We wondered that the
poachers went to the trouble of pursuing the elk when they were not
armed with rifles. They couldn't have thought that they could succeed in
tiring out a runner like him!
"Then we noticed that the elk no longer ran so rapidly. He stepped on
the snow more carefully, and every time he lifted his feet, blood could
be seen in his tracks.
"We understood why the poachers had been so persistent! They had
counted on help from the snow. The elk was heavy, and with every step he
sank to the bottom of the drift. The hard crust on the snow was scraping
his legs. It scraped away the fur, and tore out pieces of flesh, so that
he was in torture every time he put his foot down.
"The poachers and the dogs, who were so light that the ice crust could
hold their weight, pursued him all the while. He ran on and on--his
steps becoming more and more uncertain and faltering. He gasped for
breath. Not only did he suffer intense pain, but he was also exhausted
from wading through the deep snowdrifts.
"At last he lost all patience. He paused to let poachers and dogs come
upon him, and was ready to fight them. As he stood there waiting, he
glanced upward. When he saw us wild geese circling above him, he cried
out:
"'Stay here, wild geese, until all is over! And the next time you fly
over Kolmarden, look up Karr, and ask him if he doesn't think that his
friend Grayskin has met with a happy end?'"
When Akka had gone so far in her story the old dog rose and walked
nearer to her.
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