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 the great fight the old fox had made and how small he was compared with his enemies, who at this point appeared in the distance; first the pack and then the horsemen, and a sudden resolve came to Bud. He would not betray the fox, but he would have to use his wits in order to mislead the club. He would have to be as resourceful as the fox himself, "foxy" in fact. But they would never get the truth from him no matter what they said to him. With this resolve, Bud climbed down the tree and went to meet the hunters.

"Well, Holcome, where did he go?" cried Denby excitedly, riding up, closely followed by a half dozen other members of the club.

"Ask me something I can tell you," replied Bud guardedly.

"Did you see him run as far as the south end of the wall?" questioned Denby.

"Yes, I did," replied Bud, "but then I lost him for a spell. He must have run on the other side of the stone wall."

"Just so," returned the Virginian. "The dogs trailed him on that side, but did you not see him at the barway?"