WITH THE KILLING KILDARES 91 



again a large heap of fresh metal which projected 

 some way into a nasty greasy road. Fortunately, 

 the roan mare was Pembrokeshire born and bred, 

 and that sort always have a leg to spare, and very 

 often two. So with a kick back and an extra effort, 

 apparently in the air, we landed safely with a slither 

 in the road, I am afraid to say how many feet from 

 the top of the big bank. 



The week before I had seen the Kildares for the 

 first time, but the sport had been tame, and it was 

 not till a fortnight later that I saw a really good 

 thing with this pack. 



A bitter cold day saw us at Saggart Village, the 

 advertised meet. In those days, however, the Land 

 League was a power in the land, and a whisper passed 

 round that the hounds would not come there, but 

 might be heard of towards Johnstown Kennedy. 

 Thitherwards we trotted, only to meet a sight I 

 have never seen elsewhere — a complete pack of fox- 

 hounds all muzzled. Recent losses from poison had, 

 however, been serious. 



Turnino^ into a chance field the muzzles were re- 

 moved and thrust into a sack, which was sent home 

 by a groom. Was it on this day that the covert was 

 surrounded by a yelling mob, in spite of which the 

 hounds got away with their fox, being beaten and 

 pelted with rails as they did so ? I forget ; but at 

 any rate it was in Kildare that December that I 

 witnessed that sight. This day the gorse, Coolmines 

 by name, held a fox, and the said "vulp" ran down 

 that hill and up Tallaght, sadly blowing our horses. 

 Fortunately they had checked, and we had a little law 

 before they fresh found him in a furzy ditch. 



This time he set his mask for the fair city herself, 



