04 Fox and Hounds


Vocabulary
braying – loud howling
cantankerous – bad-tempered; quarrelsome
covey – a small flock of birds
disheartened – discouraged
ingenious – clever, resourceful
loping – moving along with a long, easy stride
pickety – picky
sashay – walking or moving in such a way as to attract attention
spraddle – to spread the legs in a sprawling way
tucker – to tire out
vittle – food

  1. Why does Granpa put ol’ Maud and Ringer in the house before they go fox hunting? Find a passage in this chapter stating a life lesson based on the way Granpa treats these two dogs.
  2. Little Tree states that Granpa does not use his hounds for hunting game. Why then does he keep them?
  3. What do the terms “dens up” and “hot trail” mean in fox hunting?
  4. Why does Little Tree believe that “Granpa lived with the game, not at it”?
  5. What is a “bluffer dog”? Why is Blue Boy a special hound?
  6. State a life lesson based on the following except from the story. “Granpa said the reason ol’ Slick had waited so long for the hounds to get close is that he wanted his scent to be fresh on the rocks, figuring that the hounds’ feelings would take over from their sense, when they got excited.”
  7. Define the term “swapping out.”
  8. Why is ol’ Rippitt a “cheater hound”? What life lesson does Little Tree learn from this dog?