164 MANAGEMENT OF HOUNDS. 



Such a scene I hardly ever witnessed, with nearly 

 tired horses, which had been coming across some very 

 stiff enclosures ; racing at such a time was out of the 

 question, but the effort was made the same. Rival 

 jockeys jostled each other at the fences, and the rolling 

 and crushing was tremendous. Two hard-riding farmers 

 in this scramble of a couple of miles or less actually 

 killed their horses — more shame to them ! Mine, I ad- 

 mit, had already enough ; and, knowing this, I did not 

 over-hurry him, seeing also that matters would soon be 

 brought to a favourable conclusion without my further 

 interference. A small plantation sheltered the fox for 

 a second or two, but on the other side, leaping a park 

 fence, the hounds caught sight of their game, and raced 

 into him in the open park, pulling him down in a herd 

 of deer, whose company he sought as a last refuge. The 

 deer, being used to the cry of hounds, stood gazing on 

 at a short distance, and it was altogether a scene worthy 

 the pencil of Landseer — the fox in the hands of the 

 whipper-in, the hounds baying round, men with their 

 hats off, wiping their foreheads, the horses which had 

 got up standing alone without their riders, their heads 

 lowered and tails erect, shaking from their exertions — 

 some walking leisurel}^ in, others trying to make a last 

 gallop of it, and the herd of deer in the distance, would 

 form a beautiful picture. We had been runiiing this 

 fox from the time we first found him, I should think, 

 about two hours and forty minutes. We had a very 

 poor scent, only sufficient to hold on the line at some 

 periods. But this only shows what perseverance can 

 do. The finish was complete. It was one of those days 

 of which I may fairly say, 



" Haec olim meminisse juvabit." 



