168 MANAGEMENT OF HOUNDS. 



he has got a white tip to his brush." Beckoning to the 

 whippers-in, who were both in a large drive, which ran 

 through the centre of the covert, I gave them orders, 

 one to ride to the end of the drive, where the fox always 

 crossed over, and keep cracking his whip, but not before 

 he had a signal from me. I then rode down to the point 

 where the fox passed over to the upper part of the co- 

 vert, with the second whipper-in. As soon as the fox 

 was well over the ride, T stopped the body of the hounds, 

 leaving only a few to follow him on to the other end. 

 The second whipper-in hustled the hounds after me 

 down the drive ; and giving the signal to the other to 

 crack his whip at the further end, to which the fox had 

 now arrived, we all three dashed straight in, hounds and 

 all, and gave the old gentleman such a meeting that he 

 broke away at once, nearly in view, and we ran into 

 him in the open in about forty minutes. Thus ended 

 our first day in my friend's country, which was anything 

 but satisfactory to Mr. Slowman, who not only lost his 

 five shillings, but somewhat of his credit also, by our 

 mastering this old fox, which had so often mastered him. 

 Being a stranger in the country, they did their best to 

 take me in, and accordingly selected the most distant 

 fixtures, where foxes were rather scarce. 



Our next appointment was quite at the outskirts of 

 their country, and where another old slyboots wa'S in the 

 habit of residing. He was a verv cool hand, as the se- 

 quel will show^, but this time reckoned without his host. 

 The changing from a good scenting country to a bad one 

 is very much against a pack of hounds. Ours had come 

 from nearly a grass country into one almost entirely 

 under the plough, and abounding in flints, by which the 



