54 FOX-HUNTING RECOLLECTIONS 



perly ; there are always holes and corners which 

 nobody ever knew of before ; then again^ there 

 are those innumerable drains in the New En- 

 closures frequently six to eight feet deep. If a 

 tired fox drops down into one of them, and runs 

 along it until he is out of sight and sheltered by 

 masses of gorse and undergrowth, there he is as 

 safe as if he was underground. Then again, in 

 my time foxes were so plentiful there was the 

 ever-constant chance of changing on to fresh 

 foxes. We had excellent sport throughout my 

 first season, and I extract from an old diary 

 accounts of some days which may be mentioned : 



*' On the loth November 1874 met at Stony 

 Cross. Found in King's Garn and ran to Ravens- 

 nest ; back by Canterton and Shave Green to 

 Manor House ; then over by Acres Down to 

 Pound Hill, and on to Ferney Knap and Markway 

 Bridge, where the fox got in somewhere. About 

 an hour and a half, and a capital pace all the 

 way; very few of the field saw the end of 

 it. 



'' 19th November. — Met at the Vine at Ower ; 

 drew Embley and Paultons blank ; found at last 

 in the afternoon in Shelley Bog, and hunted a 

 ringing fox for about three hours round Embley 

 and Paultons, and at last killed him in Romsey 

 Common. A hard day for hounds, and it was 

 moonlight before we got home. 



