SHEPPY'S FIRST COON HUNT 



he had done the cornfield thoroughly we decided to 

 put him through the wood-lot, and after starting 

 him in with an encouraging "Hunt him up, sir," we 

 sat on the bars in the fence and waited. We had 

 not been waiting long before a sound of distress was 

 heard. A cat was meowing piteously along the path 

 over which we had just walked. There was no doubt 

 about it. "Lady Jane Grey" had noticed us start- 

 ing out and had decided to share in the fun. But 

 she was evidently in distress and the boy started 

 back to see what was the matter. He found her in 

 the branches of a shade-tree in which she had evi- 

 dently sought refuge from Sheppy, who would not 

 recognise her so far away from home at night. 

 After she had been rescued and "scatted" back to 

 the house we sat on the bars and waited patiently 

 for the dog. At last he returned to us panting as 

 if he had run for miles. There was no doubt about 

 it. He was working splendidly and would probably 

 need only a little training to make him a first rate 

 coon-dog. But he had not managed to locate any- 

 thing on the home farm so we decided to visit a 

 neighbour's corn-patch which backs against the larg- 

 est wood-lot in the neighbourhood. The wood-lots 

 on four farms happen to be on four corners where 



183 



