30 THE LIFE OF A FOX 



to the gorse, where they shortly followed me. 

 Owing to my being smaller than they were, I could 

 easily run a good pace in it, where they were obhged 

 to go slowly ; and running in the most unfrequented 

 tracks, I contrived to keep out of their way. At 

 times they were all quite silent, and could not hunt 

 my scent at all, owing probably to the ground and 

 covert where the hounds had been running so often 

 being stained. This dreadful state of things went 

 on for a length of time, till at last I heard them 

 halloo " Tally-ho ! tally-ho ! gone away." Shortly 

 after this the hounds left the covert, hunting after 

 the fox which was seen to go away, and which again 

 happened to be our mother. The men soon found 

 out their mistake ; and as they were some time 

 absent, they must have had difficulty in stopping 

 them, which at first I heard them trying to do. 



JNIeanwhile I had been flattering myself that I 

 was safe, and that once more I had escaped ; but 

 quickly I heard them coming back very quietly, as 

 if intending again to hunt me. Previously to this 

 I had found a rabbits' burrow, into which I crept. 

 I was luckily, as it happened, too much distressed 

 and too heated to remain there, and left it, and 

 went to the opposite side of the covert. At this 

 time a cold storm of wind and rain came on, not- 



