A FOX TALK 53 



up and cackle, he made a dash and grabbed it by the neck. 

 The chicken struggled fiercely, one of its wings got caught 

 in the bars of the coop, and the scuffling that ensued soon 

 woke the whole roost. Then began such a cackling, and 

 screaming, and quacking as Eenard had never heard 

 before, and he tugged at his chicken in a perfect frenzy 

 of despair, expecting the hen-wife to appear every minute. 

 At last he got free of the coop, and was just going to 

 descend the ladder when the door opened, and a woman 

 came in with a lantern. Eenard saw in a moment that 

 escape by the door was impossible, and instantly his 

 fertile brain had planned a bold scheme. Still holding 

 the chicken in his mouth, he stumbled on the top step of 

 the ladder and rolled heavily to the bottom. The hen-wife 

 ran forward, stick in hand, to put an end to the thief ; 

 but seeing he lay quiet in a huddled-up heap, she seized 

 his tail, and dragged him towards the door. Imagine 

 the shock poor Eenard experienced when he felt his 

 beautiful brush grasped by the sturdy hen-wife's fingers ! 

 and the terrible longing which came over him to turn and 

 rend his captor. He restrained himself, however, when 

 he saw he was being dragged towards the door ; and when 

 the hen-wife, feeling his stiff and lifeless body somewhat 

 heavy, tumbled him into a thicket of nettles, he almost 

 barked with delight. True, he had lost his chicken, but 

 had gained in cunning, and cunning is honour among 

 foxes. 



Benard's exploits are too many and various to mention ; 

 but there is just one more you must hear about, because 

 it shows he had pluck, as I think all foxes really have. 



He was' slinking along at dusk through some long 

 grass, close in to a wood, when, snap ! bang ! and Eenard 

 was fast in a trap, caught by the leg. He tried dragging, 

 pulling, and shaking it all in vain ; the trap clung to his 

 flesh with its iron teeth, and would not let go. After 

 persevering for an hour or two, Eenard gave up those 

 methods, and tried another, li-uiiinin^ deliberately to 



