IT IS NOT an easy job being an Island Panther. There are outhouses to scale, trees to climb, mice to catch, dragonflies to chase, docks to monitor—with boats coming and going and all needing official greetings and send-offs, fish-cleaning operations to supervise, red squirrels to annoy, kids to play with, and all manner of chores and adventures that humans may not be around to observe. It is wearying. Sometimes a guy just needs a nap.