LEAVES FROM A GAME BOOK. 16 



It chanced that in the spring the keeper had caught 

 a fox cub, which he kept in the stable yard chained 

 to an extempore kennel made out of an old cask, and 

 with a little carpentering, felt and pitch, no better or 

 warmer one can be desired. One morning while we 

 were at Carim it was found that the fox was missing, 

 while it could be seen that he had drawn the staple 

 of his chain and gone off with it and the collar attached 

 to him. It was certain that with these ornaments he 

 could not go very far, so taking Barry's retriever to the 

 empty cask, and pointing out the deserted abode, the 

 keeper sent the dog in pursuit, while, as fox and dog 

 were good friends and accustomed to play together, 

 there was no fear of Reynard coming to grief. 

 After a short absence the dog came back with his 

 tail aloft, and proudly holding one end of the chain in 

 his mouth, led the fugitive to the door of the keeper's 

 cottage. 



As soon as sport began to slacken at Carim, Baird 

 asked us all to visit him at Knoydart; unluckily for 

 Barry, he had to go south, so Ramsay and I started 



