204 VIRGINIA 



And while I followed the water thrush, 

 Bruce, the hotel collie, my true friend of a 

 week, whose frequent companionship on the 

 mountain road and elsewhere has been too 

 much ignored, was having a livelier chase on 

 his own account, — a chase which I found 

 time to enjoy, for the minute that it lasted, 

 in spite of my preoccupation. He had stolen 

 out of the house by a back door, and fol- 

 lowed me to the woods without an invita- 

 tion, — though he might have had one, since, 

 being non-ornithological in his pursuits, he 

 was never in the way, — and now was thrown 

 into a sudden frenzy by the starting up be- 

 fore him of a rabbit. Hearing his bark, I 

 turned about in season to see the two crea- 

 tures going at lightning speed up the hill- 

 side, the rabbit's " cotton tail " (a fine 

 "mark of direction," as naturalists say) 

 immediately in front of the collie's nose. 

 Once the rabbit ran plump into a log, and 

 for an instant was fairly off its legs. I trem- 

 bled for its safety ; but it recovered itself, 

 and in a moment more disappeared from 

 view. Then after a few minutes Bruce came 

 back, panting. It had been a great morn- 

 ing for him as well as for me, — a morning 



