194 THE BHOWN HARE. 



some minutes the dog reappeared, tongue lolling, 

 almost at a walk. Skilfully, yet laboriously, he 

 unravelled the tangle of tracks, headed for the 

 swamp, and again put up the hare. 



Numbers of people who had seen or heard of 

 the chase now began to appear at gates or on 

 the hill-tops to watch the sport, and the hare once 

 more set off, now with weary steps, but never- 

 theless leaving the hound. Behind a gate a 

 labourer was waiting for him with one of the 

 fastest, best-winded sheep-dogs in the country, 

 and the poor exhausted hare ran right into them. 



Was he exhausted ? Be that as it may, he 

 instantly doubled his speed, breasting the steep 

 mountain-side at one long, floating glide. Up 

 went the little spurts of powdery snow from his 

 heels, and between him and the fresh dog the 

 white expanse of snow rapidly grew in width. 

 Up the mountain-side he came, passing quite near, 

 and behind him that great iron-limbed hound. 

 Down into the valley once more, round the village, 

 over the burn, then westward through the foot- 

 hills hard pressed now. Through Bethman's farm- 

 yard, scattering the hens ; and then Bethman's 

 dog was after him, the third fresh dog, running 

 hard and fast, and gaining, gaining, gaining ! 



At a gate a woman turned the hare through 

 the churchyard then, and along the road, down 

 the steep bank to the river, here ninety yards in 

 width and thundering between the rocks. We 

 watched long for him to emerge on the other side ; 

 but no. We saw Bethman's dog, dripping wet, 

 come back ; and just then my old dog, still 

 patiently following the trail at about three miles 

 an hour, came plodding towards us, imagining he 

 had done marvellously. 



