3 o REDPAD THE FOX 
step, and hedges impenetrable to anything but a 
blackbird. However, Redpad had made up his 
mind where he was going, and set his mask resolutely 
towards the east. Four miles of meadow-land lie 
between Knockdane and Kiltorkan Hill, but Red- 
pad had a map of the country in his head, and he 
knew that no covert in the country was a surer 
refuge for a hunted fox. He slipped across a grass 
field where a couple of hobbled goats bucketted 
away at his approach ; and, taking just the same 
line which Vix, his mother, had chosen for her last 
race for life eighteen months before, he galloped over 
the bog. 
Most of the fences were wide-topped banks with 
a ' grip ' l on the further side, and Redpad took 
them with an easy spring on and off. He was 
running with a good lead over a marshy field when he 
met with his first check at the highroad. A train 
of ' side cars,' ' ass cars/ and pedestrians, nearly a 
quarter of a mile long, were slowly proceeding to 
a funeral at Ballycarnew. Redpad could not cross 
the road under their feet, and was obliged to make 
a long detour which brought the hounds consider- 
ably nearer his brush so much nearer indeed that 
presently he ascended a little knoll covered with 
furze to see if a certain drain was open. Although 
1 Ditch. 
