HAYMAKING 47 



not the object of the visit as he had at first 

 feared, he was glad when the party went away 

 and left him to solitude. The rest of the day 

 was without incident, save that the farmer, true 

 to his word, came and fetched the bees at 

 sundown. 



The swarming of the bees and their capture 

 was followed a week later by a further disquieting 

 incident, the cutting of the clover. It quite took 

 his breath away one morning when he reached 

 the gate, to find the crop levelled and the look 

 of the enclosure changed almost beyond recogni- 

 tion : the hedges too had grown so much taller. 

 The timid fellow shrank from entering the field ; 

 indeed the presence of three rabbits feeding there 

 would alone have sufficed to prevent it. On 

 several occasions these very rabbits had shown 

 themselves hostile and driven him off. Rabbits 

 were by no means plentiful on his beats ; he had 

 not seen more than a score ; and as for hares, he 

 had not only not met with one, he had not crossed 

 a single trail. He was the solitary survivor of 

 his kind, with enemies on every hand. Neverthe- 

 less, confident in the protection which his wiles 

 and speed afforded him, he enjoyed life to the 

 full, roaming over the farms in the highest of 

 spirits. 



But though he exulted in his powers he ran no 



