THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 



hunted in his time) ; ' although your father is no fox-hunter, I 

 have a great regard for him as a conspicuous sportsman in his 

 line, and a stanch preserver of foxes; and it was only last 

 night that we drank his health in that honourable capacit3^ 

 You have a clever little mare under you, and I hope we shall 

 find out, before night, whether your father's old oats are as 

 good as his new were. / was entered to hounds before I was 

 your age, and I mean to stick to them as long as I can sit in 

 my saddle. Now, Bob,' ^ to the huntsman, ' throw your darlings 

 into cover ; and,' addressing himself to Frank Rab3^ ' mind this, 

 young gentleman — if you hear a hound speak in the cover, you 

 may bet all the money you like that it is to a fox. Every 

 tongue is a fox with my hounds, as I suppose every tongue is 

 a hare with Mr. Raby's harriers.' 



Scarcely had the pack spread themselves, right and left, in 

 the wood, than Samson was observed lashing his sides with 

 his stern, and Champion rushed through the strong brushwood 

 to join noses, as much as to say, has the villain been this road 

 in tlie night ? ' Have at him, Samson,' said Mr. Warde ; ' look 

 about you, Bob, we shall find him in five minutes.' ' And 

 Champion also says so,' returned the huntsman, ' and he never 

 told a lie in his life.' 



But the ' villain ' did not wait to be found. The drag grew 

 warmer and warmer as the hounds drew onward, and the 

 deep tones of such of them as were eqiial to owning a scent 

 at least eight hours old, being audible down wind, even in the 

 deep recesses of the cover, away went as fine a dog-fox as ever 

 wore a brush, and then the scene became glorious. The 

 crash, when the body of the pack got together ; the shouting 

 of the foot people in the rides ; the blasts of the horns ; and 

 the hallooing of the horsemen — some eager to assist in getting 

 the hounds to their game, others m.ad to get a start ; — all this 

 had a thrilling effect on our young sportsman ; but there was 

 no time for looking about ; the hounds were on good terms 

 with their fox — their heads up, and their sterns down — and a 

 fine grass country before them. 



The fence out of the wood was an awkward one ; it was a 



low, but stiff, gate, which, of itself, would have been nothing ; 



but an open drain, under repair, was in front of it, on the 



rising side, which made the rider and his horse look about 



^ Robert Forfeit, who then hunted Mr, Wai'de's hounds. 



83 



