the log on which sparrer was seated was near the edge of the swamp and commanded a view of the small upper pond, while he himself was more or less screened from observation from that direction by a fringe of young birch and alders. he had sat there perhaps ten minutes, and was just beginning to realize that he would have to move on in order to keep warm when his eyes, idly scanning the farther shore, detected something moving among the trees beyond the farther end of the little dam.
instantly he was all attention, his eyes glued to the spot. he forgot that he was beginning to feel chilled. a warm glow of excitement rushed over him. there was an animal of some kind over there, but what he could not tell at that distance. but one thing was certain, it was no rabbit, for it was dark in color, and it was too big. he could catch but tantalizing glimpses of it in the young growth along the edge of the pond, and presently it disappeared altogether behind a tangle of fallen brush. unconsciously he held his breath as he waited for it to reappear. slowly the minutes slipped away. he began to think that his eyes must have been playing him tricks. he was once more becoming conscious of the cold and had almost decided to cross over and investigate the brush pile into which he thought the animal had vanished when a black form leaped lightly out on the farther end of the dam and paused with one fore foot uplifted and head thrown up to test the wind.
sparrer needed but one look at the great plume of a tail to know that it was a fox, but such a fox as he had never dreamed existed. it was bigger than any fox he had ever seen, the great size being apparent even at that distance. and instead of the red coat of the foxes with which the boy was familiar at the bronx zoo this fellow was robed in the blackness of night, and this was intensified by contrast with the pure white of his surroundings.
"it's him, de silver fox!" gasped sparrer under his breath, and with the realization that here before his very eyes was the king of the north american fur bearers, whose skin was worth a fabulous sum, according to what he had heard, he began to shake as with the ague. what if he could get him? a cold sweat broke out at the mere thought. there on the dam was what to him was nothing less than a fortune, and here was he shaking like an aspen leaf in the wind. the distance was too great for a shot at present, but perhaps the fox would come nearer, and then a true eye and steady nerves for just a matter of a few seconds and the prize might be his.
with a quick intake of breath he tried to get a grip on himself. he thought of the battles he had fought with bullies older and bigger than himself, and had won because he had kept his head in the heat of contest and had coolly taken advantage of every opening. but that was different. then he was in action and it was easier to keep cool. then, too, if he missed one blow there was a chance for another. it was this sitting still with the knowledge that there would be but one chance, and that this must be taken at just the right moment or be lost forever that upset him so. then curiously enough the motto of the boy scouts flashed into his head—"be prepared." it was like a tonic to his shaking nerves. was not a scout supposed to be prepared for all emergencies, and what was this but a form of emergency?
he stopped shaking. he lifted his rifle ever so little and found that it remained steady and motionless in his hands. "it ain't no fox. it's just a rabbit and youse can't miss it," he whispered over and over to himself, and experienced an odd sense of confidence. he was himself once more, the sparrer of the streets, able to take care of himself and keep his head in any emergency; the sparrer of the blue tortoise patrol, noting the number of the fleeing machine at the time of the accident.
meanwhile the fox was leisurely crossing the dam, stopping now and then to sniff at the snow or to test the wind. fortunately what little there was of the latter was blowing toward the hidden watcher, a fact which sparrer did not appreciate at the time. had the wind been the other way the fox would have caught the hated man smell and vanished like a shadow. as it was his every move denoted complete lack of suspicion so far as a fox ever does lack this characteristic trait.
sparrer was at complete loss as to what he should do. the temptation to crawl forward so as to get within easy range of the end of the dam was almost irresistible, but he realized that the first move on his part would be likely to attract the keen eyes of his quarry, and arouse his suspicions. had the fringe of brush through which he was watching been leaved out it might have been possible to successfully make this move, but as it was his dark body against the white background could hardly fail of detection despite the screen of brush. he knew enough of animals to know that so long as he was motionless he would appear to be no more than a part of the log on which he sat, and wisely concluded to sit tight and await developments.
if the fox continued clear across the dam there was one point at which he would afford a clear shot through a little opening in the brush. it would be at long range, but the 22 was high powered, and if he could judge the distance aright and hold true there was a chance that he might kill. so far as he could see this appeared to be his only chance, and he prepared to take advantage of it. inch by inch he wormed himself around on the log so as to face this opening. then estimating the distance as best he could, a difficult matter across the snow, he set his sights accordingly, cocked the rifle and held it in readiness. all the time he kept whispering to himself, "nothin' but a rabbit. nothin' to git excited about. youse has got a dead cinch. youse can't miss." somehow this trying to think of the fox as a rabbit helped wonderfully. anybody could hit a rabbit.
the fox was trotting now with his nose to the snow. sparrer was conscious of a hope so great that it was almost a prayer that the animal would stop when he reached the critical spot. it would be a hard enough shot at a motionless mark, but to hit a mark moving as swiftly as the fox was now going was more than he dared even dream of doing. the trot broke into a lope. sparrer raised the rifle and sighted through the opening. it seemed to him that that swiftly moving form crossed the opening in one leap, a blur of black across his sights. slowly he lowered his rifle. his chance was gone.
in the reaction that followed he realized how high his hopes had been. it seemed as if fortune had but played with him, had put the prize almost within his grasp and then as he reached for it had snatched it away to tease and mock him. he could have cried with vexation and disappointment had he been of the weeping kind. as it was he swallowed a lump in his throat and leaned forward to peer through the brush for one last glimpse of the royal animal.
at the end of the dam the fox stopped. sparrer could just make him out through the tangled screen of brush. for a moment he stood motionless. it seemed to the boy like adding insult to injury. then with a long graceful leap he landed on the snow of the swamp. a sudden hope caused sparrer to instinctively tighten his grip on the rifle and catch his breath. perhaps the fox would come his way! if he should, well, he would at least find a true scout—he would be prepared.
but the fox did not turn in his direction. instead he kept straight on into the swamp as if he intended to cross it to the high land which made up to the hills beyond. sparrer caught occasional glimpses of him through the trees. he crossed the trail by which sparrer had come in, sniffed at it, looked up in sparrer's direction suspiciously, it seemed to him, sniffed again and then trotted on as if the matter were of no present interest. the dry snow had not held the scent sufficiently to cause alarm.
instead of continuing in a direct course for the hills the fox now began to quarter the ground very much as a bird dog does in quest of quail. in short runs from side to side he advanced deeper into the swamp, investigating every bush and clump of trees in his course, pausing now and then with head raised and ears cocked forward to listen, then running on again. gradually it dawned on sparrer that reynard had crossed the dam with a definite purpose. he had come over to the swamp with the same object in view that had brought sparrer there—to hunt rabbits.
the sharp contrast between the snow and the black coat of the fox made it possible for sparrer to follow the animal's movements at a distance which under ordinary conditions would have been impossible. he had turned and was working up wind, continually stopping to carefully test the light air in the hope of scenting a hare. his course was now directly away from sparrer toward the lower end of the swamp. the boy could get only an occasional glimpse of him and presently lost him altogether. once more bitter disappointment rankled in his heart. what should he do now? should he remain where he was, or should he move on? how he wished that he knew more about hunting and the ways of animals, black foxes in particular. what would pat do were he in his place? would he give up? somehow he couldn't picture pat as giving up without further effort to capture so great a prize.
"he'd do somethin', but what?" sparrer scowled in labored thought. the fox was somewhere between him and the cabin. should he turn back on the chance that he would jump the animal somewhere on the way and get a running shot? "no chance," he decided, remembering the clack of his shoes in walking. "he'd hear me a mile." he slipped his shoes off and rose to his feet. the crust bore him, for he was a light weight. then he took a comprehensive survey of his surroundings. there was one other chance. the fox might return. he would soon reach the lower edge of the swamp and failing to make a kill might decide to try his luck down wind in the main body of the swamp.
the more sparrer thought of this the more likely it seemed. perhaps unconsciously he was allowing hope to father the idea. anyway it raised his spirits wonderfully. in such an event he must be ready. once more he looked the ground over carefully. his present position was on the outer edge of the swamp. he quickly appreciated that if he were farther in his chances would be doubled in case the fox returned. if he remained where he was the fox might pass so far toward the other side that he would not even see him, to say nothing of getting a shot, whereas if he could find a place farther in which would command a fairly open view in all directions the chances of the animal passing unseen would be greatly reduced. slightly back of his present position and a good rifle shot in to the swamp he noted a small mound crowned by a clump of young birches. he decided to take his stand there and await developments. silently but vigorously he swung his arms to restore circulation, then picking up his rifle and shoes he made his way quickly toward the new stand, taking the utmost care not to snap a twig or make the least noise.
as he entered the clump of birches a white form leaped out from the lower side, ran ten or twelve yards and sat up, looking back with eyes in which fear and curiosity were strangely blended. it was a hare, or so-called snow-shoe rabbit, and a big one. slowly and carefully sparrer put down his shoes and then straightened up and raised his rifle. silently he brought the sights to bear on the motionless white form. his finger was already on the trigger when he remembered the fox. a shot now would effectually put an end to any possibility of getting the prince of fur bearers that day, and what was a rabbit compared with the latter?
oddly enough the old adage "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush" popped into his head, but this time the one in the bush was of so much greater value that he promptly decided to let the one in hand go. at that distance he couldn't miss, for he had readjusted the sights and he had but to press the trigger to put an end to bunny. a little sigh escaped him as he lowered the rifle. the lowering of that rifle was the hardest thing he had done for a long time. it required considerable power of self-restraint. the fox might not come back, and if he did might not offer a shot, or he might miss him. then the chances were that he would have to return to the cabin empty handed.
with the lowering of the rifle the rabbit dropped to a crouch, thumped the snow smartly, and then slowly hopped away to a point twenty yards distant in the direction in which the fox had gone, and there crouched under a bush, an inconspicuous lump of white. sparrer noted with satisfaction that she was still within good range, and made up his mind that if there were no signs of the fox within fifteen or twenty minutes and the rabbit still remained where she was he would shoot.
now be it known that the thump of a rabbit can be heard a long distance. it was so unexpected and so loud that it fairly startled sparrer, who was wholly unfamiliar with this method of rabbit signaling. the ground is an excellent transmitter of sound and the heavy snow crust was hardly less effective. other ears than sparrer's heard, and for them that signal was pregnant with meaning and possibilities. not two minutes later sparrer caught sight of a black spot moving swiftly in his direction. it was the fox.
as he drew nearer he moved more slowly and with characteristic cunning and caution. every few steps he paused to listen and to look sharply under every tree and bush. he no longer tested the air as when sparrer had last seen him, for now he was working down wind and must trust to eyes and ears rather than to his nose. but he was no less thorough in the way in which he covered the ground. back and forth across sparrer's field of vision he wove, investigating every likely hiding-place, approaching each with infinite care, tense, alert, the picture of eagerness, prepared to spring at the first move of his quarry.
as he approached sparrer could read in every move and attitude of the black hunter expectancy and confidence. that he knew to a reasonable certainty the approximate location from which that signal thump had sounded was clearly evident. that he also knew that the rabbit might have, and very likely had, moved since thumping was also clear and he was taking no chance of over-running his game. if he kept on as he was coming he would be within shooting distance within a few minutes. inch by inch sparrer raised the rifle and then, hardly daring to breathe, tense, as motionless as the trees among which he stood, he waited.
the fox was now within thirty yards, and still coming. it was plain that he was unsuspicious of danger and intent wholly on the hunt. at this point he turned obliquely to the left to investigate an old log. sparrer was tempted to shoot, but a clump of alders was in the way and he well knew that even a small twig would be almost sure to deflect the bullet. he would wait. finding nothing at the log the fox turned and quartered to the right, which brought him into the open between the rabbit and the hunter and but a few yards from the former. the angle at which he was approaching was such as to offer the smallest mark possible and make the shot uncertain for such a novice as sparrer. by a great effort the latter overcame the almost overwhelming temptation to shoot and waited, hoping that the animal would turn broadside.
suddenly he whirled like a flash. the boy's first thought was that he had been discovered, but the next move of the fox explained his action. crouching so that he appeared to move on his belly he began to creep toward the rabbit, which still sat motionless. the fox had caught the scent of the latter at the instant he turned and he had but to follow his nose straight to his victim. meanwhile he presented no better mark than before, as he was now moving straight away, and sparrer held his fire. by this time he was so interested in the tragedy that was being enacted before him that he almost forgot his own immediate purpose.
inch by inch the black hunter crept forward, hugging the snow. then sparrer saw him gather his muscular hindlegs under him. there was a swift leap and at the same instant the rabbit left her form in a long jump. before she could make another the fox was upon her. there was a shrill scream, a crunching of teeth and it was over. for an instant the fox stood with one foot on the still white form, a black statue of triumph. then he picked the rabbit up by the middle and the limp form hung transversely in his jaws, the long legs hanging on one side and the drooping head with ridiculously long ears on the other. it was clear that reynard did not intend to enjoy his feast on the spot.
in executing this last move he had turned broadside. it was now or never for sparrer. with infinite care he lined his sights just back of the shoulder and pulled the trigger. simultaneously with the sharp crack of the rifle the fox made a convulsive spring and then crumpled in a black heap on the snow. shaking so that he could hardly manipulate the lever sparrer ejected the empty shell and threw another cartridge into place. then with the rifle at his shoulder, covering the pathetic black heap as best he could, he slowly advanced. somewhere he had read or heard that it was an old fox trick to simulate death, and he was taking no chances.
but his precautions were needless. the bullet had severed the spinal column. the silver fox of smugglers' hollow had stalked his last rabbit and made his last kill. in the revulsion of feeling from the reaction following the long nervous strain sparrer hardly knew whether to laugh or cry. as he stretched the black form out on the snow and ran his hands through the wonderful soft black fur and admired the great tail with its tip of snowy white he had for the moment almost a feeling of regret that he had been the means of destroying so beautiful a creature. then the true significance of his achievement, luck he called it, swept over him and his eyes shone as he pictured his reception at the cabin.
in the midst of his triumphant thoughts a guttural voice broke in: "white boy heap good shot."
sparrer whirled to find himself staring into a dark coppery countenance with beady eyes, low brow and high cheek bones. it was an indian.
