THE LIFE OF A FOX. 91

fruitless attempt to stop me from making my
point to reach a wood or place of safety on such
an occasion, even if my first attempts had been
prevented. I may flatter myself that a hundred
witnesses are ready to pronounce it as clever
an escape as was ever effected by a fox in
similar circumstances. For the future they
will not say that a fox cannot run, and con-
demn him to be given to the hounds, merely
for running into an earth.

I now made the best of my way straight to
the large woods which I had passed through
when hunted by the other pack, and luckily
made good use of my time, for they came
after me as if their feet had been winged,
neither road nor wall delaying them. I had
enough to do to keep out of their way through
these large woods, which they traversed nearly
as fast as if in the open country. At the extre-
mity of the woods, to my surprise, I met the
noble master of the pack, who had succeeded
in getting to that point before me, the result
of which was that I turned back into the covert