THE RED COW 



Across his back there was a furrow through his 

 fur, and a long scab where a bullet had raked him. 

 Under his chin there was a similar furrow and scab. 

 Beyond a doubt he was the rabbit from which I had 

 been knocking the fur. But what mystified us com- 

 pletely was the fact that we could not find a mark 

 to show where the last bullet had hit liim. Not a 

 sign of blood or a wound could we find. After I 

 got back from the village I held a post mortem on 

 that rabbit, and though he was fuU of blood, having 

 bled internally, the closest examination could not 

 discover a trace of a wound. He must have ruptured 

 a blood-vessel in his wild jumping. In no other way 

 can I account for his sudden taking off. Of course 

 the boy was anxious to prove that he had hit the 

 rabbit, but he was unable to find a bullet mark 

 any more than I was. And now there is something 

 else to prove that he was not an ordinary rabbit. 

 When I passed his haunts yesterday I saw two more 

 rabbits. Isn't that the popular belief about evil 

 things.'^ If you kill one two more will come to 

 take his place. Now I am going after the two new 

 rabbits to see if four will come to take their place. 

 I tried the rifle on some Enghsh sparrows at the 

 granary and find that my shooting eye is just as 



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