ALDERS AND REEDS. 101 



gone a dozen yards over the humps, we meet. 

 Without a word he points with his finger in the 

 direction he has come from, turns about again, 

 and I follow him. Three great humps are near, 

 having about a foot run of deep slush, into which 

 his pole has already probed ; and pointing to the 

 centre of this, he whispers, " Look ! " There I 

 saw a fox's lair, and the odds and ends of his larder ; 

 a very well supplied one it was, too. 



" Let's get back tu where you was curled up ; 

 'tis too near the edge of the bog fur chattering here," 

 he whispered. 



When we did get there, he " reckoned we might 

 as well hev summut to eat before we get 'lear' 

 like." In the course of our meal, in low tones, he 

 told me he had awakened the fox from a sound 

 sleep. As Reynard looked up in amazement at 

 him, not yet quite wide awake, he had struck at the 

 animal, but missed him ; the fox had not stayed 

 for the blow to be repeated. 



"He's had a lot of 'Old Kind-hearted's ' ducks, 

 ain't he ? He've missed a lot on 'em lately ; and 

 sarve him right. Last huntin' time they found a 

 varmint up in the covers, and lost him in ten min- 



