WILY^S STORY 31 



withstanding which an old hound or two got on my 

 hne of scent, and hunted it back the contrary way 

 to that which I had gone, till they came to the i. 



rabbit burrow, where they stopped, and began bay- 

 ing and scratching with their feet at the entrance. 



There can be httle doubt that hounds have a 

 language well understood by each other, and I 

 never can forget the noise made by the whole pack 

 as they all immediately came to the spot ; the men 

 hallooed " Whoop ! whoop ! have at him, my lads " ; 

 and one was ordered to fetch a terrier, and tools for 

 digging. During the time they were at this, I stole 

 away from the covert in another direction, and so 

 saved my life. It seems they soon found out that 

 I had left the earth, tried the covert over again, 

 and then went home, vowing my destruction 

 another day. 



This was warning enough to prevent my remain- 

 ing longer in or near this covert for the present. 

 Venturing farther abroad, I returned to that in 

 which I had been disturbed by the shooters, and 

 there frequently picked up more wounded birds ; 

 I also found, in a field close by, part of a dead 

 sheep, which a shepherd had left for his dog. Some 

 of this I took away and buried. I was returning 

 for another bit, when the rough dog, which had 



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