Part 28 (2/2)

”I am almost certain that he took to the other ridge,” answered Frank.

”I think we should have heard the hound before this time, if he had turned this way.”

They remained in their places of concealment for almost an hour, without hearing any sounds of the chase, and Frank said,

”We might as well start for home.”

”Dished again, are we?” said Archie, in a deprecating tone. ”That's too bad! Well,” he continued, ”we can't always be the fortunate ones, but I wish I could have had the pleasure of shooting that fox. But which way do we go to get home?”

”We must go exactly south,” said Frank.

”Which way is that?”

”I will soon tell you.”

And Frank drew a small compa.s.s from his pocket, and, in a moment, continued,

”This is the way. Come on!”

And he turned his face, as Archie thought, directly _from_ home, and struck boldly out. Their long run had taxed their endurance to the utmost. If they had ”been in practice,” they would have looked upon it as merely a ”little tramp;” for, during the previous winter, they had often followed a fox all day without experiencing any serious inconvenience; but, as this was the first exercise of the kind they had had for almost a year, they felt the effects of it pretty severely.

Archie, who had lived in the city during the summer, was ”completely used up,” as he expressed it; and his cousin was weary and footsore; and it seemed as though neither of them had sufficient strength left to take another step.

They kept on, hour after hour, however, without once stopping to rest; and, about three o'clock in the afternoon, they climbed over the fence that inclosed Uncle Mike's pasture, and came in sight of the cottage.

George and Harry were sitting on the piazza, and, as soon as they came within speaking distance, the latter held up the fox, exclaiming,

”We were lucky, for once in our lives.”

”If we had been five minutes later, we should have lost him,” said George, as Frank and his cousin came up to where the brothers were sitting. ”We reached the ridge just in the 'nick of time,' The fox was just pa.s.sing, and Harry brought him down by a chance shot. Here, Frank,” he continued, ”you take the fox; we have no use for him.”

Frank thanked him; and the boys then went into the house, and, after dinner, the brothers started for home.

Frank and his cousin went into the study, and the former selected his favorite book from his library, and settled himself in an easy-chair before the fire; while Archie stretched himself on the bed, and was fast asleep in a moment.

And here, reader, we will leave them reposing after their long run; but we hope soon to introduce them again in works ent.i.tled, ”FRANK IN THE WOODS,” and ”FRANK ON THE PRAIRIE.”

THE END.

THE GUN-BOAT SERIES.

FRANK, THE YOUNG NATURALIST,

FRANK ON A GUN-BOAT,

FRANK IN THE WOODS,

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