GREY LYNX'S LAST HUNTING 17 



other barn and the shed as well, finding every- 

 thing shut up tightly against the biting cold. 

 Then he came again to his mate, who was 

 now awaiting him, tail and whiskers twitching 

 with ill-humour, in the shadow behind the first 

 barn. 



But Grey Lynx was not yet ready to ac- 

 knowledge defeat. The roof of the shed was 

 lower than that of the barns. With a tre- 

 mendous leap he gained it, but only to fall 

 back ignominiously beneath a mass of snow 

 which his claws had disengaged. At the next 

 attempt, however, he got a grip with his front 

 paws upon the roof itself, and so drew him- 

 self up, but not without a sharp noise of 

 scraping and clawing. The sudden sound 

 disturbed the hens, roosting inside immedi- 

 ately below the roof, and they set up a shrill 

 cackling of alarm. 



Grey Lynx stopped, held himself rigid, and 

 listened with all his ears. Chickens would 

 do him almost as well as sheep if only he 

 could come at them ! He clawed savagely 

 at the roof, but it was new and strong, and 

 he speedily found that there was nothing to 

 be hoped for by that method of procedure. 

 Frantic with baffled eagerness, he ran along 

 the shed and sprang with a magnificent bound 

 to the roof of the barn. At the thud of his 



