THE GHOSTLY PENDULUM 177 



The upper shelf is semicircular, and point 

 after point of its circumference she examines in 

 the hope of being able to get at her prey. 

 Soon she discovers a notch. From this, twist- 

 ing her lissom body, she tries to leap to the 

 lower shelf, only to fail, and narrowly escape 

 falling over the precipice. She is soon back 

 for another attempt. Once and again she is 

 near succeeding. Had the indent been a little 

 deeper, had the under ledge projected but another 

 inch, had it only been a little lower, she must 

 have flung herself on to it ; but as it stood, it 

 was beyond her skill. 



Her resources, however, were not exhausted. 

 Resting her fore feet on the edge of the shelf, 

 every toe extended and every claw gripping the 

 rock, she lowered her long white body and 

 swung it to and fro like a ghostly pendulum. 

 Now this way, now that, it oscillated, till pre- 

 sently at the full extent of her inward swing 

 she let go — falling on her back within a few 

 inches of the hare. 



Then he showed the wonderful grit that was 

 in him. As she fell he rose, lashed out with 

 his powerful hind legs and sent her flying by a 

 kick that drove her over the edge, down, down, 

 down to the raging waters far below. 



The loss of their leader discouraged the rest 



