NIMROUS NORTHERN TOUR. 211 



seldom run far on a morass ; they don't like it, for they soon 

 find hounds have an advantage over them, on that kind of 

 ground." We found a second fox ; had a very sharp quarter of 

 an hour to ground ; bolted and killed him. I rode a grey horse 

 called Skim, out of his lordship's own stable, and ridden by him 

 in the south reckoned, I believe, the quickest in the whole stud, 

 and apparently thorough-bred. 



In the first of these short bursts, I rode over a kind of ground 

 that I had never ridden over before. It was planted with fir- 

 trees, far enough apart not to interrupt speed, but abounding 

 with large hillocks, as high as a horse's knees, which might be 

 said to 



" Peep like moss grown rocks, half seen, 

 Half hidden, with the copse so green ;" 



but still of that yielding nature, from the vegetable stuff of which 

 they were composed, and not like those in Tiiton field, in Lord 

 Lonsdale's country, which are nearly as hard as rock that there 

 is little danger to be apprehended from a horse striking them. 

 At least so it appeared ; for Joe Grant went at full speed through 

 the cover, and I was bound to follow him, not knowing the ex- 

 tent of it. No sooner were we out of it, and well landed with 

 the hounds, than the morass appeared in view, and " Stop 'em, 

 Joe," was the word of command. Barring the bog, an excelleilt 

 and roomy country was before us. 



I must here mention another curious anecdote of a hound in 

 this pack, which will be interesting to masters of packs. It is 

 of a five-year hunter, called Hymen, who not being able to run 

 up, but a favourite, was given away to a person in TurrirT, having 

 his liberty to go where he liked. Hearing his old companions 

 running very hard one day, near to his quarters, he contrived to 

 nick in upon them, and was observed to get to the head. More- 

 over, he came home to kennel with them that evening, and, re- 

 turning to regular work, was again able to run up, which I was 

 myself a witness to. We may conclude that, to a month's rest, 

 with unrestrained liberty of action, was this hound indebted for 

 a renovation of his bodily powers. I have heard it stated, but 

 my experience fails me here, that what are called trencher 

 hounds, i.e., hounds which are never kennelled, very rarely be- 

 come lame from the mere consequences of work, accidents ex- 

 cepted. But why should not hounds, as well as human beings, 

 be occasionally subject to temporary bodily infirmities, which 

 yield to a change of habits of liie and diet, such as this hound 

 was subjected to ? It is my opinion that many a debilitated con- 



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