Beautiful Joe [76]
way the fox
had gone. Then his tail, still kept high in the air, would wag more violently.
The rest followed him in single file, going pretty slow, so as to enable us to
keep up to them. By-and-by, they would come to a place where the fox was
sleeping for the day. As soon as he was disturbed he would leave his bed under
some thick fir or spruce branches near the ground. This flung his fresh scent
into the air. As soon as the hounds sniffed it, they gave tongue in good
earnest. It was a mixed, deep baying, that made the blood quicken in my veins.
While in the excitement of first fright, the fox would run fast for a mile or
two, till he found it an easy matter to keep out of the way of the hounds. Then
he, cunning creature, would begin to bother them. He would mount to the top pole
of the worm fence dividing the fields from the woods. He could trot along here
quite a distance and then make a long jump into the woods. The hounds would come
up, but could not walk the fence, and they would have difficulty in finding
where the fox had left it. Then we saw generalship. The hounds scattered in all
directions, and made long detours into the woods and fields. As soon as the
track was lost, they ceased to bay, but the instant a hound found it again, he
bayed to give the signal to the others. All would hurry to the spot, and off
they would go baying as they went.
"Then Mr. Fox would try a new trick. He would climb a leaning tree, and then
jump to the ground. This trick would soon be found out. Then he'd try another.
He would make a circle of a quarter of a mile in circumference. By making a loop
in his course, he would come in behind the hounds, and puzzle them between the
scent of his first and following tracks. If the snow was deep, the hounds had
made a good track for him. Over this he could run easily, and they would have to
feel their way along, for after he had gone around the circle a few times, he
would jump from the beaten path as far as he could, and make off to other cover
in a straight line. Before this was done it was my plan to get near the circle;
taking care to approach it on the leeward side. If the fox got a sniff of human
scent, he would leave his circle very quickly, and make tracks fast to be out of
danger. By the baying of the hounds, the circle in which the race was kept up
could be easily known. The last runs to get near enough to shoot had to be done
when the hounds' baying came from the side of the circle nearest to me. For then
the fox would be on the opposite side farthest away. As soon as I got near
enough to see the hounds when they passed, I stopped. When they got on the
opposite side, I then kept a bright lookout for the fox. Sometimes when the
brush was thick, the sight of him would be indistinct. The shooting had to be
quick. As soon as the report of the gun was heard, the hounds ceased to bay, and
made for the spot. If the fox was dead, they enjoyed the scent of his blood. If
only wounded, they went after him with all speed. Sometimes he was overtaken and
killed, and sometimes he got into his burrow in the earth, or in a hollow log,
or among the rocks.
"One day, I remember, when I was standing on the outside of the circle, the fox
came in sight. I fired. He gave a shrill bark, and came toward me. Then he
stopped in the snow and fell dead in his tracks. I was a pretty good shot in
those days."
"Poor little fox," said Miss Laura. "I wish you had let him get away."
"Here's one that nearly got away," said Mr. Wood. "One winter's day, I was
chasing him with the hounds. There was a crust on the snow, and the fox was
light, while the dogs were heavy. They ran along, the fox trotting nimbly on the
top of the crust and the dogs breaking through, and every few minutes that fox
would stop and sit down to look at the dogs. They were in a fury, and the
wickedness of the fox in teasing them, made me laugh so much that I was very
unwilling to shoot him."
"You said your steel traps were cruel things, uncle,"
had gone. Then his tail, still kept high in the air, would wag more violently.
The rest followed him in single file, going pretty slow, so as to enable us to
keep up to them. By-and-by, they would come to a place where the fox was
sleeping for the day. As soon as he was disturbed he would leave his bed under
some thick fir or spruce branches near the ground. This flung his fresh scent
into the air. As soon as the hounds sniffed it, they gave tongue in good
earnest. It was a mixed, deep baying, that made the blood quicken in my veins.
While in the excitement of first fright, the fox would run fast for a mile or
two, till he found it an easy matter to keep out of the way of the hounds. Then
he, cunning creature, would begin to bother them. He would mount to the top pole
of the worm fence dividing the fields from the woods. He could trot along here
quite a distance and then make a long jump into the woods. The hounds would come
up, but could not walk the fence, and they would have difficulty in finding
where the fox had left it. Then we saw generalship. The hounds scattered in all
directions, and made long detours into the woods and fields. As soon as the
track was lost, they ceased to bay, but the instant a hound found it again, he
bayed to give the signal to the others. All would hurry to the spot, and off
they would go baying as they went.
"Then Mr. Fox would try a new trick. He would climb a leaning tree, and then
jump to the ground. This trick would soon be found out. Then he'd try another.
He would make a circle of a quarter of a mile in circumference. By making a loop
in his course, he would come in behind the hounds, and puzzle them between the
scent of his first and following tracks. If the snow was deep, the hounds had
made a good track for him. Over this he could run easily, and they would have to
feel their way along, for after he had gone around the circle a few times, he
would jump from the beaten path as far as he could, and make off to other cover
in a straight line. Before this was done it was my plan to get near the circle;
taking care to approach it on the leeward side. If the fox got a sniff of human
scent, he would leave his circle very quickly, and make tracks fast to be out of
danger. By the baying of the hounds, the circle in which the race was kept up
could be easily known. The last runs to get near enough to shoot had to be done
when the hounds' baying came from the side of the circle nearest to me. For then
the fox would be on the opposite side farthest away. As soon as I got near
enough to see the hounds when they passed, I stopped. When they got on the
opposite side, I then kept a bright lookout for the fox. Sometimes when the
brush was thick, the sight of him would be indistinct. The shooting had to be
quick. As soon as the report of the gun was heard, the hounds ceased to bay, and
made for the spot. If the fox was dead, they enjoyed the scent of his blood. If
only wounded, they went after him with all speed. Sometimes he was overtaken and
killed, and sometimes he got into his burrow in the earth, or in a hollow log,
or among the rocks.
"One day, I remember, when I was standing on the outside of the circle, the fox
came in sight. I fired. He gave a shrill bark, and came toward me. Then he
stopped in the snow and fell dead in his tracks. I was a pretty good shot in
those days."
"Poor little fox," said Miss Laura. "I wish you had let him get away."
"Here's one that nearly got away," said Mr. Wood. "One winter's day, I was
chasing him with the hounds. There was a crust on the snow, and the fox was
light, while the dogs were heavy. They ran along, the fox trotting nimbly on the
top of the crust and the dogs breaking through, and every few minutes that fox
would stop and sit down to look at the dogs. They were in a fury, and the
wickedness of the fox in teasing them, made me laugh so much that I was very
unwilling to shoot him."
"You said your steel traps were cruel things, uncle,"