human
They are foxes! said Mac.
gpt
It's a family of fox cubs. You're right. And--and--why, man, they're black--every one of them!
human
Fred, it's a den of black foxes!
gpt
Black foxes! cried Fred.
human
Mac, give me the glass!
gpt
Black, all right, Macgregor said.
human
Four of them, black as jet. See the fur shine! I can't see the old ones. There, I believe I saw something move just inside the burrow! Anyhow, all the cubs are going in.
gpt
Black foxes! he said, in an awed whisper.
human
Four of them! Why, Mac, they're worth a fortune, aren't they?
gpt
And probably two old ones, said the medical student.
human
A fortune? Rather! Why, in London a good black fox pelt sometimes brings two or three thousand dollars. The traders here pay only a few hundreds, but if I had a couple of good skins I'd take them over to London myself.
gpt
But we haven't got them. And we've no traps.
human
One of us might watch here with the rifle for the old ones. I could hit a fox from here, but the bullet would tear the skin awfully.
gpt
Yes, and it's too late in the spring now for the fur to be any good, I'm afraid,
human
Not first-class, that's a fact, Mac admitted sadly.
gpt
But what can we do? We can't wait here all summer for the cubs to grow up.
human
Let's go down and take a look at the den,
gpt
Better not. If the old foxes get suspicious they'll move the den and we'll never find it again. I think we'd best go quietly away. This is too big a thing for us to take chances on.