158 HE FOLLOWS THE TRAIL 



" Ah, that shows how sorely the poor thing 

 was pressed. Had the door been open, she 

 would have gone in and taken her chance." 



At every stride he expected to come on the 

 end of the tragic chase, and kept looking ahead 

 for the remains that would mark the last 

 scene. All the greater, then, was his delight 

 to find that the foxes had withdrawn from 

 the chase, and greater too his determination to 

 try and get a view of the animal whose sur- 

 vival in that vermin-haunted district seemed 

 little short of miraculous. For three hours he 

 followed the trail, pondering as he went 

 over the animal's hairbreadth escapes as his 

 imagination called them up and, in his anxiety 

 to come on the hare before dusk, almost losing 

 his temper at the delays the creature's ruses 

 caused him. ''Give it up, Squire," said his man 

 at last ; '' you'll never come up with her, take 

 and give it up." 



*' Not whilst there's light to see by," was 

 the laconic reply. It was nearly four o'clock 

 when they came to the mill-pool. Even then 

 they searched and searched in vain, for as the 

 hare had landed from his last spring the snow 

 fell from the tuft and concealed him. '' She's 

 here, I know she's here," said the Squire in 

 despair. The words were scarcely out of his 



