THE LIFE-STORY OF A BADGER 47 



reached in the early hours of the morn- nor complain of the squealing of the 



ing. He could not mistake it. There whelps when they came, but he did 



was the jagged Cairn, there at its foot was envy the vixen the young rabbits, the 



the ring of sward circling the furze he had goslings, and above all, a fine white 



twice rounded on that eventful night, cockerel which the dog-fox brought her. 



and further, there was the stream whose It was whilst foraging on the downs 



babbling had caught his ears and short- that he used to meet Reynard, fre- 



ened his quest. He was in no mood for quently at first, but less so as time 



foraging, so, after he had quenched his went on, till at last when the cubs 



thirst, he made for a crevice in the Cairn were able to accompany the vixen 



and curled up at the end of the rift it on her rounds he lost sight of the fox 



led to. He was very happy to be where altogether. Then he began] to be 



he was, and yet he could not shake annoyed by the habit vixen and 



off the sense of forlorn abandonment whelps had fallen into of returning 



that haunted him until fatigue had late to the sett and disturbing his rest, 



its way and he fell asleep. He was For several weeks he bit his paw and 



awake at dusk ; but not before the stars said nothing, but when, after harvest, 



showed did he sally out and begin bad hours became the rule and not the 



driving a tunnel under the Cairn. He exception, he resolved to put up with 



continued to work at this nightly until such unnatural ways no longer. The 



its length and the den he fashioned at plans of the wild creature, however, 



its extremity were to his liking. With like the plans of man, are often upset 



this " earth " he was content only for a by something quite unforeseen ; and 



while, and before March was out he had so it was with the badger, 



enlarged it into a" sett with three en- On the very morning he returned 



trances and with galleries and dens on to the sett to await the dissolute 



every side. crew and have it out with them, 



The heaps of fresh soil he had fetched he found to his dismay that the 



out caught the eye of a vixen on the " earth " had been stopped. At the 



look-out for a home, and finding the sight he forgot all about the foxes, 



unoccupied chambers dry and clean and, after vainly trying to scratch a 



she decided to litter in one of them, way in, he stole down to the brake, 



The badger did not resent the appro- lay up under a rock in its midst and 



priation of a corner of his roomy abode fell soundly asleep. Before the sun 



