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: "Hello, 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.

[Sidenote: BEAVER HOLES]

"Hold on, boys," said Davy; "this won't do. That fox is too many for
us." And putting his fingers to his mouth, he gave three shr