132 THE KITE WITHDRAWS 



exciting chase could hardly be witnessed ; again 

 and again the kite seemed to have learned 

 wisdom and to be about to close her talons 

 on the stoat, but as often failed, and when at 

 last she struck directly above the stoat he 

 had gained the drift by the hedge and was 

 too deep for her to reach. Thus the pursuit 

 came to an end, but not the incident, for from 

 his vantage ground the stoat chattered insults 

 at the bird as she flew back to the tree to 

 await the appearance of the other stoat. 



The second stoat, however, had peeped out 

 during the chase and, seeing the way clear, ran 

 to the near hedge, where she lay safe amongst the 

 stones that once formed the walls of the cottage. 

 Her tracks on the snow told of her withdrawal ; 

 but they had no message for the kite who, after 

 watching in vain till the day was nearly gone, 

 at last spread her wide wings and sailed away 

 in the direction of the Kites' Carn. Lucky 

 creature, thought the hare, whose eyes followed 

 the bird's flight as far as the narrow peep-hole 

 allowed, lucky creature to be able to glide 

 through the air and avoid the drifts. The 

 reflection came into his mind that night as 

 he struggled through deep snow near High 

 Down, whither he was attracted by the haw- 

 thorn bushes. 



