"I think that the small forest
animals are displeased with me because I was the one who proposed that
we should ask help of human beings. When the underbrush was cut down,
all their lairs and hiding places were destroyed."
They walked on together a while longer, and Karr heard the same cry
coming from all directions:
"There goes Grayskin, who has destroyed the forest!"
Grayskin pretended not to hear it; but Karr understood why the elk was
so downhearted.
"I say, Grayskin, what does the water-snake mean by saying you killed
the one he loved best?"
"How can I tell?" said Grayskin. "You know very well that I never kill
anything."
Shortly after that they met the four old elk--Crooked-Back,
Antler-Crown, Rough-Mane, and Big-and-Strong, who were coming along
slowly, one after the other.
"Well met in the forest!" called Grayskin.
"Well met in turn!" answered the elk.
"We were just looking for you, Grayskin, to consult with you about the
forest."
"The fact is," began Crooked-Back, "we have been informed that a crime
has been committed here, and that the whole forest is being destroyed
because the criminal has not been punished."
"What kind of a crime was it?"
"Some one killed a harmless creature that he couldn't eat. Such an act
is accounted a crime in Liberty Forest."
"Who could have done such a cowardly thing?" wondered Grayskin.
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