TRIPLEFOOT 



I heard two hounds give tongue, and the tone 

 told me that they were hot on the trail. These 

 hounds had come up the old highway, and 

 had struck the fox's trail just south of Solo- 

 mon's Orchard. Triplefoot had scented the 

 hounds, and turned to the west, into Mag- 

 nolia Swamp. I pushed my way through the 

 dense shrubbery, the tracks of two dogs and 

 a fox making a well-defined trail. The trail 

 led through the swamp and over the ridge 

 to Wallace's Pond. The trail crossed on the 

 ice, and led me over Magnolia Avenue, just 

 below the lily-pond. I had come to the con- 

 clusion that Triplefoot was hunting water, 

 so as to throw the hounds of the scent. The 

 cold weather was against her. All the brooks 

 and ponds were covered with ice. The trail, 

 after it crossed the road, led along the ridges 

 to Mount Ann. From this point the fox 

 had shaped her course to Coffin's Beach. It 

 was a long, weary tramp, but I had enlisted 

 and was bound to see it through. 



When I had reached the sand-dunes of 

 Coffin's Beach, I found the snow had melted 

 297 



