170 THE HUNTED FOX AND HIS WILES 



to escape from his pursuers was related by Mr. Harvey 

 Bayly, who was twice Master of the Rufford Hounds, 

 and I think the incident took place during his first 

 mastership. In this the ladder also played a part. 

 Hounds ran their fox to some farm buildings, and 

 stopped at a gate where a ladder leaning against the 

 wall showed the way into the open door of a loft- 

 As hounds could make nothing more of it, a whipper-in 

 bethought him of ascending the ladder into the loft, 

 where he found no fox, but his strong odour. This 

 loft proved to be over a cart stable, and, surmising 

 that the fox had passed down by the manger into the 

 stable below, the whipper-in gave information, and 

 the stable was entered by the door. It was very dark, 

 and occupied by but one horse, an old, worn-out 

 cart-mare, who stood in the corner stall. 



Considerable search failed to reveal the fox, but 

 suddenly some one espied him squatting down on the 

 hack of the old mare, who did not seem in the least 

 perturbed by his presence. The fox was shortly after- 

 wards killed by the hounds. 



I heard of a somewhat similar case in Kilkenny 

 long ago ; the fox came down from the loft to the 

 manger, but this one escaped when the door was 

 opened. I have twice known a fox climb on to a roof 

 and go down the chimney ; the last occasion being after 

 a memorable gallop in Carlow, from Newtown Hill to 

 " Moll Doolan's," near Milford. The brush of this fox 

 for a long time decorated the sanctum of a relative 

 of my own. 



I have also known the flue of a greenhouse give 

 refuge to a fox more than once, and in Henry Lord 



