A RUN LOST. 377 



they met and hunted on Saturday, Dec. 1st. Good men and 

 many better by half than good men, came from far and near — 

 very smart, very keen, and more or less experienced. Twice at 

 least did they make a start from Badby "Wood, rode round and 

 about its immediate neighbourhood — spoke out their opinion 

 forcibly on the subject of a very ringing fox, laid down the law 

 explicitly as to when one hunt had begun and another taken up 

 the thread — and in fact had spent the bulk of the day very 

 busily, very unsatisfactorily, and very confusedly. About 

 1.30 a fox was either "fresh-found" or newly-found, close to the 

 place of meeting ; and there was a new start. We dashed over 

 the Newnham Brook by the straitest and narrowest ways we 

 could find, thought ourselves in for a gallop, and returned once 

 again by way of the village of Badby into this mortal wood. 

 Threading our way through farmyard and by-lanes, we could 

 accept no other conclusion than that our village fox meant to 

 hand over his feeble brush at once : so sauntered into the oak 

 jungle to resign ourselves placidly to fate, and possibly to 

 luncheon. The latter may or may not have been an accompany- 

 ing coincidence. Hounds were within earshot, and we felt safe. 

 They were running a beaten cub. What could happen ? 



What did happen was this — as I gather since from a trusty 

 eye-witness. An old red fox, sauntering up the woodside near 

 the well-known beech trees, altogether put a spoke in the wheel 

 of the existing chase. Hounds touched his line, and finding it 

 warm, fresh, and strong, sprang into it with a vigour that the 

 day had not yet seen. Goodall himself nearly missed their 

 departure, as they dashed over the hill into Fawsley Park. 

 Then he kept his horn going for a mile. But the brow of up- 

 land was between him and his listeners, and never a sound could 

 reach them. Indeed, it was in many cases half an hour before 

 they had a suspicion of the fact that the pack was elsewhere than 

 in Badby Wood. Messrs. J. F. Goodman and A. Fabling once 

 again reaped reward of their accustomed perseverance and 

 attention, and with Mr. and Mrs. W. Blacklock and Mr. Warinsr, 

 alone joined huntsman and first whip across the wide open 



