74 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER 



venture further away, as they had no idea where hounds 

 were, but just when they were thinking of going home 

 a beaten fox came towards them with hounds close at 

 him, which a moment later was killed in the covert 

 fence. The master and two or three friends quickly 

 appeared, and then it transpired that hounds had been 

 running continuously for three hours in a wild, if 

 rough, country, and that in fact the hunt had been an 

 exceptionally good one, and had included an eight- 

 mile point. 



It is needless to say that after this the long trot to 

 the hitherto boycotted place was ignored, and to this 

 day the district in question is yielding its fair share of 

 sport. In another hunt there are many coverts along 

 the banks of a river, a chain of woods, in fact, which are 

 not very far apart, and sloping ground behind, with 

 capital galloping country beyond. Foxes have always 

 been numerous in these riverside coverts, but very often 

 they stick to the low-lying land, taking hounds along 

 the chain, or a part of it, again and again, and never 

 going into the good country. At one time it was 

 almost the fashion in the hunt for the field to remain on 

 the high ground above, or to ignore the riverside meets 

 altogether, but there came days, not so very far apart, 

 when foxes made straight for the good country, and 

 made long points, with few there to see what hounds 

 were doing. Since that time the attendances at these 

 meets have greatly increased, and though there are still 

 days of riverside hunting at times, the occasional good 

 thing is also forthcoming. 



Not so long ago a master told us that during his long 

 spell of office he thought he had actually seen the best 

 runs from what were generally considered to be bad 

 places. He said the good things did not come so often 



