With the Galway Blazers 



THE trees nodded a friendly welcome to the wind- 

 gusts that accompanied the dawn. Rain was badly 

 needed in Galway, and these wise old trees welcomed 

 its precursors. Soon the biting cold became less intense 

 and the big soft raindrops arrived with the daylight. 



Hounds were in covert. It was a long wood by the 

 roadside. The western end was devoid of undergrowth, 

 but further up the roadway the boles of the pines were 

 completely smothered in laurels and brambles. A 

 solitary horseman in scarlet stood sentinel at the upper 

 corner. 



From the wood came the voice of the Master en- 

 couraging hounds. The crackle of twigs became more 

 audible as hounds pressed on resolutely through the 

 undergrowth. A hound whimpered. Another spoke 

 more confidently. A brown shape hopped on to a wall 

 and surveyed the road. The Whipper-in sprang to life 

 and galloped down towards it, calling " Hi ! Charlie ! 

 Ger away back ! " 



Reynard junior obeyed promptly and vanished into 

 the wood. The Whipper-in returned to his post. He 

 had scarcely reached it when I heard him repeating his 

 admonition to another cub and following it with a loud 

 thong-crack from his hunting-crop. 



82 



