that had hold of her.