THE RACCOON 97 



of the field. In the stillness you may sometimes 

 hear a single stone rattle on the wall as they 

 hurry toward the woods. If the dog finds no- 

 thing he comes back to his master in a short 

 time, and says in his dumb way, " No coon 

 there." But if he strikes a trail you presently 

 hear a louder rattling on the stone wall, and 

 then a hurried bark as he enters the woods, 

 succeeded in a few minutes by loud and re- 

 peated barkings as he reaches the foot of the 

 tree in which the coon has taken refuge. Then 

 follows a pellmell rush as the cooning party dash 

 up the hill, into the woods, through the brush and 

 the darkness, falling over prostrate trees, pitch- 

 ing into gullies and hollows, losing hats and 

 tearing clothes, till finally, guided by the baying 

 of the faithful dog, they reach -the tree. The 

 first thing now in order is to kindle a fire, and, 

 if its light reveals the coon, to shoot him ; if not, 

 to fell the tree with an axe, unless this last expe- 

 dient happens to be too great a sacrifice of timber 

 and of strength, in which case it is necessary 

 to sit down at the foot of the tree and wait till 

 morning. 



