THE ART ITSELF 163 



pack bustle after him. The furrow ends at last 

 in a green headland, which carries a fair scent, 

 and hounds can drive on again. At the corner 

 of the field where two fences meet is a clump 

 of bushes, and a dry deep ditch beyond. When 

 hounds reach this, spot they hesitate and snuff 

 about in an undecided way, until at last one 

 makes a dash into the bushes, and then out into 

 the next field goes the fox. The whole pack 

 gets a view, and racing him across the stubbles, 

 they roll him over before he can reach the next 

 fence. ' Whoo-hoop ! ' You have killed your 

 first fox, and at this moment there is no man 

 in the world with whom you would change 

 places. Now go home, and do not be persuaded 

 to draw again, though hounds and horses may be 

 quite fresh. 



The objection to allowing a cub that is tired 

 to go away from a covert is, you may change 

 on to one that is quite fresh, or worse still, get 

 on to the vixen who is pretty certain to be 

 hanging about somewhere in the neighbourhood ; 

 but I think there are quite as many chances 

 against you in covert as in the open. As I have 

 already said, if you know of a litter in a small 



