Ear pressed to earth; then rose and shook his head

As one perplexed. “There’s something wrong,” he said.

And—as at daybreak whiten winter skies,

Agape and staring with a wild surmise—

The lad’s face whitened at the other’s word.

Jules could not quite interpret what he heard;

A hundred horse might noise their whereabouts

In just that fashion; yet he had his doubts.

It could be bison moving, quite as well.

But if ‘twere Rees—there’d be a tale to tell