noon
Fool hens , the woodsman called them , and the motley and mark of their weak mentality were a red badge near the eye . The fat birds perched on the tree limbs over the trail , relying on their mottled plumage , blending perfectly with the dull grays and browns of the foliage , to keep them out of sight . But such wiles did not deceive Ben . And once , in provision for their noon lunch , a fat cock tumbled through the branches at Beatrice 's pistol shot . The pine squirrels seemed to be having some sort of a competitive field meet , and the tricks they did in the trees above the trail filled the two riders with delight . They sped up and down the trunks ; they sprang from limb to limb ; they flicked their tails and turned their heads around backward and stood on their haunches , all the time chattering in the greatest excitement . Once a porcupine -- stupid , inoffensive old Urson who carries his fort around on his back -- rattled his quills in a near-by thicket ; and once they caught a glimpse of a mule deer on the hillside .