THE WILTSHIRE FOXES OUTWITTED. 209 



could not do so publicly. For this purpose I recalled 

 to my recollection a plan I had adopted as a boy in 

 regard to a rabbit. The rabbit was too fast for 

 Grunibo, and at the time to which I allude I had no 

 gun, so artifice was the only thing that could insure 

 a victory. Frighten a rabbit and he will run for his 

 hole ; in his haste he will not pause to ascertain how far 

 that hole may be open, so I used to stop the hole, arm's- 

 length in, and Grumbo or myself were sure to be at 

 the entrance before the puzzled rabbit had satisfied 

 himself that he could not go further. The earths were 

 in some of the immense chambers of the quarry, 

 running for hundreds of yards under the hill; so to be 

 able to stop the foxes from entering, we had to build 

 a wall with the loose stones, leaving only an aperture 

 for the fox to go in and out. I built a second wall 

 still further in, and on a hunting day I left the usual 

 stop open, so that the fox, as he thought, got safe, but 

 in reality he only got far enough in to keep him quiet 

 till the hounds came up. To this dodge the Dinton 

 pack were indebted for a supply of blood. 



Having always liked coursing from the time of my 

 first greyhound. Fly, who ran so often that at last she 

 would try a hare's speed for a hundred yards, and if 

 she could not turn her she would stop and look for 

 another, the moment I saw the magnificent Wilt- 

 shire Downs, I resolved on adding to my greyhounds. 

 I was then elected a member of the Deptford Club, 

 and never shall I fori^et the first meetino- I attended. 

 Xot to be personal, nor to give any offence — I am sure 

 that to give offence is not in the least my intention — I 

 will imagine a meeting at the " Pig and Whistle," any 

 where in a Down country. The members of the club 

 are expected ; their servants with their greyhounds 



p 



