WILY'S STORY 29 



fear, and soon heard the rusthng of hounds on every 

 side of me, then a sohtary shght whimpering, and 

 Foster's cheer, " Have at him, Truemaid ; hoick ! 

 hoick ! " These sounds, frightful in my ears, sent 

 every hound to the same spot ; and I started from 

 my kennel, and got as fast as I could to the other 

 side of the gorse. I soon gladly returned, and 

 meeting an old dog-fox that at first I mistook 

 for a hound, dashed away on one side before the 

 pack had crossed my line. They ran by me, and 

 continued following the old fox, till I heard 

 " Tally-ho ! gone away " ; with a smacking of whips, 

 and " Hoick back, hoick back " ; then for a few 

 minutes all silent ; and then again the same terrible 

 tongues drove me from my quarters. They were 

 not in pursuit of me in particular, but running after 

 either my mother or one of the rest or all of us, 

 divided as they were into different lots. One of 

 these at last got fast on my track, and away I went 

 straight to the earth where we were born ; but to 

 my surprise and disappointment I found it stopped 

 up with a bundle of sticks, and covered over with 

 fresh earth ; for it was not in that state when I 

 passed by it the night before. I waited for a few 

 moments, and tried to scratch an opening ; but 

 hearing the hounds hunting towards me, I returned 



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