The Fox 99 
As the fox could not take to the water in the frozen 
streams, he tried another trick which worked admira- 
bly. It was this: Within the valley and in sight of 
the hunters were two ploughed fields, each containing 
a marked elevation. The wind had swept these higher 
areas completely bare of snow and loosened bits of 
earth had rolled away, until the surfaces were quite 
smooth. The runway of the fox may have been 
across these wind-swept places. Be that as it may, 
the fox crossed each in turn. When the hound came 
upon the first place he lost the trail for a time, but 
finding it, proceeded to the second. The fox, instead 
of continuing his course as would naturally be ex- 
pected, returned to the first by a circuitous route and 
then again to the second. He repeated this manceu- 
vre three times, taking the same course each time, 
finally quitting the game by turning sharply to the 
left, and making off to the south, leaving behind him 
a most weary and perplexed dog. 
At another time a fox was seen to follow a rail 
fence for about forty rods, nearly in the opposite 
direction from that in which he had been traveling; 
he then jumped from the fence upon the ice of a 
small creek. By this ruse he succeeded in completely 
eluding the hounds. 
If the fox is an old one and has often been before the 
