x Billy: a Memoir of an Old Friend 247 



a twisting red snake-like creature, which I presently 

 made out to be a stoat and his long waving tail. 

 When about thirty yards away from me, the rabbit 

 dropped down and seemed to resign himself quietly 

 to his fate, and in an instant the stoat had leaped 

 upon his neck. I whistled up Billy, who abandoned 

 the squirrel and came with alL speed to the front. 

 At his approach the stoat left his victim and fled ; 

 then the tables were turned, and a furious chase 

 followed, up and down, round and round, the quarry 

 edging nearer and nearer to cover, till he suddenly 

 vanished up a young tree some twelve or fifteen feet 

 in height. The dog was fairly puzzled; the thing 

 was done so adroitly, and with such amazing speed, 

 that I myself can hardly say that I saw the stoat go 

 up that tree. If I saw anything, it was a sudden 

 glint of red colour that came and went on the tree- 

 stem. Nor could I see him in the tree ; but a stone 

 quickly brought him down, and after another brief 

 chase he made his escape into the hollow. I turned 

 to look for the rabbit ; he had picked himself up, and 

 was making for a covert at the other end of the field. 

 Then I searched the spot where he had lain down to 

 die, and found one tuft of fur on the grass. Billy 

 had saved him from the very jaws of death. 



I have been telling of strange disappearances, but 

 the strangest of all was that of my old dog himself. 

 Across the meadow, bounding it on the other side 



