REMINISCENCES 111 



In a previous chapter I have mentioned the 

 fact that occasionally some fell hound hunts, and 

 finally kills or runs his fox to ground " on his own." 

 I remember the Ullswater Hounds threw off on one 

 occasion at the quarry above Troutbeck Park, on 

 the steep side of 111 Bell. Hounds struck a line 

 which took them over the summit of the fell into 

 the Kentmere valley. I was talking to Joe Bowman 

 the huntsman, when we heard a single hound 

 running very fast in our direction. It proved to 

 be one of the lady members of the pack, a very fast 

 bitch, and she was driving her fox at a tremendous 

 pace. In a short time she ran him to ground on 

 the Tongue, where Reynard crept in beneath a 

 huge boulder on the fell side. A terrier was put 

 in, and immediately got to the fox, but without 

 tools it was impossible to reach them. Some 

 quarrymen eventually came across with the 

 necessary articles, including a fuse, and a charge of 

 powder. It was found necessary to crack the 

 boulder with the powder, after which the broken 

 rock was removed, and terrier and fox were drawn 

 out, fast locked together, from a very narrow and 

 wet earth-hole. It was almost impossible to 

 distinguish between them, so plastered were they 

 with wet mud. The terrier was pried loose and 

 the fox thrown down, when rather to our surprise 

 he got on to his legs and made a bid for 

 liberty. His race was soon run, however, as 



