172 MANAGEMENT OF HOUNDS. 



treme point of all the coverts, and drawing homewards. 

 After trying some small straggling copses, we came to 

 a pretty grassy covert, lying on the side of a hill, where 

 we found Mr. Slyboots at home, and when he had just 

 taken a canter round the place, he went away at once, 

 and I guessed from his style of going that it might be 

 some time before we should see him again. The day 

 was not a very favourable one for scent, but we followed 

 pretty closely in his wake for about forty minutes into 

 some large woodlands, where there was every probability 

 of our changing foxes ; but my whippers-in being both 

 young and active fellows, with a tolerable share of sense, 

 knew their business too well to attend to any halloos in 

 such a case, and although there were other foxes soon on 

 foot, and every one pronounced, of course, to be the 

 hunted one, for no other reason except that he happened 

 to be seen, yet we contrived to hold on our line without 

 wavering, and were soon through this large covert, and 

 once more away over the open, fallows and flints, in 

 almost unvaried succession, presenting themselves to our 

 unwelcome vision, with a green wheat-field occasionally 

 giving us a lifting hand to cheer us on our way. Run- 

 ning hard over such a country, with an indifferent scent, 

 was out of the question. 



We were at last brought to in a piece of turnips, not 

 far from a sheep-fold, where the hounds for a moment or 

 two threw up. Observing a shepherd at a short distance, 

 I despatched the whipper-in to know whether he had 

 seen the fox, and what had happened, in the meantime 

 allowing the hounds to have their own way. Something 

 I could see was amiss. The whipper-in gallopped back, 

 and told me the shepherd had seen the fox, which had 



