TOO Recollections of the Vine Hunt. 



hills were covered with snow, which had drifted into 

 the hollow road, which goes slanting up them, so as 

 to render it scarcely passable. The scent, however, 

 seemed to become better than ever ; and, of course, 

 the hounds were far ahead before the first few horse- 

 men had struggled up to the summit. To add to the 

 difficulty, a thick fog covered the tops of the hills, 

 though it was quite clear on the lower grounds. For 

 some time, we had nothing to guide us but the tracks 

 of the pack in the sloppy snow ; and when, presently, 

 we heard the cry seemingly close to us, we had the 

 disappointment of discovering that the hounds were 

 on another hill, from which we were still separated by 

 a valley. Thus we struggled on through the fog, 

 leaving Coombe Wood and village to the right, and 

 over the open country towards Faccombe, which lay 

 on our left, when suddenly we emerged from the fog, 

 and found ourselves with the hounds, who had never 

 checked, and were still running hard, within a mile of 

 the great Faccombe Woods. I think there were only 

 four of us, of whom the huntsman was one, who 

 formed this advanced squadron, and that about a 

 dozen more came up to us in the wood. The fox 

 went straight through the Faccombe Woods, running 

 from north to south, across the western end of them, 

 which Hes nearest to Netherton, over the deep hollow 

 called Netherton Bottom, and up the opposite steep 

 hill, still pointing southward. On the top of this hill, 

 hounds, after a check, turned and hunted a very 

 cold scent back down the hill again, into Netherton 

 Bottom, to the very edge of the great body of woods 

 that we had come through. Here Neverd showed 

 great decision : he said, * I know how it is ; the hounds 



