42 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER 



more, and long before eight o'clock were taken else- 

 where, the master being of opinion that there were at 

 least two litters in the covert, but that as they were 

 so backward it was most undesirable to remain 

 longer. 



The owner of the covert was congratulated on the 

 fine show of foxes, and every one was deceived as to 

 the real qualities of the cubs, and hounds did not draw 

 the place again until the middle of November, when to 

 the general surprise no fox was forthcoming. Nor did 

 the covert furnish another fox that season, but as 

 there were several coverts at no great distance away, 

 which generally held, it came to be considered that the 

 cubs had changed their quarters after the first visit of 

 hounds. Indeed, this seemed to be an extremely 

 probable reason why the covert was drawn blank some 

 five or six times in succession ; but during the winter 

 an under keeper was sent away, and it appeared that 

 he had quarrelled with the head keeper of the estate, 

 the latter having discovered that the man had taken up 

 two litters of cubs in the spring, had kept them in a 

 disused shed all the summer, and had only turned them 

 down a few hours before hounds drew the place. It 

 was never properly discovered whether one or both of 

 the keepers were in the plot, but the estate was a large 

 one, and the man who looked after the covert alluded 

 to was practically in sole charge of a very large 

 beat. 



In another country hounds had a long, slow hunt, 

 late in the afternoon, when few were with them. 

 At length they had made quite a big point, and as 

 scent was improving, and a covert was in front which 

 was in the draw for the following day, or the day after 

 that, the huntsman and his whippers-in tried to stop 



