CHAPTER \' 1 I 1 



THE GREAT WINTER 



Aft£r leaving the form the hare kept loping to 

 and fro on the strip of waste by the cliffs. No 

 tempting bit of herbage detained him ; he nibbled 

 neither leaf nor spray ; his movements were as 

 aimless as they could be. He was in a quan- 

 dary ; he did not know where to turn because 

 he did not know where he was going to sit, 

 though it had occupied his thoughts since 

 the withdrawal of the marten. 



Of the many spots that occurred to him not 

 one offered especial attractions like the hill, 

 which kept presenting itself to his notice, with- 

 out however winning him to it. And this is 

 not to be wondered at, in view o^ the fear he 

 had of being waylaid and gobbled up by Grey 

 Fox if he ventured there. Nor was his fear 

 groundless. Grey Fox had haunted the hill 

 in the hope of securing what he esteemed the 

 titbit of the wild. Day after day in the half 



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