220 The Hunting Field With Horse and Hound 



Trying the latter he circled circuitouslj^ this way and that, 

 in and out, drawing continually toward the chaj)el. The 

 jjace was heart breaking with hedges, ditches, and a ploughed 

 field before us. The beagles, however, are bracing to their 

 work, and rmxning silently. Sometliing in the scent tells them 

 the chase is nearing an end and by some instinct in common we 

 also feel it to be true. The chase now seems well in hand. Sud- 

 denly the hare is viewed away, the beagles break loose their 

 melody again and are gaining on the hare at every stride. A 

 dozen paces more and the pack break out in short j'elps of 

 joy, as they race from scent to \aew. At this comes renewed 

 strength to weary legs and we stride on with all our might. 

 One more ditch, another hedge, over an iron picket on which 

 one fellow is left hanging by his knickers, and we find our- 

 selves in the chapel enclosure among mossy headstones and 

 hoarj^ yew trees. With a toot, toot, toot and whoop-hallo, the 

 carcass is thrown high in the air to drop in the midst of twenty 

 eager beagles, tumbling over each other in their eagerness 

 to secure a share of the spoils. 



JNIeanwliile the sun had reached the west horizon and it 

 was decided therefore to hunt no more that day, but to 

 repair to the inn for tea. The inn lay three-quarters of a 

 mile away and twilight had settled in before we reached the 

 tavern door. On long tables witliin were tea, bread and jam. 

 In less time than I can tell it, the boards were swept bare, our 

 host distraught and a famine still raging. JNIeanwhile the bea- 

 gles had been loaded, and our traps were now waiting before 

 the tavern door. On leaving the inn, I chanced to pass the tap 

 room. I fancy few such rooms in England have survived the 

 modern notions of a correctly appointed bar-room. The floor 

 was flagged and somewhat lower than the threshold. On three 

 sides of the room casks were piled high one above the other 

 to the ceiling. The latter was low and black with the smoke 

 of three hundred years. Rough hewn beams furnished the 



