ioo THE HUNTING FIELD 



watchman has to leave his downy couch and encounter 

 the elements and roughnesses of the thicket. Lord 

 bless us ! fancy such a night as last, the rain beating 

 against the casements, the wind howling, and blowing 

 a perfect hurricane : the brooks swelled into torrents, 

 the rivers into seas; and fancy having to leave the 

 warm house, the bright crackling fire, to grope and 

 prowl about the country like a thief in the night 

 time : a man ought to be well paid for such w T ork as 

 that. 



Earth-stoppers are of two sorts — the resident Earth- 

 stopper, and the head Earth-stopper, or Earth-stopper 

 in Eyre, as the old law books designate the judges of 

 assize. The head Earth-stopper is an officer peculiar 

 to great establishments ; he is like the military 

 inspector of a district, and it is his business to go 

 about and see that his subordinates do their duty. 

 In summer he receives and examines into the truth 

 of reported breeds ; in winter he sees that the right 

 range of country is properly stopped ; and, above all, 

 properly opened. The Earth-stopper only does half 

 his business who only stops the earths ; opening 

 them after hunting is quite as important. 



Yon weather-beaten old man, in the two-year old 

 cap, and three-year old coat, is the head of the 

 department of our hunt ; he is to the Earth-stopping 

 fraternity what the "superintendent" is to the police; 

 he is paid by the year, they by the stop. Old Foxfix, 

 for such is his name, is a varmint looking old fellow, 

 and when the old grey — or rather white — is away 

 from the high conditioned horses of the field, and 

 the new scarlet coats of the men do not throw the 

 old plum colour into the shade, he makes a very 

 respectable appearance. He knows every hill — 

 every rise from which a view of the varmint may be 

 obtained ; and often when the chase has lagged, and 

 hopes began to pall, old Foxfix's cap, on the sky line 

 of the horizon, has infused joy into the field below, 



