THE HOODED CROW 
such food as they did find, for being the 
strongest and most savage of the band, he 
could often snatch a few morsels before the 
hunger of the rest drove out their fear of him, 
and they closed in round the quarry. 
On one such afternoon after a heavy fall of 
snow, Fionog-liat, beating up and down the 
fields like a pointer, came upon a stain of fresh 
blood. Rubies were never a more welcome 
sight to a miser then were those crimson pits 
on the smooth snow to Fionog-liat of the 
pitiless hunger, and he alighted beside them 
eagerly. Though the trail was laid in blood it 
was strongly marked on the hillside, with three 
even prints, and in place of the fourth, a red 
stain Geirr-fiad the Hare, his mark, which he 
makes after that he has fallen among evil things 
in the lowlands, and escapes to the hills to die. 
Fionog-liat saw that his next neighbour had 
seen him stoop, and was following him through 
no 
