338 THE POST AND THE PADDOCK. 



but lifted them beyond Orlingbury, where he viewed 

 him, and where he laid them on close at him; at 

 the first check he lifted them again beyond Finedon, 

 where he viewed him again ; and at the next check 

 beyond Burton Wold, where he again viewed him ; 

 and thus either chased him or lifted them to Grafton 

 Park, where they ran into him. The distance was 

 at least ten miles from point to point, and it was 

 supposed the hounds were not four miles on scent 

 the whole way. We mention this story to show the 

 system he pursued. He had neither patience nor 

 perseverance, and was always for finding a fresh fox. 

 Having plenty of horses, he would gallop off miles 

 distant. Half the field thought the hounds were 

 running, and did not discover their mistake till they 

 got to a fresh covert, with their horses half done. 

 Such, we believe, to have been the mode generally 

 adopted by the renowned Dick Knight. 



Sir Thomas Mostyn, who hunted Oxfordshire, had 

 a splendid pack perhaps as powerful a one as ever 

 hunted : they had, however, very little sport, and 

 were the victims of unconquerable prejudice. Sir 

 Thomas seldom saw any hounds except his own, and 

 had a great dread of tongue ; the consequence was 

 that they were nearly mute. He had a bitch called 

 Lady, a draft from Lord Lonsdale, from whom sprung 

 most of his pack : she bred them nearly mute, and, 

 notwithstanding, he continued to breed from her 

 blood almost entirely. They would go hopping on a 

 scent two or three fields together without speaking, 

 so that a person who was not accustomed to them 

 would hardly know whether they were on scent or 

 not. They could not hold the line, solely from 

 want of tongue; and unless they got away close 

 to him, and had a burning scent, they could never 

 catch him : the moment they came to hunting, the 

 game was up. Stephen Goodall, the huntsman, was 

 a clever man, and knew hunting thoroughly. He 



