“The enemy had discovered her, and called out in a very cheerful and persua­sive tone, 'Halloa, little girl, how far is it to the road?’ and trembling Sylvia answered almost inaudibly, ‘A good ways.’”

Sylvia’s first interaction with the hunter is the wail of his aggressive whistle, which disturbs her peace and causes her to hide. The narrator then subtly introduces the hunter as “The enemy,” suggesting that he is not to be trusted. Sylvia’s frightened reaction to his question suggests she feels threatened by his mere presence.

“He told her many things about the birds . . . . And he gave her a jack-knife, which she thought as great a treasure as if she were a desert-islander. All day long he did not once make her troubled or afraid except when he brought down some unsuspecting singing creature from its bough.”

The hunter is kindest to Sylvia in the middle of the story when the two of them are walking through the woods looking for the heron. Sylvia can see his good side when he speaks of his love of birds, but he also looks down upon Sylvia when her delight at being given a jack-knife is compared to that of a “desert-islander,” a person who lives far from civilization. Even though Sylvia is mesmerized by the hunter’s charm, she still fears him when he kills a bird because she feels a part of this environment. Deep down, she worries that she herself could be his next “unsuspecting creature.”