The Fox 195 



better say so madly, as the fox. Every hunting man feels 

 this, but words to express the feeling fully are yet to be 

 invented. Some men who are as steady as a church at 

 bird or big game shooting fairly lose themselves at the 

 sight of a travelling fox. There is something about his 

 stealthy way of going, as if he were a thief, something 

 about his whole carriage, that proclaims the rogue and 

 makes men shout themselves hoarse and ache to throw 

 their hunting-crops or hats at him. They will ride their 

 best hunter nearly to death to keep in sight of him. All 

 this, however, is lost with a bag-fox; and, as some one has 

 pointed out, none of it at all would arise at the sight of a 

 fox chained to a stake in some one's yard. But directly 

 hounds give tongue in a genuine hunt, your spirits are up 

 and your interest grows apace in the game. For every 

 card the rascal plays you know, so to speak, he has still an 

 ace or a king up his sleeve. A glimpse is had of the sly 

 little devil as he moves along in a furrow, casting his eyes 

 behind him with the cold, calculating glance of a money- 

 lender. " There he goes, damn him ! " cries the deacon of 

 the First Baptist Church, who was never known to swear 

 before, — and did not know he did then, — as he puts spurs 

 to his horse and races after as if he were running down a 

 desperado. 



It is undoubtedly true that the greatest zeal for fox- 

 hunting, as in other kinds of hunting, comes from a 

 knowledge of the animal hunted, and is increased by a 

 study of his ways. It always seems to me that men who 

 hunt to ride miss this point and the spirit of the chase al- 

 together. Their pleasure consists in outriding the field. 



