could sense that Hop-along was feeling sorry for himself. Searching for the secret of survival was a difficult undertaking for a fox so handicapped as he was.
‘Is this the Hop-along who joined us at Beech Paw?’ asked the old fox. ‘The Hop-along who out-jumped Lepus the Great and set us free in the Land of the Hares? The Hop-alongthat She-la has chosen above all other foxes? Surely my ears deceive me.’
‘That first night at Beech Paw was a long time ago,’ sighed Hop-along. ‘I was stronger then.’
‘So was I,’ said Old Sage Brush. ‘But if we have lost in strength, have we not gained in cunning? Has the great god Vulpes not shown us how to fox the little brown hen and turn back the howling dogs? Has he not shown us that even the very eye of gloomglow is within our grasp, if we have the courage to reach out and take it? Surely we have not learned all of these things merely for a safe earth, but for all foxes, so that we can survive. How long would you and She-la survive here in a strange country, and what about your cubs? No, Hop-along my friend, better that you stay with us. Soon you will be stronger again, and we are in need of you — and your cubs.’
Hop-along was quiet. Old Sage Brush had poured strength back into his heart, but his leg was still weak. Soon the other dogs and the vixens returned with food, and they wondered how Black Tip was doing down by the river.
In fact, Black Tip had found the otter without too much difficulty. Or was it the otter who had found him? He wasn’t too sure. At any rate, they met on the river bank. Whiskers was delighted to hear that the foxes were planning to do something with the mink, and he confided that he was working on a plan of his own. Maybe, he suggested, theycould work together, as it was in both their interests to get the mink out of the way.
‘Tell me about the mink,’ said Black Tip. ‘And your plan.’
‘Well,’ said the otter, ‘there’s not much to tell really.’
Black Tip was sitting on the bank watching the soft light of gloomglow flickering on the fast-flowing water. Whiskers went on: ‘It came here round about your breeding time. The pheasants were starting to lay their eggs. I think it must have watched me. At first it couldn’t get in to the pheasant farm. Then it got in the way I did.’
‘How was that?’ asked Black Tip.
‘There’s a small pond at one end.’
‘Yes, I’ve seen it.’
‘Well, a small stream flows into it, but the wire doesn’t go right down to the bottom. I used to swim under it and get in that way’
Black Tip smiled. It was so simple.
‘The men at the farm never knew how I got in or out,’ continued Whiskers. ‘And as I told you before, I didn’t go in too often — just now and then when I felt like a change. The river is my hunting ground and there’s plenty of food for me there. But sometimes I feel like having something different to eat.’
‘I know how you feel,’ said Black Tip. ‘But go on.’
‘One night when I arrived at the farm, I found that the mink had got in the same way. The pheasants were goingmad, and I didn’t dare go in. That was the start of it. The mink went in night after night, until the men got so annoyed they went up to the side of the valley and killed the foxes, badgers and everything they could find. I wouldn’t mind, but the mink didn’t need half the food it brought out.’
‘How do you know?’
‘Because I often found it, buried here, there and everywhere. It took so much it couldn’t remember where it had hidden it.’
‘Greed,’ said Black Tip.
‘That’s right,’ said Whiskers. ‘Greed. The mink took more than it needed, and spoiled everything for everyone else.’
‘Has it struck again yet?’
‘Not yet. I saw it up-river not long ago. It’s working its way down. It won’t be long before it’s here, and then you can look out. We can all look out. Nobody will be safe.’
‘How will it get in?’
‘The same way as before —
‘Is this the Hop-along who joined us at Beech Paw?’ asked the old fox. ‘The Hop-along who out-jumped Lepus the Great and set us free in the Land of the Hares? The Hop-alongthat She-la has chosen above all other foxes? Surely my ears deceive me.’
‘That first night at Beech Paw was a long time ago,’ sighed Hop-along. ‘I was stronger then.’
‘So was I,’ said Old Sage Brush. ‘But if we have lost in strength, have we not gained in cunning? Has the great god Vulpes not shown us how to fox the little brown hen and turn back the howling dogs? Has he not shown us that even the very eye of gloomglow is within our grasp, if we have the courage to reach out and take it? Surely we have not learned all of these things merely for a safe earth, but for all foxes, so that we can survive. How long would you and She-la survive here in a strange country, and what about your cubs? No, Hop-along my friend, better that you stay with us. Soon you will be stronger again, and we are in need of you — and your cubs.’
Hop-along was quiet. Old Sage Brush had poured strength back into his heart, but his leg was still weak. Soon the other dogs and the vixens returned with food, and they wondered how Black Tip was doing down by the river.
In fact, Black Tip had found the otter without too much difficulty. Or was it the otter who had found him? He wasn’t too sure. At any rate, they met on the river bank. Whiskers was delighted to hear that the foxes were planning to do something with the mink, and he confided that he was working on a plan of his own. Maybe, he suggested, theycould work together, as it was in both their interests to get the mink out of the way.
‘Tell me about the mink,’ said Black Tip. ‘And your plan.’
‘Well,’ said the otter, ‘there’s not much to tell really.’
Black Tip was sitting on the bank watching the soft light of gloomglow flickering on the fast-flowing water. Whiskers went on: ‘It came here round about your breeding time. The pheasants were starting to lay their eggs. I think it must have watched me. At first it couldn’t get in to the pheasant farm. Then it got in the way I did.’
‘How was that?’ asked Black Tip.
‘There’s a small pond at one end.’
‘Yes, I’ve seen it.’
‘Well, a small stream flows into it, but the wire doesn’t go right down to the bottom. I used to swim under it and get in that way’
Black Tip smiled. It was so simple.
‘The men at the farm never knew how I got in or out,’ continued Whiskers. ‘And as I told you before, I didn’t go in too often — just now and then when I felt like a change. The river is my hunting ground and there’s plenty of food for me there. But sometimes I feel like having something different to eat.’
‘I know how you feel,’ said Black Tip. ‘But go on.’
‘One night when I arrived at the farm, I found that the mink had got in the same way. The pheasants were goingmad, and I didn’t dare go in. That was the start of it. The mink went in night after night, until the men got so annoyed they went up to the side of the valley and killed the foxes, badgers and everything they could find. I wouldn’t mind, but the mink didn’t need half the food it brought out.’
‘How do you know?’
‘Because I often found it, buried here, there and everywhere. It took so much it couldn’t remember where it had hidden it.’
‘Greed,’ said Black Tip.
‘That’s right,’ said Whiskers. ‘Greed. The mink took more than it needed, and spoiled everything for everyone else.’
‘Has it struck again yet?’
‘Not yet. I saw it up-river not long ago. It’s working its way down. It won’t be long before it’s here, and then you can look out. We can all look out. Nobody will be safe.’
‘How will it get in?’
‘The same way as before —
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