“And they did, too!  In a minute or so they had pulled the old robber clean under, where they could all get at him; and, my! you should have seen how the water boiled!  But it was only for a minute or two.  Then two muskrats came up, bleeding, but proud as you please, and then two or three more; and they all went ashore to lick their wounds and make their toilets, for, as you may imagine, their hair was somewhat disarranged.

“And then, while they were combing their fur with the claws of their little forepaws, like hands, who should come up but Dagger Bill; but his feet came up first, and he didn’t come up far, anyway, and he didn’t stir.  In fact, he was good and dead—­so dead that presently a young chub, and a red-fin, and two sunfish, came up and swam round him curiously.

“You see, they thought they might never have another chance to get such a good, comfortable look at a loon, and be able to talk about it afterwards.”