red of watching that hole and fly away.

So it was that Whitefoot saw all that happened. He saw Whitey suddenly
sail out on silent wings from that stump and swoop with great claws
reaching for some one. And then he saw who that some one was,--Shadow
the Weasel! He saw Shadow dodge in the very nick of time. Then he
watched Whitey swoop again and again as Shadow dodged this way and that
way. Finally both disappeared amongst the trees. Then he turned just
in time to see Jumper the Hare bounding away with all the speed of his
wonderful, long legs.

Fear, the greatest fear he had known for a long time, took possession
of Whitefoot. "Shadow the Weasel!" he gasped and had such a thing been
possible he certainly would have turned pale. "Whitey won't catch him;
Shadow is too quick for him. And when Whitey has given up and flown
away, Shadow will come back. He probably had found the tracks of Jumper
the Hare and he will come back. I know him; he'll come back. Jumper is
safe enough from him now, because he has such a long start, but Shadow
will be sure to find one of my holes in the snow. Oh, dear! Oh, dear!
What shall I do?"

You see Shadow the Weasel is the one enemy that can follow Whitefoot
into most of his hiding-places.

For a minute or two Whitefoot sat there, shaking with fright. Then he
made up his mind. "I'll get away from here before he returns," thought
Whitefoot. "I've got to. I've spent a comfortable winter here so far,
but there will be no safety for me here any longer. I don't know where
to go, but anywhere will be better than here now."

Without waiting another second, Whitefoot scampered away. And how he did
hope that his scent would have disappeared by the time Shadow returned.
If it hadn't, there would be little hope for him and he knew it.

CHAPTER XIV: Shadows Return

He little gains and has no pride
Who from his purpose turns aside.
--Whitefoot.

Shadow the Weasel believes in persistence. When he sets out to do a
thing, he keeps at it until it is done or he knows for a certainty it
cannot be done. He is not easily discouraged. This is one reason he is
so feared by the little people he delights to hunt. They know that once
he gets on their trail, they will be fortunate indeed if they escape
him.

When Whitey the Snowy Owl swooped at him and so nearly caught him, he
was not afraid as he dodged this way and that way. Any other of the
little people with the exception of his cousin, Bil