RED SLAYER AND THE TERROR 249 
and for the nearest hole into which to dive. He 
traveled over the meadows, too, and along the 
fences, and went into old stone walls looking for 
squirrels and chipmunks, and even into wood- 
chuck holes looking for sleeping chucks. It was 
a tough hide around the neck a chuck had, to be 
sure, but there was a softer place under the 
throat, and one couldn’t be too particular when 
hungry. Still, this was a last resort. 
Then Red Slayer’s mind reverted to the Pekin 
ducks in the barnyard. Driven by hunger to 
overcome his aversion to the unknown, he crossed 
the road one moonlight night, nothing but his 
pale shadow and his black tail tip showing over 
the snow, and sniffed around the barnyard. His 
nose took him to the hen-house, and he found 
easily a crack through which he could enter. 
Once he was inside, the hens began to stir on their 
perches uneasily. Red Slayer went quickly up 
the roost pole, and fastened himself on the neck 
of the nearest fowl, killing it and feasting on the 
blood. Now the whole roost was in commotion. 
The hens were fluttering and flapping about, and 
making a tremendous noise. The taste of blood 
