CHAPTER XV 



THE FERRET IN BELGIUM, EUROPE. 



1WILL tell you liow the common rabbit is 

 bunted with a ferret in Belgium, Europe. 

 It was in the year of 1911, in the month of 

 January, in the village called Aywaille, 

 close to Liege, a citj you will have no trouble in 

 finding on the map. The country around this 

 part is very rough and hilly and pretty well cov- 

 ered with young timber. In this country they 

 cut down the timber every three years and use 

 it in the baking ovens. On this fine morning I 

 loaded myself down with thirty pouches, my fer- 

 ret, a light colored one, large and gentle as a 

 kitten, which I placed in a box a little larger 

 than a cigar box. I carried it under my arm, 

 under my cape and no one could tell that I had 

 anything. I also placed hay in the box for a nest. 

 A half mile took me to a friend who was 

 going with me. We got started from his place at 

 4 a. m. There was about ten inches of snow that 

 had fallen the night before. Two miles took us 

 to the first rabbit den, which consisted of four 

 holes. Here I had better explain about the rab- 

 bits' holes in this country. They are not as lazy 



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