We had gone some distance through the pines, when, as we turned back and
came to where they suddenly ended, and the earth down the slope seemed
to be covered with pine needles, and was all heather and short fine
furze, I sat down suddenly on the soft fir leaves, taking off my cap for
the sweet fresh breeze to blow through my hair. Shock flung himself
down on his chest, and the dog couched between us with her eyes
sparkling, her mouth open, and her tongue out and curled up at the end,
as she panted with fatigue and excitement.
"I say," cried Shock all at once, with his face flushed, and his eyes
full of excitement, "don't let's go back--let's stop and live here.
I'll find a cave in the sand."
"And what are we to live on?" I said.
"Rabbits, and birds, and snails, and fish--there's a big pond down
there. Let's stop. There'll be nuts and blackberries, and whorts, and
pig-nuts, and mushrooms. There's plenty to eat. Let's stop."
He looked up at me eagerly.
"I can make traps for birds, and ketch rabbits, and--look, there she
goes."
He started to his feet, for there was a bound and a rustle just below
us, as a rabbit suddenly found it was in danger, and darted away to find
out a place of refuge lower down the hill.
"Hey, dog! on, dog!" cried Shock, clapping his hands; and Juno took up
the scent directly, running quickly in and out amongst, the furze and
heath, while Shock and I followed for about a quarter of a mile, when,
panting and hot, we came upon Juno carrying a fine rabbit in her mouth,
for this time she had overtaken it before one of the burrows was
reached.
"Good dog!" cried Shock. "Dinner;" and, taking the rabbit by the hind
legs, the dog wagged her tail as if asking whether she had not done that
well, and followed us as we went back to where we had seen the holes in
the sandy cliff.
We avoided the cut near which we knew that Ike would be having his nap,
and, making our way to the bottom of the cliff, we selected one of the
biggest of the holes, stooped and went in, and found that it widened out
to some ten or a dozen feet, and then ran back, thirty or forty.
It seemed to be partly natural, partly to have been scooped out by hand,
while it certainly seemed just the place for us.
"We'll stop here," cried Shock. "You go and get a lot of wood from up
a-top, where there's lots lying, while I skins the rabbud."
"What are you going to do?" I said.
"Make a fire and cook him for dinner."