STORIES 421

“Hi, there!” he called out. ‘If I were a salmon I wouldn’t be so
foolish as to jump away out there. I should always leap near the shore.”

The foolish salmon listened to this advice, and when next he jumped,
it was a little closer to the shore. Mink, pleased at the success of his
ruse, continued to urge the salmon to come over a little nearer until the
stupid fish became stranded among the projecting rocks, where Mink
clubbed it to death, gratified at the success of his hunting.

Mink carried away the salmon to a suitable spot for cooking, where
he built a fire and toasted every morsel of it, head, tail, roe, and all; he
was very greedy. As the fish cooked, it emitted an appetizing odour, and
Mink took a stick and pointed to one piece after another, singing as he
did so:

“I wonder who will eat that bit?” and answering himself, “Mink will
eat it.”

He smacked his lips in anticipation. But presently he became sleepy
and decided to lie down for a few minutes, while the salmon was cooking.
He slept soundly, with mouth open. Attracted by his snores, some mis-
chievous boys came along, who carried off all Mink’s nicely cooking
salmon, and smeared some of the roe over the points of his teeth. Then
before they went away, they cut off his castor, which protruded from his
body, near his rump.

When Mink awoke, his first thought was of the fine meal which should
now be ready. He looked at the fire, but to his intense annoyance and
grief, he did not see the salmon. Then, happening to run his tongue over
his lip, he felt the morsels of roe.

“Perhaps I ate the salmon,” he said to himself, puzzled.

“No,” he went on,” I couldn’t have eaten it,” for he realized how
hungry he was.

“Yes, I must have eaten it,” he said, as he again felt the morsels of roe
on his lips, and between his teeth.

“No, I couldn’t have,” as he felt the emptiness of his stomach.

Puzzled, uncertain, and most unhappy, Mink finally ran away.

He had not gone far when he saw a number of boys playing on a
smooth piece of ground. They were rolling something to and fro, and as
Mink watched from a hiding place, he saw that their toy was his scent
gland. He determined to regain it. When he came into view, the boys,
who did not recognize him, invited him to join their game and Mink
gladly agreed. He waited until his castor was thrown to him, then he
pushed it back into place and ran away as fast as he could. The boys
tried to overtake him, but failed.