Fox-hunting Past and Present 



for him — a quick turn that ! and then another. 

 Now Mischief is at his heels, and death is not far 

 off. Ha ! They all stop at once ; silent, and yet 

 no earth open. Listen ! now they are at him 

 again ! Did you hear that hound catch view ? 

 They overran the scent and Reynard lay down 

 behind them. Now how quick they all give their 

 tongues ! Little Dreadnought, how he works him ! 

 How close Vengeance pursues ! — how terribly she 

 presses ! It is just up with him — Gods ! what a 

 crash they make ! The whole wood resounds ! — 

 That turn was very short ! There ! now — aye, now 

 they have him ! Whohoop ! " Thus Beckford con- 

 cludes his run. 



Nimrod tells us how the fox did his best to 

 escape, threads hedgerows, tries a farmhouse out- 

 buildings, and turns so short at once, but hounds 

 run shorter as much as to say — *' Die you shall ! " 

 The pace had been awful for twenty minutes. 

 Three horses blown to a standstill, and few going 

 at their ease. '' Out upon this great carcase of 

 mine, as he stands over his four hundred guinea 

 chestnut, then rising from the ground — no horse 

 ever foaled can live at this pace." This from the 

 lips of a young Meltonian. *' You will know how 

 ^ his tail was nearly erect, and nostrils were 

 distended.' . . . ^ Not hurt, I hope,' exclaims Mr. 

 Maxse, as he hears a thud in the next field, and 

 gets a glimpse of somebody coming neck and crop 



TOO 



