About twenty rods below the spruces where the fox family had their den there was a wonderful little spring which gushed out from the rocks and fell in a perfect bowl which the waters had worn for themselves. It was fringed with ferns and moss and the water was deliciously cold. This was Redcoat's favorite drinking place. Very rarely did men come to the spring and Redcoat looked upon it as his own special possession.
So his surprise and disgust may well be imagined when one day he discovered man scent about the spring. The scent was not strong, yet it was unmistakable, but this was not all, for there were several small pieces of meat scattered about on the ground close to the spring. Redcoat sniffed the meat suspiciously, for it smelled delicious and made his jaws drip saliva. There was a faint suggestion of man scent about the meat, but it was nearly lost in the ravishing scent of the bloody meat.
In the old days when Redcoat had been just a small pup tagging about after his sire
