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spade made short work of digging down into the 

 burrow. And when at length, through the roof thus 

 broken in, the grey coat of the badger stood revealed, 

 came the old man's turn. Catching up the tongs, he 

 gripped the struggling beast and hauled him out. The 

 keeper seized him ignominiously by the tail, dropped him 

 head first into the sack, tied him up, and laid him on 

 one side. 



The dogs were rather indignant at being thus cheated 

 of their prey, and were with difficulty dissuaded from 

 trying to worry it through the sack. When they pre- 

 sently entered the holt from another side fresh sounds 

 of conflict soon announced that it was not empty yet. 

 Next moment out rushed another badger, all brown from 

 earth he had been digging to get away from his pursuers. 

 Dismayed perhaps by the circle of his foes and by the 

 shouts that greeted his appearance, he paused a moment, 

 then pulled himself together, and ran for his life. 



There is a strange idea still current that the legs of a 

 badger are longer on one side of the body than on the 

 other, " so that he may run better along the side of a 

 hill." It has been stated too that he is not fleet of foot. 

 This one at any rate ran like a wild cat. 



The dogs were out of the hole and away in full cry. 

 The posse of hunters, bringing spade and pickaxe, and 

 not forgetting the captive in the sack, followed in hot 

 pursuit. Right across the woodland crashed the shout- 

 ing chase, careless of ivy trails that lay in wait for luck- 

 less feet, brambles ready to hold a man helpless by the 

 waist, tall saplings that slapped him cruelly in the face. 



