284 HUNTING MISERIES 



one would think, a feeling of discomfort and insecurity 

 to the fox ; but in most woodlands that are not 

 disturbed by trespass there are snug places which a 

 fox prefers to any earth, natural or artificial, even 

 when the weather is too vile for him to pursue his 

 nightly ramble outside. 



One of my own most disappointing experiences of a 

 blank day in Ireland was about twenty-five years 

 ago, when I drove with a friend nineteen miles — Irish 

 miles, too, I think — to meet Mr. Robert Watson and 

 his hounds at Limrick in his Wexford country. We 

 drew some good coverts in a fine country without a 

 touch of a fox, and were very sick at heart when we 

 prepared to drive home. That was on a Thursday, 

 and on the following Saturday hounds were to meet 

 at Coollattin, Lord Fitzwilliam's place, where we had 

 our trap. One of the family suggested our leaving 

 horses and servants at the stables there and coming 

 back to hunt on Saturday. This we did, and were 

 rewarded by a good gallop, which we should not have 

 seen had a good day been our lot on the Thursday, for 

 Coollattin was a fixture we had not planned to attend ; 

 so fortune, for once, made some amends for a blank day. 



Nineteen miles (Irish) seems a long way to go to 

 a meet, especially when one has a blank day after 

 getting there ; but last year, wishing to see some new 

 country, I drove twenty-nine miles to the fixture — 

 or rather was driven, but the vehicle was a very 

 excellent motor-car, and the drive through a pretty 

 country seemed nothing at all. Except that the weather 

 was fine, we experienced all the miseries I have 

 described, and came home saddened after a blank day. 



