68 THE CROSSING 



prompted by the low state of the water, he 

 decided to try whether he could reach the island 

 by wading. 



After looking round to see that he was not 

 observed, he entered the pool and made straight 

 for a rock where he meant to land before attempt- 

 ing to gain his goal, which lay just beyond it. 

 But the water was soon so deep that at 

 every step he dreaded finding himself out of 

 his depth. Nevertheless, he was able to keep 

 touch of the bottom until within some ten 

 yards of the rock : there suddenly he had to 

 rear on his hind legs to prevent his shoulders 

 from being submerged. Most hares in this 

 situation would have wheeled round and made 

 for shore ; but the jack was not so easily 

 thwarted. A difficult situation called forth his 

 resource : before you could count three, so quick 

 was he to act, he was advancing on his hind 

 legs over the rough bed, and he actually suc- 

 ceeded in gaining the rock without wetting more 

 than a few inches of his coat. He stood a 

 moment on the rock to shake the water from 

 his chest and belly, then examined the strait 

 between him and the island. It was far too 

 deep to bottom, apparently far too wide to cross 

 by a standing leap. But he meant to try. 

 The worst that could befall him was a good 



