It sometimes seems as if hunters have more patience than any other people . But this hunter waited in vain . Jolly , round , red Mr. Sun sank down in the west to his bed behind the Purple Hills . The Black Shadows crept out and grew blacker . One by one the stars began to twinkle . Still the hunter waited , and still there was no sign of Lightfoot . At last it became so dark that it was useless for the hunter to remain longer . Disappointed and once more becoming angry , he tramped back to the Big River , climbed into his boat and rowed across to the other side . Then he tramped home and his thoughts were very bitter . He knew that he could have shot Lightfoot had it not been for the man who had protected the Deer . He even began to suspect that this man had himself killed Lightfoot , for he had been sure that as soon as he had become rested Lightfoot would start for the woods , and Lightfoot had done nothing of the kind . In fact , the hunter had not had so much as another glimpse of Lightfoot . The reason that the hunter had been so disappointed was that Lightfoot was smart . He was smart enough to understand that the man who was saving him from the hunter had done it because he was a true friend . All the afternoon Lightfoot had rested on a bed of soft hay in an open shed and had watched this man going about his work and taking the utmost care to do nothing to frighten Lightfoot . `` He not only will let no one else harm me , but he himself will not harm me , '' thought Lightfoot . `` As long as he is near , I am safe . I 'll stay right around here until the hunting season is over , then I 'll swim back across the Big River to my home in the dear Green Forest . '' So all afternoon Lightfoot rested and did not so much as put his nose outside that open shed . That is why the hunter got no glimpse of him .
When it became dark , so dark that he knew there was no longer danger , XXXXX got up and stepped out under the stars .
Forest Hills Lightfoot River Sun blacker boat glimpse home right