Nearer and nearer came the dogs, keeping out of each other's way and each following its scent. The expectation of finding snipe was so strong that the smacking sound of his heel as he drew it out of the rusty mud sounded to Levin like the cry of a bird, and he grasped the butt end of his gun firmly.
I cani si avvicinavano sempre più evitandosi e seguendo ognuno la propria traccia; l’attesa di una beccaccia era così grande che il cigolar del proprio tacco, tirato fuori dall’acqua rugginosa, sembrava a Levin lo zirlio della beccaccia, ed egli afferrava e stringeva il calcio del fucile.