NIM ROD'S NORTHERN TOUR. 293 



I am speaking. It is, undoubtedly, no very pleasing reflection 

 for a master of hounds to indulge in, on his road to cover, that 

 although everything, on his part, is equal to produce a good 

 day's sport, and that the rinding his fox is a moral certainty, 

 still all attempts at sport shall be baffled by a hot sun and a 

 harsh wind, which were precisely the characteristics of this day. 



I find, by my note-book, that we found our first fox in a fine 

 whin, and killed him in the same. A second went away, and 

 after hunting him two hours, with a wretched scent, but still 

 almost " to death " for he was seen to lie down we unfor- 

 tunately changed to a fresh one, which gave him time to recover 

 himself, and he beat us. 



I rode one of Bob's horses called Duncan, of whom John 

 Winter gave me the following character. " Don't fear him, sir, 

 he'll not give you a fall, for, if he can't jump over a place, he 'II 

 wade through it." 



Another circumstance occurred, which created a smile : whilst 

 picking out a cold scent, in the middle of a rough grass field, all 

 the pack being at work, a brace of hares jumped up in view. 

 Not a hound noticed them, on which I heard Mr. Lambton say 

 to one of the field, " I hope the Professor saw that" I did see 

 it ; and I agree with Lord Kintore in thinking, that any wild 

 animal jumping up in the view of hounds, in a moment of disap- 

 pointment and baffle, such as this was, puts their steadiness from 

 riot to the test, and, if unnoticed, confirms it. 



Had the scent served, we should have had some fun this day, 

 for there was nothing amiss with the country, and some of the 

 field seemed to look well disposed to go the pace. Just as the 

 hounds were enabled to keep going, Mr. Lambton's horse turned 

 sulky with him, at a double fence ; stood stock still on the cop, 

 or bank; and would neither leap, nor "wade through" the 

 second ditch ; I conclude it was what we called at Rugby, his 

 first fault." 



We were joined at dinner this day by Mr. Robert Surtees, of 

 Hamsterley Hall, who, as his father has done before him, has 

 long enjoyed the intimate friendship of Mr. Lambton ; I should 

 have found him at Merton, indeed, had he not been unable to 

 reach it, on the day previous to my arrival, in consequence of 

 finding himself far from it, on a tired horse, at the end of a 

 capital run with his friend's hounds. 



On the following morning I set out for London, on my road 

 horse, not without wishing, as I had before wished, that it had 

 been in my power to have given the Promethean touch of youth 

 to the celebrated sportsman who had so kindly received me, a 

 second time, under his roof. Whether fox-hunting is on the 



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