HUNTING RECOLLECTIONS. 30 



a fair day's sport rewarded him for his zeal. 

 Stock was the fixture on Saturday week, and, 

 as usual at this Meet, a very large field attended. 

 After spending an hour and a half in fruitless 

 search for fox, the hounds showed a fine in Rook 

 Wood, which they carried to a faggot stack, 

 showing unmistakably that a fox had sought 

 shelter within it. The stack was immediately 

 stormed by half a dozen enthusiastic votaries of 

 the chase, headed by the " Nestor " of the hunt. 

 Their united efforts soon rendered the strong- 

 hold untenable, and as good a fox as ever went 

 out on a midnight excursion, "on amatory 

 thought intent,' betook himself to the open, 

 trusting to strong legs and a stout heart to carry 

 him out of harm's way. But in a wtinkling the 

 Master had his hounds on the Hne, and, running 

 for a few fields in a northerly direction, they 

 crossed the railway near Margaretting. Here 

 they showed a second line, the majority of the 

 pack picking out a cold scent to the right, while 

 a couple of hounds were observed racing away 

 to the left. No sooner was this fact communi- 

 cated to the Master than he hastened to join 

 them ; and now business began in real earnest. 

 With heads up and sterns down the hounds 

 settled to their work, driving their fox through a 

 succession of coverts without the very semblance 

 of a check, to Skreens Park. Here he was 

 viewed about two hundred yards in front, and 

 most of us thought the end was at hand. All 

 the same, he managed to cross into Skreens 

 Wood, and immediately after the hounds were 

 at fault — by no means an unwelcome check 



