I 4 REDPAD THE FOX 
The meadows were dotted with tall thistles and 
ragweed, so that, running close to the ground, the 
foxes could not see far ahead, but one of the axioms 
of the Wild Folk is : hunt with your nose, kill with 
your teeth, and let your eyes take care of themselves. 
The scent led them across the road into a bog. 
Here Redpad, who led the chase, lost the trail at 
the edge of a dyke and was thrown out, but Vix 
leaped over and picked it up on the other side. 
They crossed the bog at full speed, scaring a silent 
heron, who was fishing knee-deep in a pool, almost 
out of his wits. On the other side the trail led over a 
furze-clad hill, and here there were many other scents 
fox, rabbit, badger and other hares and the foxes 
separated. But Redpad, hunting to and fro like a 
beagle, worked out the line into the grass-lands 
again, and they crossed some stubbles where the 
sheep rushed together into a jostling stamping flock 
at their approach. 
Hitherto the hare had kept her lead well, but 
now before dawn the scent clung persistently to 
the dewy grass, and the hunters began to gain 
ground. The chase bent round towards Knockdane 
once more, but the trail curved and twisted in 
turnings as intricate as those of a swallow. The 
' false dawn ' appeared over the mountains, and 
the air grew cooler. The foxes' tongues were out, 
