Ferreting 203 



ditch and seized him, and put him into a hole. To 

 my surprise he refused to go in — I pushed him : he 

 returned and continued to try to come out till I gave 

 him a sharp fillip with the finger, when he shook the 

 dust and particles of dry earth from his fur with a 

 shiver, as if in protest, and slowly disappeared inside 

 the hole. 



As I was creeping out of the deep ditch on hands 

 and knees, I heard Orion call angrily to the spaniel to 

 come to heel. Hitherto the spaniel had sat on his 

 haunches behind Orion fairly quiet and still, though not 

 without an occasional restless movement. But now 

 he broke suddenly from all control, and disregarding 

 Orion's anger— though with hanging tail — rushed into 

 the hedge, and along the top of the mound where there 

 was a thick mass of dead grass. Little John hurled 

 a clod of clay at him, but before I was quite out of 

 the ditch the spaniel gave tongue, and at the same 

 moment I saw a rabbit come from the ditch and run 

 like mad across the field. 



The dog gave chase — I rushed for my gun, which 

 was some yards off, placed against a hollow withy 

 tree. The haste disconcerted the aim — the rabbit too 

 was almost fifty yards away when I fired. But the 

 shot broke one hind leg — it trailed behind — and the 

 spaniel had him instantly. * Look at yer nets,' said 



