A GREAT FROST 231 



was evidently meant to intimidate and confuse his 

 enemy and enable him to deliver his blow in an un- 

 expected place, but there was danger in this method, 

 seeing that the least miscalculation or the slightest 

 accident would have placed him at the mercy of the 

 savage beast hungry to get his sharp teeth into his 

 hated black carcass. 



The bird rose high up with a sullen croak and flew 

 away out of sight, and only then the fox quitted his 

 post. He did not see me among the rocks on my 

 side of the gully, although I was able to keep my 

 glass on him all the time. He came at a quiet trot 

 straight towards me, springing lightly from stone to 

 stone and only dropping down to the rough frozen 

 ground when there was no other way. After tra- 

 velling about a hundred yards in this way he turned 

 aside at right angles and went a distance of about 

 forty yards straight to a spot where a mass of heather 

 grew in the cleft of a rock. Thrusting his head and 

 half his body into the heather he began digging and 

 presently pulled out something which he had con- 

 cealed there and which he now proceeded to devour, 

 holding it down with his paws. Having eaten it he 

 sat down and licked his chops, then picked up the 

 crumbs so to speak and sat down and licked his 

 chops once more. Evidently the meat had not satis- 

 fied his hunger, for by and by he thrust himself into 

 the clump and began digging again, but there was 

 no more, and coming out he sat up again and with 

 head inclining downwards remained for some mo- 

 ments in a dejected attitude, revolving things in his 



