60 MANAGEMENT OF HOUNDS. 



of the county. When I called upon him, and asked his 

 permission to draw his coverts for a fox, he appeared 

 astonished at my impudence, and said he was quite sure 

 there was no such animal as a fox there, and he could 

 not allow his pheasants and hares to be driven about and 

 killed by my rough dogs. I told him my hounds were 

 much better bred than he supposed, and were too polite 

 to touch his hares, if requested not to do so. Upon this 

 point he was very incredulous, saying, that although my 

 hounds might not run his hares, they would chop them 

 up if they came in their way. " Well, Sir," I said, '* I 

 will make an agreement with you, and it is this, that if 

 one hound I bring with me kills a hare, or even snaps at 

 one, I will never ask to draw your coverts again, and you 

 yourself shall be judge." This proposal seemed to tickle 

 his fancy, and he at once agreed to it, thinking, I have 

 no doubt, that he should get rid of me and the hounds 

 too. A day was fixed for a private rehearsal, and I ac- 

 cordingly made my appearance before his house with 

 about sixteen couples of hounds. The old gentleman 

 (being a greyhound breeder himself) came down to look 

 them over, seemed pleased with their appearance, and 

 ordered his pony round to accompany me to the scene of 

 action, which was some small coverts with high under- 

 wood (always a ticklish place for riot), and literally 

 swarming with hares. I saw, by a quiet smile exchanged 

 between the master and head-keeper, that they considered 

 this to be the first and last appearance of my hounds on 

 this hitherto forbidden ground. They had laid a trap 

 for me, by taking me first to this hollow covert, but they 

 were, like some other clever people, caught themselves. 

 When ready for action, I coolly asked the old gentleman 



