CAPTAIN WARNER 107 



believe he hunted the dog pack and Gillard the 

 bitches. 



Apropos of that time I remember Gillard telling 

 me a rather curious story of a fox which had given 

 them several good hunts, and was lost at a certain 

 point without them being in any way able to account 

 for his disappearance. As far as I can recollect 

 the fox was always found in the Bradgate district, 

 and ran into the Atherstone country. 



The last occasion was after an exceptionally 

 good hunt which, as usual, came to an end at the 

 same spot others had done on various occasions. 

 Mr. Musters tried everywhere, but could not solve 

 the mystery, and had started for home with the 

 pack at his heels. One hound, however, Gillard 

 noticed, was very reluctant to leave the banks of a 

 pond, and kept on gazing into the water. He there- 

 fore got off his horse to make a closer inspection, 

 and then found that a drain emptied into the pond 

 several inches below the water's surface. The 

 other end of the drain was practically sealed, but, 

 of course, it was soon opened while Mr. Musters 

 was called back. A terrier was put in, and the 

 fox bolted out into the pond. 



My explanation is that this pond, like most 

 others in Leicestershire during the summer, would 

 be nearly dry, or at most half full and that the 

 entrance then would be well above the water. The 

 fox must have been in the habit of using it — per- 

 haps bred there — in dry weather, and knowing its 

 exact position would have no difQculty in entering 

 it under water. Foxes, as a rule, object to getting 

 wet, and it showed memory, as well as intelligence, 

 to have recollected the drain sloped upwards, so 



