Adventures of Fleet Foot and Her Fawns Read online

  Produced by Roger Frank.

  THE ADVENTURES OF FLEET FOOT AND HER FAWNS

  A True-to-Nature Story for Children and Their Elders

  BY ALLEN CHAFFEE

  Author of "Twinkly Eyes," "The Little Black Bear," "Trail and Tree Top," and "Lost River, or The Adventures of Two Boys in the Big Woods"

  ILLUSTRATED

  MILTON BRADLEY COMPANY SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS

  ----

  Copyright 1920, by MILTON BRADLEY COMPANY

  SPRINGFIELD, MASS.

  Adventures of Fleet Foot Bradley Quality Books for Children

  ----

  TO POLLY WHO IS A DEAR HERSELF

  ----

  CONTENTS

  - CHAPTER I.--THE SPOTTED FAWNS.

  - CHAPTER II.--A FOXY TRICK.

  - CHAPTER III.--AT THE VALLEY FARM.

  - CHAPTER IV.--THE ROUND-UP.

  - CHAPTER V.--A SON OF THE WILD.

  - CHAPTER VI.--A STRANGE FRIENDSHIP.

  - CHAPTER VII.--A WIT OUT-WITTED.

  - CHAPTER VIII.--STEEP TRAILS.

  - CHAPTER IX--THE OGRE OF THE AIR.

  - CHAPTER X.--WILD GRAPES.

  - CHAPTER XI.--SPECKLED TROUT.

  - CHAPTER XII.--THE VICTOR.

  - CHAPTER XIII.--THE QUEER FEATHERS.

  - CHAPTER XIV--STARVATION TIME

  - CHAPTER XV.--THE GRAY WOLVES.

  - CHAPTER XVI.--THE FARMER'S PLAN.

  ----

  THE ADVENTURES OF FLEET FOOT AND HER FAWNS

  CHAPTER I.--THE SPOTTED FAWNS.

  "Me-o-ow!" screamed Old Man Lynx, from the heart of the woods. The twospotted fawns heard the cry from their laurel copse on the rim of LoneLake. But, though their big, soft eyes were round with terror, soperfectly had they been trained, they never so much as twitched an ear.Well did they know that the slightest movement might show to someprowler of the night just where they lay hidden.

  Next morning, no sooner had the birds begun to chirp themselves awake,than Mother Fleet Foot fed the fawns as usual and ate her own lightbreakfast of lily pads, Then she lined up the two fawns before her.

  "Children," she said, in deer language, "you have a great deal to learnbefore ever you can take care of yourselves in these woods. From now onwe are going to have lessons."

  "Yes, Mother," bleated the little ones, "but what are lessons."

  "They are going to be as much like play as we can make them," said FleetFoot. "You need practice in running, and we must play 'Follow theLeader' every day. Mother, of course, will be the leader. It will belots of fun."

  The fawns waggled their ears in delight.

  "Now listen, both of you," said Fleet Foot. "_This_ means danger! Followme!" And she stamped her foot three times and whistled, as she leapedaway through the bushes.

  "Just watch my white flag, and you'll know where to follow," she called;and she showed them how, when she ran, she held the white lining of hertail straight up to show which way she had gone. This was because herbrown back might not show between the tree-trunks.

  "And when I give the danger signal, you must give it, too, to warn theothers," she added, leaping back to their side.

  "What others?" asked the tinier fawn.

  "Any deer within ear-shot. That is how we help each other. Andremember--obey on the instant! It is the only safe way!"

  Suddenly she gave the danger signal!

  This time it was in real alarm, for she had spied a black snake wigglingtoward them. The fawns bounded after her, just in time to escape theugly fellow. And, because woods babies learn quickly they remembered togive their own tiny stamp and whistle, their own wee white flagswig-wagging behind them. Fleet Foot could have killed the snake with hersharp fore-hoof, but a deer's long legs are better suited to runningaway when danger is near.

  The next day she taught them to leap exactly in her footprints. She tookshort steps, so that it would be easy for them. Great skill andexperience is needed for a deer to know where and how to put his feetdown when he makes those great leaps of his. He may land, now among therocks, now in marshy ground, slipping over mosses and scrambling overtree-trunks. It would be only too easy to break one of those slenderlegs, and be at the mercy of his enemies.

  By the time the fawns were six weeks old, they had learned just how toland without stumbling and hurting their frail ankles. Then, one day,young Frisky Fox, hiding at the edge of the clearing, saw a strangesight. In fact, he thought he had never seen anything quite so odd inall his life.

  Down four little trails from the hill-top came four does, Fleet Footamong the number. And close behind each doe came her two fawns. Then afifth mother came from the other side of the meadow. She had only onebaby with her.

  It was to be a sort of party. But the fawns were most unwilling to getacquainted, as their mothers intended them to do. The baby bucks made ateach other with heads lowered, ready to fight. The infant does backedtimidly away to the edge of the meadow. But their mothers insisted, withgentle shakings of their heads and shovings of their velvet noses.

  They were pretty creatures, these baby deer, with their softorange-brown coats spotted with white, and their great innocent browneyes! Everything about them, from their slender legs to their swingingstride, was graceful.

  Now the mothers formed in line, the little ones trailing along behindthem. "Ah!" thought Frisky Fox, "a game of 'Follow the Leader'." He andhis brothers had often played it with Father and Mother Red Fox.

  At first the does ran slowly around the clearing, then they quickenedtheir pace, the little ones trying their best to keep up.

  Suddenly Fleet Foot, who was in the lead, leaped over a fallen log atthe edge of the glade and off into the woodland. The other doesfollowed. Then came Fleet Foot's youngest. This little scamp only ranaround the log, while her brother crawled under.

  But that was not what Fleet Foot wanted. She came back, stamping herfoot for attention.

  "Do just as I do!" she insisted. "Now come back and try it over again."And she trotted out into the glade, and circled around it, the tinierfawn close at her heels, till she came to the log again.

  "Now!" she stamped, taking the leap once more. The fawn followed tillshe came to the log, then stopped short, with her nose against it. FleetFoot hurdled back, and coming up behind, butted the youngster with herhead till the fawn tried to jump. This time the little creature wentover, as light as a bit of thistle-down--probably much to her ownsurprise.

  Then Fleet Foot turned to the larger fawn. "Come, now, there's nothinglike trying," she urged. But he only gave a ba-a-ah! and wriggled underthe tree-trunk again.

  "Follow me," his mother bade him. First she led him several times aroundthe glade. "Now!" she stamped, leaping the log once more. This time hefollowed without stopping to think about it.

  The other fawns behaved much the same way, but at last their mothers hadthem all in line. Then what a race they had! First around and around theopening, faster and faster and faster. Then, without warning, across thelog and b
ack again, till every infant buck and doe of them could do itperfectly.

  "Um!" sniffed Frisky Fox. "Wouldn't one of those little fellows makegood eating? I'd certainly like to try it!" For the smell of venisonthat blew to his nostrils on the breeze fairly made his mouth water.

  But Frisky was too wise a pup to think for an instant he could catchone. And so he finally trotted off to stay his appetite with field mice.But he told Father Red Fox about it that night in the den on thehillside, and the older fox made up his mind that next day he would bethe one to watch when the fawns came to the meadow. If he couldn't catchone, at least he liked to know all that went on in the woods. One neverknew when an odd bit of knowledge might come in handy to a fellow thatlives by his wits.

  That day the fawns were being drilled to run around and around incircles. They made a track like a figure 8, only with three loopsinstead of two. Sometimes one of the little fellows would slip andstumble.

  "I have it," Father Red Fox told himself. "The fawns are learning tomake a quick turn. Because they'd break their legs if they were tostumble that way in the underbrush."

  The old fox knew that he could never catch one by the usual methods. Hedid wonder, though, if he might not corner one by trickery. So, glidingfrom tree-trunk to tree-trunk, he crept nearer the unsuspecting littleschool, keeping always on the side where the wind could tell no tales!