The sun., 1897-01-03
ruASING FOXES IN MAINE.
xoYBoUyD, AND oRBr HOUND
epn .vrD AGAINST RBYNARD.


rn., Helps the Husters-A nee s.d
sasw..'eray Fox the Bag OF . Day
=, Reynard's WHY Strstngems
- Throv the Heunss fro" the SCENT
.o,orr. Me-, Jan. Ia thicksning sky,
,..Iine OF snow In the air through
WIN ,.,roon. and gray sunset BODIED q snow
ID. ..,o,. the morrow. After supper my
nil Tom Colby, went to tho farmhouse door
md looked out.
.rh. nskes are coming fast already" he
=, "n va get four or fve inches Of snow
.-n,sbt. with n clearing morning, inftead OF
,.rlIpr wood we'll hunt foxes"
49,, the old foxhound. lying ourled MP on
- .oor. lifted his head at these words. thon
' N..,.d MI, nose again between his DAVIS and lay
,,,.,ins with look Of quiet expectancy on
~ An. face. Colby slipped out OF the house,
..,r,n IN the course Of an hour leading .
80 black greyhound that MAJOR welcomed.
= ..nIns fashion. with the air OF old-tfme
friendship .,,,,.
,.hv "pick can't 20 out with US to-morro
a., hs lent mo his dog. Major and Chaser
n.t.. great team for foIes-one follows the
,,.n BY scent, the other runs the fox down
-h,n he comes in sight of him. II the wealth
~, right you'll see how they do II.
We got our hunting equipments in rcadi-
,... before goins to bod. Two hours before
s,,llsht Colby thumped at my door.
"Turn out. It's stopped snowing." he
,.llsd. There's six inches fallen on level.
Rr,ssasrll be ready by the time you got
ir.ssed ind down stairs"
breakfast was waiting whom got down to
The kitchen.
"E.t hearty" said Colby. Fox huntinr's
hungry work. and you'll need all the grub
,ou can store before the days through"
The meal eaten. we put on rubber overcoats
and slouched hats and pulled Arctic ovor-
shoes over our hish-legscd boots. Then TAX.
iux our shoteuns, with cartridges loaded with
double shot. and leading the hounds In leash,
ve started out just as the day was beginning
10 redden in the dawn. II was a. world Of
Lsbaster into which We stepped. On roofs,
fields. fences. trees, and roadways. the snow
hy ss It had fallen through the still. damp air.
from q sky still overcast Across fields we
took our way to the evergreen woods. whore
iores we're most likely to have been early astir.
Although we had como 30 early, the forest
creatures had been up and stirring since the
,now had ceased to fall. We parsed racks of
rsbbits. grouse. squirrels. and mice before. In
the course OF twenty minutes after entering
The woods. We came upon q fresh fox trail,
where the animal had trotted along brushing
the snow with its breast and leaving behind
the light furrow made by its bushy tail.
was leading Siajor, the greyhound. who
objected to coercion by strangers. being led by
Colby. when my companion. stopping, mo-
toned for me to como up. The foxhound,
scentiaz The tracks. tuRged at hie leash as
colby slipped the collar from his neck and let
him take the trail. He snuffed along the
tracks for few yards. ouickening his trot as
he went, until he had fairly got tho scent and
located the general direction the fox had
taken. Then. with the greyhound that Tom
had unloosed. capcring about him. no broke
into . gallop and passed from our sisht among
the trees We kept after them as vel, as we
could. their tracks being plain To follow. al.
though the dogs were out of view. The tracks
led rs through all sorts Of rough places. while
NOW from trees and bushes, shaken by our
passing. rainsd down on us at every s.ep,
shitsning our hats and rubber coats and COM
pellnE US to keep our gums in their woollen
eases An hour of houndsring through tho
isisn. there sounded from far ahead The mel.
hv CRY OF the foxhound.
The trail is getting warm" said Colby.
md We pushed on In the dlrec Lon OF the sound.
Again and again tho cry of tho hound came
aef TO our ears; and by It's repetitions We
could .sst tell That he was was SWINGING OF TO the
stopped TO liaten. with the CRY an eighth OF
mile away. l saw something like q streak OF
rihs shot away. and, as It vanished among the
trees and underground on the other side.
could vaguely distinguish the outlines of the
70 observe 1t more fully. while shot. even IL
had been ready. would have been out OF the
question. The speed at which it was going
wcols creatures when running from danger.
DO You expect the hounds to catch him
az csIss sa,s Ike that" s asked s M companion
n his best licks lust now. but It's only a a les-
ton Of time before the dogs overhaul him or
Of snow OF this depth is that the fox has to
wallow through 1t while tho hounds with their
long legs are not bothered q bit. Then his
Just walt while and SEQ what happens.
A minute or two more and Major broke into
ne road following The foI's trail, with Chaser
road In two oounds and vanished. with the
r.Ihound following.
that the dogs are pressing him." said Colby.
This road leads into q clearing q few rods
shean., I'll stay here to take my chance Of q
in.p shot when he comes into the road again,
for him there"
Invent down the road tn the cleared land.
ARMS made an open space of about $50 acres.
here. seated on log behind brush fence, I
mNhod 70 the. e.musicAl cry OF the hound as h0
alternately approached and roceded. AT last
hs drew nearer than before. and. presently. .
hundred wards away. The fox lodged through
running q good pace. though its.tail dragged In
NE snow | let drive at II with both barrels
OF my gun With no apparent effect but to
Sui,ken Its going. IL was half way across the
eieared land when the dogs broke from the
woods. and Chaser for the first time caught
sight OF It,. With a bound the greyhound
cleared the fence and went straight for the fox
With surprising burst OF speed. seeming bare
70 touch the snow between his long. smooth
eape; In a minute he was upon the fox.
which. at the last moment. leaped suddenly TO
cue sido while Its pursuer shot by. and. as the
Mcyhound whirlsd TO se7e 10. faced It's enemy
With show OF fierce defiance. The grey
hound was less OF fighter than runner. for he
out as often lodged DIck as he was met at
Wery turn by Reynard's swapping teeth. Had
Me nght been between these two only. IL Is a
question which would have been tho victor.
5ut u ended quickly when Major :ame up.
ae closed In on the fox at once: there was a
Rurry of red for q few moments about the
aouha nose: and then tho fox shot up into
Sne air, to fall back upon the snow. its back
''oksn oxen and the life shaken from its body.
q, Solby had jJined me at the edge OF the clear
,u.; ana We went over to where the fox was.
Ssnu, Iiting II up, admired tts splendid brush.
H.. h.oy looked at the sun. dimly shining from
the DUH sky.
~ lacks two hours Of oon." he said. and
tox bagged already. I'll take the skin of
ms one and then we'll trv for another"
,hNNh deft and practised hand he strlpred
sG stlh from the fox, and rolling II up stuffed
u INTO his game bag. Ten he called Major