Redmff 



dreaded beast, alighted fearlessly a few yards to 

 one side of him, and then flung herself on the 

 ground, flopping as though winged and lame — 

 oh, so dreadfully lame — and whining like a dis- 

 tressed puppy. Was she begging for mercy — 

 mercy from a bloodthirsty, cruel fox ? Oh, dear 

 no ! She was no fool. One often hears of the 

 cunning of the fox. Wait and see what a fool he 

 is compared with a mother-partridge. Elated 

 at the prize so suddenly within his reach, the 

 fox turned with a dash and caught — at least, 

 no, he didn't quite catch the bird ; she flopped 

 by chance just a foot out of reach. He fol- 

 lowed with another jump and would have seized 

 her this time surely, but somehow a sapling 

 came just between, and the partridge dragged 

 herself awkwardly away and under a log, but 

 the great brute snapped his jaws and bounded 

 over the log, while she, seeming a trifle less 

 lame, made another clumsy forward spring and 

 tumbled down a bank, and Reynard, keenly 

 following, almost caught her tail, but, oddly 

 enough, fast as he went and leaped, she still 

 seemed just a trifle faster. It was most extraor- 

 dinary. A winged partridge and he, Rey- 



309 



