Redruff 65 



a deep drift, dived into the snow, and the others 

 did the same. Then into the holes the wind 

 blew the loose snow — their pure white bed- 

 clothes, and thus tucked in they slept in com. 

 fort, for the snow is a warm wrap, and the air 

 passes through it easily enough for breathing, 

 Next morning each partridge found a solid wall 

 of ice before him from his frozen breath, but 

 easily turned to one side and rose on the wing 

 at Redruff' s morning ^ Kreet^ kreet, kwit.' (Come 

 children, come children, fly.) 



This was the first night for them in a snow- 

 drift, though it was an old story to Redruff, and 

 next night they merrily dived again into bed, 

 and the north wind tucked them in as before. 

 But a change of weather was brewing. The 

 night wind veered to the east. A fall of heavy 

 flakes gave place to sleet, and that to silver 

 rain. The whole wide world was sheathed in 

 ice, and when the grouse awoke to quit their 

 beds, they found themselves sealed in with a 

 great, cruel sheet of edgeless ice. 



The deeper snow was still quite soft, and 

 Redruff bored his way to the top, but there the 

 hard, white sheet defied his strength. Hammer 

 and struggle as he might he could make no im- 

 pression, and only bruised his wings and head. 

 His life had been made up of keen joys and 



