WILY^S STORY 51 



soon discovered that they would not he, and the 

 delay caused my escape, for I must otherwise have 

 been killed. It was a terribly severe day, for I had 

 been hunted by them more than twenty miles from 

 the place where they found me. A gTeat part of 

 the country I ran across was the same that I had 

 gone over in the previous year when hunted by 

 JNIr. Smith's pack, though the distance was not 

 so far by some miles. The great difference I 

 observed in these two packs was that the present 

 one were rather faster, and could not be heard so 

 plainly when running : this was in some measure 

 made up for by Squire's voice, which I so often 

 heard to cry " Whoop ! " 



I was afraid to remain in these parts, so travelled 

 westward, until I reached a wood by the sea-side 

 near Southampton, and there, owing to the scarcity 

 of rabbits, was obhged to seek other food, often con- 

 sisting of dead fish, which I found on the shore. I 

 had more than once a narrow escape from being shot 

 by sailors, as they passed by in a boat at moonlight, 

 and was induced to leave this part also. Following 

 the sea -shore I crossed the Itchen Bridge, for I 

 had not forgotten my escape from the swans, and 

 would never trust myself again in water when it 

 could be avoided, and by degrees, as the spring 



