182 RECREATION. 
as he 
riendly 
stopped to listen, and then as silent] 
had come, he disappeared in the 
forest. 
Slowly the moon crept across the heay- 
ens until it neared the Western horizon. 
During all those hours not a living creature 
moved within the limits of that natural 
enclosure. The owl circled in the woods 
beyond but did not invade the loneliness of 
that spot. The shadows of the young 
hemlocks lengthened until they were cov- 
ered by the darker shadows of the main 
woods, which in turn threw the whole 
place into deep and obscure darkness. The 
moon, reddening as it neared the horizon, 
at last sank behind the distant hills and 
the stars again came forth in their splendor. 
Silence reigned supreme. The fitful breeze 
had died, the stiff hemlocks stood like 
sentinels, tireless watchers of the varying 
phases of nature. The coldness increased 
until the frost made the woods resound 
with the occasional crack of one of its 
monarchs, 
‘The stars in the East began to disappear, 
one by one, until only the morning star was 
left. This grew dimmer as the grey light 
of dawn became stronger, until it, too, said 
good morning and vanished. The light 
increased, the deep woods threw off their 
gloom and once more became suited to 
human eyes. A beautiful, reddening glow 
suffused the Eastern sky, increasing in 
strength until it became bright yellow. 
Then suddenly the sun leaped over the 
pure, white, glistening hills, changing every- 
thing into dazzling glory. The~ opening 
in the heart of the woods was transformed 
with its gladsome brightness and only the 
tracks in the snow told of the murder that 
had been committed there. Squirrels and 
other animals of the day called through 
the forest, and birds, awakening from their 
rest, voiced their thanksgiving, while at 
breakfast among the seeds. 
Suddenly all natural sounds of the wilder- 
ness were silenced by the long howl of a 
fox hound. It was repeated once and all was 
again quiet. Then without a sound, as if 
he walked on air, and as lightly as if 
upheld by some unseen power, a beautiful 
fox stepped out into the open. 
His rufus coat shone like gold in the 
bright sunlight as he stood with one fore 
foot slightly raised and looked back over 
his shoulder, listening for the hound which 
had intruded on his domain. What a pic- 
ture! A bright red, wild creature, every 
line of his body graceful, black legs, black 
ears, inclined sharply forward, and rufus 
tail tipped with white, outlined against the 
dazzling snow and the dark green hemlock! 
Could a more beautiful object be imagined 
than this wild creature, dependent on his 
own wits for a livelihood, responsible to 
none, and free? If the hound were to pur- 
sue him he was ready for the chase! The 
evening meal of rabbit had given him 
strength, so he cared not for the clumsy 
dog. He forgot the man and his gun. The 
fox never killed except for need; the man 
killed for gain and pleasure. 
While thus the fox stood, the hills once 
more resounded with the baying of the 
hound and Reynard trotted silently away, 
to try his ingenuity on the foolish dog. He 
had hardly vanished into the opposite side 
of the woods, when the hound’s tonguing 
took on another tone, more eager, as he 
struck the fresh scent and leaped ahead. 
The chase was on! The fox sped away 
across country, running easily, but swiftly, 
over stone walls and rail fences as he 
came to the fields. Then he halted and 
listened to the excited baying of his pur- 
suer. QOut in the open, half a mile distant, 
stood the fox hunter, leaning against 
the bars, where he might get a_ shot at 
the unsuspecting fox; but the quarry, as 
if guided by an unseen guardian, after 
running along the top of a rail fence for 
several hundred feet, leaped back into the 
brush and sped away. On came the hound, 
racing along on the fresh scent until he 
reached the fence. Then he was at fault 
for several minutes, but at length regained 
the trail. Away he went until his loud 
voice became barely audible, and then was 
lost to hearing. 
Once within an hour the hunter saw the 
fox race across a distant meadow, and sev- 
eral minutes later he saw and heard the 
hound pursuing. Again a long period 
elapsed before aught was heard of the 
chase, for the fox had led away and seemed 
willing to rely simply on his speed and en- 
durance to escape. Several times in the 
afternoon the man thought he heard his 
dog, far to the Southward, but was not 
certain. At last when there were still some 
2 hours of sunlight left, the hound’s voice 
sounded faintly from the South, slowly 
and uncertainly growing louder. Now it 
was almost inaudible as the fox led him 
down into the valley, now distinct as he 
trailed along the ridges. The man heard, 
put out his pipe, and prepared to lay out the 
fox which had caused his hound so much 
exertion. He was angered that he had 
been kept out in the cold all day and had 
not had a chance to shoot. He was angry 
to. think he had lost a day’s wages and 
might have to return empty handed; but as 
the hound’s music drifted to his ear visions 
of the bounty and the price of the silky fur 
came into his mind. Perhaps he would not 
go home empty handed, after all, and deep 
down in his hardened heart he rejoiced. 
He was not poor, nor did he need the 
money. Nevertheless, his lust for killing 
was intensified by his desire for gain. 
The fox, unconscious of danger, was 
