CRAVEN^S STORY 65 



hound appeared at once to be running on the scent. 

 This so frightened me that I lost no time in leaving 

 the covert and taking my way straight to the 

 forest, where other foxes were soon moved by 

 hearing the hounds ; I escaped this time also. Not 

 feeling however quite safe, I resorted to a plan 

 which had been adopted by other foxes before. I 

 contrived to crawl up the side of a large oak tree, 

 by means of some small branches which grew out 

 of its trunk near the bottom, and the stems of 

 ivy which covered it farther up. At a considerable 

 distance from the ground I found a desirable spot 

 to rest upon, where the large branches, about which 

 was a thick patch of the ivy, divided. To this 

 place I resorted every morning for a long time, 

 and thence could frequently see the horrible hounds, 

 myself lying, as I fancied, in certain safety. One 

 day, however, as I turned my head towards where 

 they were hunting a fox in the wood close by, 

 my attention was so riveted that I did not observe 

 a keeper, who in passing the tree on the other 

 side had seen me and was proceeding towards the 

 hounds just at the moment the fatal " whoop ! " was 

 heard, — the hounds having killed the unfortunate 

 fox which they had been hunting. 



Soon afterwards the keeper told Lady EHzabeth 



