486 Notes on Sport and Travel ix 



in venerie which would open their eyes a little. To 

 my astonishment, up they came, with haggard faces 

 and hurried steps, asking all manner of insane 

 questions at once: 'Had I shot myself? — had I 

 eone mad ? — had I seen a wolf, a bear, a boar, or 

 the devil himself ? — was I much hurt ? — where was 

 he gone ? — and what, in the " name of the hangman," 

 was he ? ' Naturally taken rather aback by all 

 this, I explained, with due humility, that I had 

 viewed a fox, and had greeted him after the manner 

 of my country. Like most men who are, or suppose 

 themselves to be, in advance of their age and 

 position, I was disbelieved and mildly sneered at 

 It was strongly hinted that a proletaire like myself 

 was positively alarmed at the consequences of find- 

 ing himself face to face with an animal which (as 

 was well known) was reserved by the haughty 

 nobles of Britain for their exclusive hunting and 

 eating ; and at last, utterly abashed by the torrent 

 of words, I entreated them to return to their 

 stations, and give me another chance of retrieving 

 my character, devoutly hoping, and indeed ex- 

 pecting, that if there were another fox in the 

 cover, he would have the good sense to take a hint 

 from the noise we had been making, and quietly 

 double back on the beaters. However, fortune was 

 against me, and scarcely had the Treibers recom- 

 menced their yellings, when out bounced another 

 Reineke, not twenty yards from me, and for the 

 first, and I hope for the last time in my life, I felt 



