The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1914-05-08

the rest.
As soon as l saw what was up l
started to head them off at th9 Haw
gap, but they went through just as
| came in sight. From Haw gap
they took the top of the mountain,
| was right aftet them, little, you
may suppose, behind old Troop.
They kept along the top of the
mountain till they came to where
the Huckleberry ridge branches off
from the mountain, there they
turned down and freed about half
way down the ridge.
slackened up a little, for was
tired, and l knew the hounds would
stay there as long as the foy did. I
was about fifty wards above them,
going down the mountain where it
was tolerably steep and could hear
the dogs gnawing on wood, and |
knew then that the fox was in log
and as good as had him,
When I came up Troop was
gnawing at the hole in the log. 1t
was a large log, straight, and about
forty feet long As | spoke, Troop
raised his head and looked toward
the top of the log, then started
trotting off in that direction. Sud
denly he tore off as if Scratch was
after him, opening long and loud,
"Yow. co. 90 yowhow!" The others
right after him, soon they overlook
him. then they passed him. | was
surprised and beWildered. But l
must hear the race. / ran to the
top of the ridge in time 10 hear
them go through Haw Gap to tie
other side of the mountain. Up
the valley, through Pickles Gap
back to the same side of the mount
ain, out through the valley, in back
Of Tom Crews, then down through
the valley, this time not turning.
for anything. Be-darned, fellers,
if it didn't run right through Jake
Mlkel's cabbage patch. On down
to where it had taken the mountain
before. / knew it was coming to
the same old log. So, l hurried up
and hid where l could see him 60
in, or past, whichever he did. Into
the log he went with scoot. Il
occurred to me now for the first time
that there was hole in the other
end OF the log and the fox was run
ming through to gain time. While
the dogs were gnawing at one end
he could run out at the other, and
get quite a start before he was dis
covered. / ran to the lesser end of
the log when sure enough. he scooS-
ed out Just as / got there. The
dogs, seeing me running in that
direction whipped in ahead Of me,
and was right after him pell nell. |
1 thought the fox was about as
badly tagged as the hounds were,
for it had run as far and as long,
and as fast.
The hounds were not rrnning so
eagerly as they had done at first.
The fox seemed to be spryer, At
least, it seemed to me to be gaining
on the dogs. I stood on top of the
ridge and listened till I could tell
by the sound they were coming
back to the same place. l went
back to the log, found good sized
hole in the top, and stopped it so a
fox could not get out, and again
hid to see what I could see. The
fox came, this time considerably in
the lead. Into the hole he scooted.
I had selected stone. nearly round
that l thought would about fit the
entrance to the log. As soon as the
fox entered I fastened tosstop and
fasten the entrance fox-tight. The
came on up and hardly
looked at the entrance of the log,
but kept right on as before. They
could not understand why they
didn't fird the fox at the top Of the
log as before. / had to scold theml
10 get them to come back. When
hey did come back, 0 how mad
hey werel While one or twol
yrn vUed at the hole where the fox