The rabbits did not bolt my side again for a while. Every now and then I
saw, or heard, Orion or Little John leap into their ditch, and well knew
what it meant before the dead rabbit was cast out to fall with a
helpless thud upon the sward.
Once I saw a rabbit's head at the mouth of a hole, and momentarily
expected him to dart forth driven by the same panic fear. But either the
ferret passed, or there was another side-tunnel--the rabbit went back.
Some few minutes afterwards Little John exclaimed: 'Look out, you;
ferret's out!' One of the ferrets had come out of a hole and was
aimlessly--as it appeared--roaming along the bank.
As he came nearest my side, I got quietly into the ditch and seized him,
and put him into a hole. To my surprise he refused to go in--I pushed
him: he returned and continued to try to come out till I gave him a
sharp fillip with the finger, when he shook the dust and particles of
dry earth from his fur with a shiver, as if in protest, and slowly
disappeared inside the hole.
As I was creeping out of the deep ditch on hands and knees, I heard
Orion call angrily to the spaniel to come to heel. Hitherto the spaniel
had sat on his haunches behind Orion fairly quiet and still, though not
without an occasional restless movement. But now he broke suddenly from
all control, and disregarding Orion's anger--though with hanging
tail--rushed into the hedge, and along the top of the mound where there
was a thick mass of dead grass.
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