WILD SPORT IN BRITTANY. 271 



ing not more than six or seven birds in each, being all we sprung 

 over a mile of moor. On descending a gentle slope of the hill 

 facing south, and well sheltered from the westerly wind, which 

 here cuts the tops of the trees exposed to it as with a shears, we 

 came on as fine a patch of gorse, about an acre in extent, as ever 

 grew in our midland shires. The very look of it would have 

 made Osbaldeston's mouth water with expectation, for it was- 

 thick as a holly hedge, and would have tried the mettle of even 

 a Furrier hound to face its long and close-matted spines. I 

 heard the word "louarn" passed among the peasants, as three 

 or four of them, breaking line, rapidly advanced to the opposite 

 side of the cover ; and as I knew that word to signify " fox " 

 in the Breton tongue, it was clear they were making prepara- 

 tions to give him, if at home, a warm reception at the far 

 end. 



Thick and spiky, however, as the cover was, half-a-dozen men 

 forced their way boldly into it, while the dogs, even the satin- 

 coated Sancho, exhibited like courage, and seemed to take as 

 little heed of the spines as if they had been cased in coats-of-mail, 

 like armadilloes. One of the curs first opened, throwing his 

 tongue with a defiant growl, as if half-terrified by the game he 

 had found ; then another and another squeaked in ; and when 

 the hounds joined cry, the peasants raised a yell that would have 

 done credit to the wild hunters of the Black Forest " He's up, 

 for a thousand ! " shouted Shafto to me, quoting Lord Kintore's 

 favourite expression ; " but with those mute peasants posted at 

 the down-wind point of the far side, it will be a miracle if he 

 gets clear away." 



Nevertheless the miracle' took place. In the heat of the 

 uproar the fox, which was the game afoot, squatted down, and, 

 throwing the yelping pack over the scent, doubled back and 

 broke cover within five yards of my old smooth-bore. He was 

 a fine fellow, yellow as a guinea, and carried his long, white-tagged 



