12 



hedge -rows . Mr. Craven and myself were riding along together down 

 beside the fallows, when I dropped my eye on reynard crouched 

 down in one of the furrows. Ah ! Charley, thought I to myself, 

 what, you are there, are you ; the old fox -hunter had a little inward 

 feeling ; now that was rather pleasing, to think he could give the 

 alarm at any minute to please a whole field of fox-hunters, — but the 

 way to please folks is, to let them get a good appetite, and then feed 

 them, it is sure to relish and please, — but now things were getting very 

 flat and dull, scarcely a word to be heard in the field, the horses getting 

 shivery with cold ; now, thinks I to myself, is the time to ring the 

 bell for starting. I said to Mr. Craven, " if you want to see your 

 fox, I can show him you ; " he replied, " what do you mean, Kent ? " 

 I said, " if you wish to see your fox, come with me, and I will show 

 him to you ; " he said, " by gad, it is the very thing I want to see," 

 with the fox-hunting courage flying into his eyes. He now exclaimed 

 aloud, " Kent is going to show me our fox ; " this ran through the 

 field like lightning, and the tables were quite turned, all merry and 

 gay. I now put the old mare in a canter, as I know when you raise 

 the courage of a fox-hunter, he likes to go on ; he cannot bear to be 

 stopped. I got to the fiuTow and pointed out the fox, some said it 

 was not ; Mr. Craven rode up the furrow, and soon saw it was the 

 fox ; he then blew his horn for the hounds, as Press knew nothing 

 of this. At the sound of the horn reynard bolted, the hounds 

 were quickly on the scent, and away we went, the devil to pay, 

 blundering into the deep bottom, and then climbing the hill to 

 Hindover ; here he headed to the right, straight up Cradel hill to 

 Norton-top at a racing pace, and on to the top of Mr. Geere's hill ; 

 he now headed short to the left, down across Denton lanes, leaving 

 the barn to the right, and Norton to the left, climbing the steep 

 hill, and then bending to the right down across Denton south lane, 

 and into the brooks they dashed. Up to this point, about five miles, 

 reynard had run vrith the wind in his teeth, the pace was tremendous, 

 there was a string of horses for a mile distant ; but now he headed, 

 and took the down wind, up through Heighton village, over the old 

 dencher, Heighton hill, and on to white Bosthill chalk pits, where 

 we lost him ; time, 55 minutes. Immediately he sunk the wind, the 

 hounds could not hold the scent, and the pace was very slow ; in the 

 up-wind burst, Mr. T. EUman and Mr. Monk, both mounted on 

 thorough -breds, took the lead as if riding a race, or as we fox- 

 hunters say, to see which was top-sawj'er ; at all events, they both 

 had an opportunity to go their best pace, which I believe they did, 

 for Mr. Monk's horse died in a few days after, when of course Mr. 

 Ellman had the chirrup, as his horse was all right, but I understood 

 he could not get out of the stable for something like a fortnight, but 

 this I will not vouch for. 



East Sussex Fox Hounds, January 16, 1837. — On Monday last the 

 above Hounds met at Laughton Pomid, at their usual time, and 

 threw off in Laughton Great wood, where, at half -past eleven, they 

 unkennelled as stout a fox as ever ran before hounds. Reynard 

 seemed quite alive to the trick ; he was not to be dodged or twisted 



