Page:Round the Yule Log.djvu/100

76 the boy had gone on before while we went up in the hill to listen to the capercailzies. He had orders from the captain to air the room and to make a good fire on the hearth. As soon as we had put away our guns and game-bag and partaken of a good supper provided out of the captain's bag, he commenced the story he had promised us about the goblin-hare, assuming at the same time a decorous air in speech and manner.

"When I was lieutenant, I was one summer encamped on Thoten, where my regiment had to do their yearly drill, I had brought my hounds with me, as I intended to have some shooting. I was standing in the kitchen of my quarters one afternoon, getting ready for the evening's sport, when a peasant came in.

"'Are there any hares about here?' I asked. 'Well, there are some left to be sure,' answered the peasant; 'on the Sukkestad-moor there is an old jack-hare, which many a hound and sportsman have been after, but he is not so easily killed, it appears.' And the worthy peasant shook his head somewhat mysteriously.

"'Not easily killed? That's all nonsense. I suppose there isn't a hound worth having about here?' said I, and stroked my dogs, which were pulling at the couples and wanted to get out. 'If my hounds here once start him I think there will be little difficulty in catching him.'

"'Ah, may be! Quite possible,' said the peasant, and grinned rather incredulously.

"I started straight for the Sukkestad-moor and had scarcely let the hounds loose, before they found scent and were soon in full cry. But there seemed to be little satisfaction got out of this run; every moment the hare squatted, and the hounds lost the scent time after time. The next instant the hare was off again and things were looking promising, when suddenly the hare hid himself in a bush again. I ran from one place to another, and as it was not difficult to get a shot at him, I fired several times, but only made miss after miss. At last he settled in front of a clump of young fir-trees about forty paces distant from me. I fired, and went quite confidently to pick it up; but when I came over to the pines there was no sign of any hare; I could see nothing but an old stick and