"It is," concurred Mooswa; "forests of green Spruce trees——"
"Not so, Brother Tangle-leg," objected Oohoo; "true I have been within the Timber Boundaries, but that was far to the south of my home. I remember, once upon a time, thinking to better my condition, for it was a year of scarce Caribou; I trailed down past Great Slave Lake to the home of my cousin, Blue Wolf, who was Pack Leader of the Timber Wolves. Ghurrh-h! but they led a busy life. Almost day and night they were on the hunt, for their kill was small; a Grey Rabbit, or a Grouse, or a Marten—a mere mouthful for a full-hungered Wolf.
"But in the Northland where one could travel for days and days over the white snow and the hunt meant a free run with no chance of cover for the prey, it was all a matter of strength and speed. Leopard has boasted of the merit of his spotted coat for hiding in the sun-splashed Jungle; and also Bagh has told how the stripes on his sides hide him in the strong grass. But look at me, my Comrades——"
"You are pretty," sneered Magh.
"Here I am dirty brown," resumed Oohoo, paying no attention to the taunt, "and what does that mean?"
"That you are dirty and a Wolf," answered Magh, innocently.
"It shows that I live in a dirty brown place," asserted Wolf. "We are all dirty brown here."
"I'm not," objected Python.