144 THOUGHTS ON HUNTING 



forward : she knows as well as we the fox is 



sinking. 



Ha ! yet he flies, nor yields 

 To black despair. But one loose more and all 

 His wiles are vain. Hark ! through yon village now 

 The rattling clamour rings. The barns, the cots, 

 And leafless elms, return the joyous sounds. 

 Thro' ev'ry homestall, and thro' ev'ry yard, 

 His midnight walks, panting, forlorn, he flies. — SOMERVILLE. 



Huntsman! at fault at last? How far did you bring 

 the scent ? Have the hounds made their own cast ? 

 Now make yours. You see that sheep-dog has 

 coursed the fox : x get forward with your hounds, and 

 make a wide cast. 



Hark! that halloo is indeed a -lucky one. If we 

 can hold him on, we may yet recover him ; for a fox 

 so much distressed must stop at last. We shall now 

 see if they will hunt as well as run ; for there is but 

 little scent, and the impending cloud still makes 

 that little less. How they enjoy the scent! See 

 how busy they all are, and how each in his turn 

 prevails ! 



Huntsman, be quiet ! Whilst the scent was good, 

 you press'd on your hounds : it was well done : when 

 they came to a check, you stood still and interrupted 

 them not : they were afterwards at fault ; you made 

 your cast with judgment, and lost no time. You now 

 must let them hunt. With such a cold scent as this 



[ l When a fox is coursed by a sheep-dog, which, alas ! often happens 

 in these days, the scent is entirely changed, and the pack should be held 

 forward at once. Whether the loss of scent is caused by the smell 

 of the dog or by the fox being frightened is not certain, but probably it 

 is a little of both.] 



