Part 4 (1/2)

”All right, Benny. Now, boys, take things easy, or you'll be tired out before you see a fox.”

[Sidenote: ZABDIEL]

As Davy and I skimmed along over the snow, the day began to break. We had only one dog with us, but he was a real good one. His name was Zabdiel.

”That's a good dog, Davy, but he's got the funniest name for a dog I ever heard. How did he get it?”

”Oh, I dunno! Father gave it to him. There was a doctor in Boston started this inoculation business for the smallpox. Folks were about ready to tear his house down; but he kept on inoculating, his patients didn't die, and finally people let up on him. Father thinks a heap of this inoculation and sets a store by this Dr. Zabdiel Boylston, and named his best horse and dog after him.”

”But I should think we ought to have more than one dog with us, Davy.”

”Well, ain't we going over to Dog Lane, to pick up little Amos Locke?

Every one over there hunts and has a dog. When we get there, you'll find Amos walking up and down, and all the dogs of Dog Lane following him.

You won't be looking for dogs when you get there. The question will be, how to get rid of them.”

Just then Davy held up his hand. ”Hush, Ben,” and pointed to a spot where the snow had been shaken up. ”Give me a racket.” I did so. He held it over the spot, and stuck his hand under it into the snow. Something darted up against the racket, and at the same time I was covered with snow from head to foot, and a partridge flew off. Davy laughed. ”Why didn't you catch him, Ben? I got one.” He drew his hand out with a partridge in it. He twisted its neck, and we started on again.

”The partridges dive down into the snow, and sleep there, but I don't see why those two went to bed so late after the storm was over.

Something must have disturbed them. If I hadn't the racket to clap over the place, I should have lost him. I learned that trick from Amos Locke's father.

”But there is Amos, waiting for us, with all the dogs of Dog Lane about him. What did I tell you about dogs?”

”Isn't Amos rather young to go fox-hunting, Davy?”

[Sidenote: AMOS LOCKE]

”Sho! That's all you know about it. That little hatchet-faced fellow is tougher than a boiled owl, and knows almost as much about foxes and birds as I do, and that's saying a good deal. He's big, too, for his age, and will be pretty strong, though I don't suppose he will be as strong as you are. What do you do, Ben, to make you so strong? I could walk the legs off of you; but you've got a terrible grip, and throw me just as easy as nothing at all. If you keep on, you'll be as good a wrestler as Jonas Parker; and he's the best the whole country round. How do you get so strong?”

”Oh, I dunno! Father's strong, and mother's strong. Comes natural, I suppose.”

”Well, perhaps so. Father's a doctor, and my brothers are going to be doctors; but I ain't. I'm going to be a hunter.”

Amos shouted: ”h.e.l.lo, Dave and Ben! Where have you been? I'd about g-g-given you up.” Amos stammered a little, except when he was stirred up, and then he stammered a good deal.

”Now, don't you get excited, sonny. We've got the whole day before us.

Do you own all these dogs?”

”Oh, d-darn it, Davy, I can't help it. The whole pack of them keep following me all the time, and if I've got a gun, they stick to me like g-g-glue.”

”Well! They're beauties. Regular full-blooded foxhounds, every one of them.”

”Oh, get out, Dave. They may not be p-p-pretty, but they hunt almost as g-good as Zabdiel. Come here, Zab, old boy. I've been trying to get rid of them for the last two hours. But they seem to g-g-get out about as fast as I p-put them in.”

”Well, come on over to Bear's Hill. That's the best place. Call your beauties in.”

We kept on past Corner Hedge and Pine Grove till we came to Listening Hill. There the hounds struck a scent, lifted up their heads, bayed, and started off on the trail.

At first they went along the foot of Listening Hill, then up it, and over the top. We had to take our rackets off, for it was so rocky and uneven that we could not use them. The rocks stuck up through the snow.

Holding our rackets under our left arms and our guns in our right hands, we followed over the crest of the hill, along the high land, and then down the slope. Here we put on our rackets again. The dogs were far ahead of us. We came to low land with a brook running through it, and in the distance could see the dogs.