FOX HUNTING IN AMERICA, 273 



was accordingly put up and chased, and at first led the hounds 

 through many bayous and ponds in the woods, but at length 

 came running over the brow of the hill along the path, stopped 

 suddenly and spread himself out flat and motionless on the 

 ground. The hounds came down the hill in pursuit at a dash- 

 ing pace, and the whole pack passed, and did not stop until 

 they were at the bottom of the hill. As soon as the imme- 

 diate danger was over, the fox, casting a furtive glance around 

 him, started up, and ran off at his greatest speed. 



I knew an instance much resembling the last given ; but 

 this was a Red Fox. It was in the remarkable bluffs of the 

 Kentucky river. 



The fox had always been lost at the edge of one of these 

 abrupt cliffs, which faced the river. The place had often 

 been examined by the hunters, but as the descent was nearly 

 a sheer perpendicular of several hundred feet, it had only to 

 be looked over to convince the beholder that the fox must 

 have wings to leap down it in safety. At last a hunter deter- 

 mined to watch the fox, ?ind accordingly lay in wait. He 

 saw the creature come to the edge of the bluff and look down. 

 Ten feet below, there was a break in the perpendicular line, 

 tvhich formed a sort of steppe nearly a foot in width. The 

 movement by which he let himself down to this, was some- 

 thing between a leap and a slide, but it nevertheless landed 

 him safe on the shelf; and then it appeared that this was the 

 mouth of a wide fissure in the rock. The most curious part 

 of this story is, that the hunter discovered another and easy 

 •ntrance to the cave from the level ground above. This the 

 fox never used when the hounds were on his trail, as the more 

 perilous entrance from the front cut short the scent, and pre- 

 vented the discovery of his retreat. He could only get down 

 that way and came out by the other opening from the level. 



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