THE HEDGEHOG 163 



so ravenous that they would have killed and 

 eaten him, if they could have caught him, bird 

 of prey though he was. The farmer's wife 

 lay awake wondering what ailed the screech- 

 owl : the hare in the field bordering the bridle- 

 track also wondered, but like the woman, without 

 surmising the cause. The noise ceased when 

 presently the pack left the yard and made 

 past the sycamore towards the lane, seemingly 

 on the way to the "curlew" moor. When 

 abreast of the broken grindstone, however, the 

 leader, who was at her wits' end to know where 

 to go, suddenly turned and retraced her steps 

 along the bridle-track. Abrupt as was her turn- 

 ing movement each stoat kept its place as 

 though it were part of a snake, which in truth 

 the long file closely resembled. 



Reaching the stone steps into the field where 

 the hare was at pasture, the leader appeared 

 to be in two minds as to whether she should 

 mount them or go straight on. A hedgehog 

 brought her to a decision. He had been 

 drawn from his winter quarters by the open 

 weather, . showed just then on the path and 

 instantly attracted her. He was very sleepy, 

 but he saw the stoats coming, immediately curled 

 into a ball, and so awaited their onset. 



What savagery the famished creatures ex- 



