The Merry Past 



by which aged and timid hunters and ladies could 

 enjoy the exhilarating sport without risk of life or limb ; 

 but Washington rode gaily up to his hounds, through 

 all the difficulties and dangers of the grounds on 

 which he hunted, nor spared his generous steed, as 

 the distended nostrils of Blueskin often would show, 

 always in at the death, and yielding to no man in the 

 struggle for the honours of the brush. 



The quarry was generally the grey fox, with one 

 exception — this was a famous black fox, which, 

 differing from his brethren of " orders grey," would 

 flourish his brush, set his pursuers at defiance, and go 

 from ten to twenty miles on end, distancing both 

 dogs and men ; and, what was truly remarkable, 

 would return to his place of starting the same night, 

 so as always to be found there the ensuing morning. 

 After seven or eight severe runs, " Billy " recom- 

 mended that the black Reynard should be let alone, 

 giving it as his opinion that he was very near akin to 

 another sable character inhabiting a lower region, and 

 as remarkable for his wiles. The advice was adopted 

 from necessity ; and ever afterwards, in throwing off 

 the hounds, care was taken to avoid the haunt of this 

 unconquerable fox. 



It may be added that the red fox is supposed to 

 have been imported from England to the eastern 

 shore of Maryland by a Mr. Smith, and to have 

 emigrated across the ice to Virginia, in the hard winter 

 of 1779-80, when the Chesapeake was frozen over. 



Washington, after hunting (true to the rule of 

 life which never permitted his pleasures to infringe 



82 



