THE RATS. 17 



and still it prospers. It sets at defiance gins and traps, cats 

 and dogs and poisonous pills. 



Now, all these are good, but in my opinion it is better to 

 take the field in person against them. When I see the tail 

 of a rat disappear behind a box, I quietly shut all doors 

 and windows and stop up all holes, then arm myself with a 

 good supple cane, and advance upon the foe. Its present 

 situation is a good one. A sweeping stroke between the 

 box and the wall can scarcely miss. But it does not wait. 

 At the first sight of me it makes for the hole it gnawed in 

 the door, and finds it stuffed with a towel ! While it is tug- 

 ging like a maniac at the towel there is a chance ; but canes 

 miss rats amazingly, and it is off to each window and door 

 in turn. As soon as it has grasped the idea that escape is 

 impossible it changes tactics. Driven with difficulty from 

 one trunk, it dives under another. There is nothing for it 

 now but hot pursuit ; press it hard ; rats are short-winded. 

 It soon gets blown, and rests behind the box again. A 

 sweeping whack with the whole length of the cane ought 

 to annihilate it, but only breaks a leg, and an able-bodied 

 rat can always spare a leg or two, so it is away as nimble 

 as ever. But the blow has had a good moral effect. It gives 

 up the Fabius Cunctator strategy, and the chase becomes 



