But that was its mistake—just as the chameleon with its lightning-like tongue reaches the distant insect, so did Black at the critical moment succeed in thrusting forward his claws and reaching the bird.
These terrible claws of his in reality made his forepaws abnormally long—a fact which his brothers and sisters also had long since discovered!
When Mother Puss sat dissecting her spoil and Black-kitten came too near, she used at first to lash out at Master Impudence. But Master Impudence lashed back! It was as if he said, “You must make room for me, too!” And the old she-cat soon learned to respect him for his swift, scratchy boxes on the ear.
In general he was timid and solitary.... The moment the kittens heard people on the field-path near by, he would arch his back, thicken his fur, and hurriedly run to cover.
MIAUW-MIAUW—MIAUW-MIAUW
Black made one of his first expeditions at the time when the wheat was just high enough to hide him. He sauntered defiantly through it, caring not a jot whether the ground beneath were wet or dry. Long, dark cloud-shadows came hurtling along and surrounded him; the bluish-green wheat became black, making it impossible to distinguish him as he crawled through its depths.
But once, when the sky was clear and the sun unrolled its carpet of light before his eyes, he caught sight of a little brown speck among the green stems. His legs disappeared in his fur, and his body lengthened out, as he pushed chin, neck, belly, and tail slowly along the ground.... Now he could see that the spot was a bird, so fat and heavy that it weighed down the thistle-top on which it sat.
Suddenly came a hoarse scream from the air: “Kra, kra!”
Soon afterwards a peewit fluttered round his ears. It had come from behind and caught him in the act; he had been so absorbed in his sport that he had forgotten to keep a look out.
He refused to flee; he just sat there slashing with his tail while the wide-awake flying-corps of birds did sentry duty above!