f horizontally; but
he directly after made out that it was a weasel in pursuit of the
rabbit, going steadily along, evidently hunting by scent, and the next
minute it had disappeared.

"I must not go much further," thought Tom after a while. "I ought to be
back punctually to breakfast, and get my boots cleaned first."

He looked down at them, to see that the dew and sand had taken off all
the polish, and stepping out now, he hurried for a mound, intending to
make it the extent of his journey, and walk back from there to the
village.

The mound was pine-crowned, and he had nearly reached the top, noting
that the sand was liberally burrowed by rabbits, when all at once one of
the little white-tailed creatures darted over the top into sight and
rushed towards him; there was another rush, a big dog came into sight,
overtook the rabbit before it could take refuge in a hole; there was a
craunch, a squeal, and the dog was trotting back with the little animal
drooping down on each side from its steel-trap jaws, quite dead.

"Poor rabbit," muttered Tom. "Why, it's that boy's dog."

He increased his pace, following the dog up the sandy mound; while the
animal paid no heed to him, but went steadily on, with its thin,
greyhound-like, bony tail hanging in a curve, till reaching the highest
part of the eminence, the forepart with the rabbit disappeared, and then
the tail curved up for a moment in the air and was gone.

Tom Blount felt interested, and hurried up now over the sand and
fir-needles, till his head was above the top of the slope; and the next
minute he was looking down at the back of the dog's master, as he was
calmly stuffing the body of the defunct rabbit inside the lining of his
coat, a slit in which served for a pocket. The dog was looking on, and
just in front lay another rabbit, while a couple of yards away there was
a hole scratched beneath the root of a tree, and the clean yellow sand
scattered all about over the fir-needles.

The next moment Tom's sharp eyes detected that a couple of holes near at
hand were covered with pieces of net, one of which suddenly began to
move, and the dog drew its master's attention by giving a short low
bark.

The warning had its effect, for the lad rose from his knees, stepped to
the hole, and picked up something which Tom saw at once to be a long,
reddish, writhing ferret. This snaky animal the lad thrust into his
breast, stuffed the little piece of net into his pocket,