Tommy began to be frightened. And old Mrs. Fox herself was somewhat worried. But she still had a few tricks up her sleeve. She didn't intend to let that dog catch them if she could help it.
[Illustration with caption: Mrs. Fox and Tommy Started to Run]
"Oh, Mother! whatever shall we do?" Tommy said. "Do you think we can get away from him?"
"Of course," Mrs. Fox answered. "But you must do just as I tell you. Now, follow right in my tracks, and don't be frightened, I'm going to show you a new trick—one that my own mother taught me when I was no older than you are."
Mrs. Fox turned to the right and started back across the valley. She was going straight toward Swift River.
"Oh, dear!" Tommy cried. "Don't you know that the river is frozen solid, Mother? The dog can follow us across it, as easy as anything."
"Stop fussing!" Mrs. Fox said, looking over her shoulder at Tommy.
"We're not going to the river. You just mind me and you'll see, in a
few minutes, that we can fool that dog." And she kept on running, with
Tommy right at her heels.
XIX
TOMMY FOX LEARNS A NEW TRICK
Now, there was a road that ran through the valley, along the bank of Swift River. And when Mrs. Fox reached it, with Tommy close behind her, she turned again—this time to the left—and ran along in the beaten track which the horses and sleighs had made.