Fox-hunting Past and Present 



and runs to see him break. What joy ! What 

 eagerness in every face ! " 



A vivid description that. Mention of the shep- 

 herd conveys the idea of an unenclosed country ; 

 the greater part of Dorset was so in Mr. Beckford's 

 day. Nimrod's fox breaking covert is or was 

 correct in Leicestershire ; and, indeed, in some 

 countries where masters have not their field under 

 control, certain gentlemen are satisfied when they 

 see three couple of hounds on the line. 



Lord Alvanley's facetious observation after lark- 

 ing home across country, ^' what fine sport we 



might have if it was not for those d d hounds," 



was a keen satire on Melton fox-hunters. The 

 eager ^* Snobs " now casts up in Nimrod's run with 

 the hackneyed inquiry of " Do you think you can 

 catch the fox ? " But Squire Osbaldeston did not 

 suspect the ^' Snobs" might be none less than one 

 of the Quarterly reviewers. 



^^Now, huntsman," says Beckford, ''get on with 



your head hounds, the whipper-in will bring on the 



others after you ; keep your eye on the leading 



hounds, that, should the scent fail them, you may 



know how far they brought it. . . . The scent 



being good, every hound settles to his fox ; 



the pace gradually improves — vires acquirit eundo ; 



a terrible burst is the result. . . . Mark Galloper 



how he leads them," says Beckford. '' It is 



difficult to distinguish the leading hound, yet 



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