THE HUNTED FOX AND HIS WILES 163 



by a deep and broad river with tree-clad banks. 

 Hounds, on coming to the place where the fox had 

 crossed the wall, struck the line at once and tore away- 

 over the grass ; a ruined cottage with a small yard 

 enclosed by a low, tumbledown wall lay between them 

 and the river, and along close by the side of this wall 

 they ran, and once past it went even faster than before, 

 but slackened their speed on reaching the river bank. 

 The pack ran for a short time after passing the cottage 

 with such fire and so very fast that no one had the 

 slightest doubt but that the fox had reached the river- 

 bank, and there was a holloa higher up the river-side, 

 to which, if I remember rightly, hounds were taken 

 and there a fresh fox was seen, I believe ; anyhow we 

 did no more good with our hunted friend. 



The M.F.H. was much chagrined because he did not 

 handle his fox, whose proceedings, however, had been 

 witnessed by the herd who acted as covert keeper. 

 This man afterwards said he saw the fox cross the wall 

 and make straight for the old buildings. On reaching 

 them he ran close alongside the low wall, and went on 

 towards the river for about a hundred yards, when 

 he stopped and turned short round in his tracks back 

 to the wall. Jumping up on this, he sprang over a gap 

 or old gateway on to the wall of the yard, which ran 

 at right angles to that upon which he had jumped, 

 scrambled along this, and, reaching the gable of the 

 old cottage, climbed up and disappeared. The pack, 

 when the strong counterfoil was reached, of course ran 

 harder than ever towards the river, and overrunning 

 the line carried on to the wooded bank. The fox was 

 not headed and could not have seen the herd, who 



