THE HUNTING FIELD 37 



ride, his horse getting away from him. The second 

 whip, who had holloaed the fox from the covert, 

 was a new hand, and in his previous place had 

 orders never to ride over a fence, but to go back 

 for any hounds that were missing. Finding that 

 the pack were two couple short, he went back into 

 the wood to find them, and then assisted the hunts- 

 man to catch his horse. It thus happened that 

 you and the horse-dealer were the only people to 

 get away. Two or three early rising members of 

 the hunt, who had turned up at the meet with severe 

 punctuality, had found a sunny spot on the up-wind 

 side of the wood, where they passed the time with 

 cigarettes and conversation. When they hear of 

 the gallop they will curse the huntsman for not 

 blowing his horn ; but for the present we will leave 

 them in happy ignorance of hounds' doings, and 

 return to the check. 



The huntsman sees there is no time to be lost, 

 and, grasping the situation at a glance, he lifts the 

 pack across the stubble-field. Beneath the shadow 

 of the high hedge the ground is still moist from the 

 morning dew, and hounds soon strike the smeuse 

 where the fox has crept through. Another stubble 

 and hounds can only slowly puzzle out the line, so 

 that there is every chance of the hunt coming to a 

 speedy end. 



We are on the summit of some rising ground, 

 and the country before us shelves away to a little 

 stream below. Your eyes are young, and you 

 should scan the landscape quickly for any moving 



