( 'RIPPLED. 79 



village of Old Dalby. The pack were able to push over these 

 rather faster than men and horses ; and so came over the hill 

 again virtually unaccompanied. Thus, when pursuers reached 

 the higher ground once more, they were at a loss where to ride, 

 and spread hither and thither in search. A few of them sud- 

 denly discovered that a single hound was running hard in the 

 distance — parallel to the road they were on, and which leads to 

 Widmerpool or Willoughby — and that another couple or so 

 were following close behind him. " Surely the body of the 

 pack must be in front," they argued ; and on this hypothesis 

 set forward to gallop the road till they might chime in at the 

 head. These three or four hounds dashed on beautifully over 

 the best of grass and fences ; but as the view opened no sign 

 appeared of other hounds in front. " Another fox, no doubt— 

 and of course we can't go on ! " was the conclusion forced on 

 their unwilling minds when they had gone a mile. And back 

 they turned to find their comrades and the other hounds. Soon 

 down the wind came the crash of music and all the sound and 

 panoply of the chase in motion. Parallel with the road, some 

 •sixteen couple were running briskly — a dozen men competing 

 in hot haste at their backs, revelling in the good ground and 

 the fresh, sharp scent it carried. This was the very line from 

 which our returning friends had whipped themselves off some 

 ten minutes before ! So at least there was a scent. 



In the end they got on though slowly to the Curate ; there 

 they learned that their fox had gone on with a single houn.l 

 close after him — and sure enough, half a dozen fields awa}-, 

 came up to this hound baying over his half-killed fox in an 

 orchard, and completed the task. 



( RIPPLED. 



You may see something from wheels, or even on foot — and 

 certainly a start from Gartree Hill is a panorama worth wit- 

 nessing, and fully accounts for the partiality always evinced by 



