o6 Redruff 



dull hardships, with frequent sudden desperate 

 straits, but this seemed the hardest brunt of 

 all, as the slow hours wore on and found him 

 weakening with his struggles, but no nearer 

 to freedom. He could hear the strusfgflins: of 

 his family, too, or sometimes heard them call- 

 ing to him for help with their long-drawn 

 p lai nti ve ' p-e-e-e-e-e-t-e, p-e-e-e-e-e-t-e* 



They were hidden from many of their ene- 

 mies, but not from the pangs of hunger, and 

 when the night came down the weary prison, 

 ers, worn out with hunger and useless toil, 

 grew quiet in despair. At first they had been 

 afraid the fox would come and find them im- 

 prisoned there at his mercy, but as the second 

 night went slowly by they no longer cared, and 

 even wished he would come and break the 

 crusted snow, and so give them at least a fight- 

 ing chance for life. 



But when the fox really did come padding 

 over the frozen drift, the deep-laid love of life 

 revived, and they crouched in utter stillness 

 till he passed. The second day was one of 

 driving storm. The north wind sent his snow- 

 horses, hissing and careering over the white 

 earth, tossing and curling their white manes 

 and kicking up more snow as they dashed on. 

 The long, hard grinding of the granular snow 



