48 



The Chase 



humanity ; for, if any of them meet with an 

 accident by tumbling into a ditch, or into a river, 

 the rest pass on regardless, and generally leave him to 

 his fate : during this time, therefore, the two squires, 

 though often close to each other, interchanged not 

 a single word. The master of the hunt, however, 

 often saw and approved the great judgement of the 

 stranger in drawing the dogs when they were at a 

 fault, and hence conceived a very high opinion of 

 his understanding, as the number of his attendants 

 inspired no small reverence to his quality. As soon, 

 therefore, as the sport was ended by the death of 

 the little animal which had occasioned it, the two 

 squires met, and in all squire-like greeting saluted 

 each other. The conversation was entertaining 

 enough, and what we may perhaps relate in an 

 appendix, or on some other occasion ; but as it 

 nowise concerns this history, we cannot prevail on 

 ourselves to give it a place here. It concluded with 

 a second chace, and that with an invitation to 

 dinner. This being accepted, was followed by a 

 hearty bout of drinking, which ended in as hearty a 

 nap on the part of Squire Western. 



Henry Fielding. 



A Fox Chase ^^^ <^ xi:> 



HOW well the hounds spread the cover ! — the 

 huntsman, you see, is quite deserted, and his 

 horse, who so lately had a crowd at his heels, has 

 not now one attendant left. How steadily they 

 draw ! — you hear not a single hound ; yet none are 

 idle. Is not this better than to be subject to 

 continual disappointment, from the eternal babbling 

 of unsteady hounds ? 



