'A CHAPTER OF ACCIDENTS' 209 



hurting my tail !' I can only suppose that he did 

 not understood my language, for he pressed the 

 stick down tighter. But fortunately his blow had 

 broken the skin, and the skin slipped off the tip, 

 and I contrived to wriggle away into the safe 

 darkness of a deep hole. I knew that it was only 

 a breathing space, as the ferrets would soon be 

 brought down to work the bottom of the stack, 

 so I ran right through to the entrance or exit 

 of another hole, and watched for an opportunity. 

 This soon came, for all the little ruffians gathered 

 to one corner, where the remnants of the aristocracy 

 were making their last heroic stand, and I slipped 

 across into the hedgerow, and did not stop until 

 I had put a good half-mile between myself and 

 that deadly stack, and had buried myself deep in 

 the recesses of a small plantation. Even then I 

 had another shock, for the band of marauders came 

 back that way, utterly scorning a notice-board 

 about trespassers. They passed close to where I 

 was lurking, so close that I could hear them 

 chuckling over their sport. ' Jolly good afternoon ! 

 Thirty-two head !' and a squeaky voice added, 

 * Wish I had got that beggar whose tail I trapped.' 

 Luckily, they had no dog, so I lay very low until 

 their voices died away, and then made an inspection 



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