THE WOODCHUCK. 95 



days, started off at his highest speed, vainly hoping to 

 catch this one before he could get to his hole. But 

 the woodchuck, seeing the dog come laboring up the 

 hill, sprang to the mouth of his den, and, when his 

 pursuer was only a few rods oft*, whistled tauntingly 

 and went in. This occurred several times, the old 

 dog marching up the hill, and then marching down 

 again, having had his labor for his pains. I suspect 

 that he revolved the subject in his mind while he re- 

 volved the great wheel of the churning-machine, and 

 that some turn or other brought him a happy thought, 

 for next time he showed himself a strategist. Instead 

 of * giving chase to the woodchuck when first dis- 

 covered, he crouched down to the ground, and, resting 

 his head on his paws, watched him. The woodchuck 

 kept working away from the hole, lured by the tender 

 clover, but, not unmindful of his safety, lifted him- 

 self up on his haunches every few moments and sur- 

 veyed the approaches. Presently, after the woodchuck 

 had let himself down from one of these attitudes of 

 observation, and resumed his feeding, Cuft started 

 swiftly but stealthily up the hill, precisely in the at- 

 titude of a cat when she is stalking a bird. When 

 the woodchuck rose up again. Cuff was perfectly mo- 

 tionless and half hid by the grass. When he again 

 resumed his clover. Cuff sped up the hill as before, 

 this time crossing a fence, but in a low place, and so 

 nimbly that he was not discovered. Again the wood- 

 chuck was on the outlook, again Cuff was motionless 

 and hugging the ground. As the dog nears his victim 

 he is partially hidden by a swell in the earth, but still 

 the woodchuck from his outlook reports " all right," 

 when Cuff, having not twice as far to run as the 

 'chuck, throws all stealthiness aside and rushes di- 



