ioo THE HUNTING FIELD 



watchman has to leave his downy couch and encounter 

 the elements and roughnesses of the thicket. Lord 

 bless us ! fancy such a night as last, the rain beating 

 against the casements, the wind howling, and blowing 

 a perfect hurricane : the brooks swelled into torrents, 

 the rivers into seas ; and fancy having to leave the 

 warm house, the bright crackling fire, to grope and 

 prowl about the country like a thief in the night 

 time : a man ought to be well paid for such work as 

 that. 



Earth-stoppers are of two sorts the resident Earth- 

 stopper, and the head Earth-stopper, or Earth-stopper 

 in Eyre, as the old law books designate the judges of 

 assize. The head Earth-stopper is an officer peculiar 

 to great establishments ; he is like the military 

 inspector of a district, and it is his business to go 

 about and see that his subordinates do their duty. 

 In summer he receives and examines into the truth 

 of reported breeds ; in winter he sees that the right 

 range of country is properly stopped ; and, above all, 

 properly opened. The Earth-stopper only does half 

 his business who only stops the earths ; opening 

 them after hunting is quite as important. 



Yon weather-beaten old man, in the two-year old 

 cap, and three-year old coat, is the head of the 

 department of our hunt ; he is to the Earth-stopping 

 fraternity what the "superintendent" is to the police; 

 he is paid by the year, they by the stop. Old Foxfix, 

 for such is his name, is a varmint looking old fellow, 

 and when the old grey or rather white is away 

 from the high conditioned horses of the field, and 

 the new scarlet coats of the men do not throw the 

 old plum colour into the shade, he makes a very 

 respectable appearance. He knows every hill 

 every rise from which a view of the varmint may be 

 obtained ; and often when the chase has lagged, and 

 hopes began to pall, old Foxfix's cap, on the sky line 

 of the horizon, has infused joy into the field below, 



