COL. ANSTRUTHER THOMSON 109 



horseman, or rather pad groom to Mr. Fellowes. 

 At breakfast there were always mutton pies to take 

 out for lunch, and little napkins to wrap them in. 

 Mr. Fellowes always gave Jack Dunn a bit of his 

 pie. We met Russell's hounds and hunted a fox into 

 a gorse at Ash Rayne. " Nettle," his terrier, spoke 

 in covert, and Russell cheered them to her cry. 



A big fox went away at the top of the covert. 

 I said, "That is not the fox we brought here". 

 " Never mind, he will do as well," said Russell, and 

 away we went. This was about twelve o'clock. 

 We crossed a river, and on and on through twelve 

 parishes. Russell was riding a big brown horse, and 

 when he got to a fence, used to say, " Come up, old 

 fellow — one more ". 



About five o'clock there were only Russell, 

 Howarth, Madocks, Hervey and myself and one or 

 two others with the hounds. My horse, '* John," 

 was quite beat. I tied him to a gate-post, and sat 

 on the gate listening to the cry of the hounds, about 

 two fields off. Presently I heard a man, on top of a 

 haystack, holloa, " Tally ho ! " I ran across the field 

 and got to them, just as they killed the fox. Our 

 horses walked quietly enough along the road, and 

 we walked after them, and all returned to Egges- 

 ford. 



That night, after dinner, the conversation turned 

 on the merits of big and little hounds. I said, " Why 

 not let them all run together some day? " Mr. Fel- 

 lowes approved of the suggestion, and said, " Mr. 

 Russell, you shall hunt them, and my huntsman, 



