A FALSE HOLLOA 109 



by the rides, either back into my country, or into the Duke of 

 Grafton's country; and oh what pardonable mirth it was to 

 pick up a fox there ! When George Carter left me, the cause 

 of which will be hereafter explained, and was re-engaged for the 

 Duke of Grafton's establishment as huntsman, whenever I knew 

 that he had a fixture in Yardley Chase, a look at the weather- 

 cock would enable me to decide where he would draw, and the 

 same judgment could be formed by him, when the paper told 

 him I was to be there. If ever trees knew the voices of two 

 huntsmen, those about Cowper's Oak must have learned mine ; 

 and those at Collier's Urn become acquainted with the voice of 

 George Carter, for they were favourite vicinities for a fox. To 

 show that myself and my hounds were pretty well masters of 

 our work, the last year I hunted that country, after Carter had 

 left me, I found seventeen foxes in Yardley Chase ; and with a 

 run to each, taking them all more or less away, I missed but 

 three, having killed fourteen. 



A curious incident happened to me in this chase, which, 

 as a reminiscence, is worth relating. There was a fine stout 

 yeomanly-looking farmer occupying adjacent land, who always 

 met me there, and was remarkably attentive and civil. Very 

 often when we were drawing for a fox, we had been deceived by 

 as loud and clear a view-holloa as man could hear. It rang in 

 the air, was acknowledged by the hounds and owned by me, but 

 we never by any chance could find the fox, or the man who gave 

 the signal. Several times men and hounds rushed to the sup- 

 posed site of the holloa, the hounds cast round in vain, vain too 

 the question called by me, as to "who had holloaed." This 

 ghostly holloa began to assume an unearthly character, but as I 

 am not much given to superstition, I charged all whom I could 

 trust to watch and discover whence this intangible summons pro- 

 ceeded. It never happened twice the same day, or on succeeding 

 days ; it was only an occasional event, about once in three fix- 

 tures. Nevertheless, it caused me much uneasiness, and deceived 

 my hounds. Still the ghostly cry was persisted in undetected, 

 as to the perpetrator of it, by us all. At about the time of its 



