LETTER XVI. 173 



come very near to where he was, \vith a rabbit "n his 

 mouth. " A rabbit in his mouth, Jim ! nonsense." — 

 ** 'Tis true enough, Sir ; the shepherd showed me the 

 rabbit, which he took away from him." — "We will hear 

 more of this presently — which way went the fox V* 

 ** Forward, Sir." The check was explained, and holding 

 the hounds about a hundred yards in advance, they 

 settled down again to the scent, and dashed through the 

 turnip-field. Jim now came up, and gave me the shep- 

 herd's story about the rabbit. He said he saw the fox 

 coming through the turnips towards where he was stand- 

 ing with something in his mouth. The turnips being 

 high, he was not seen by Mr. Slyboots (whose attention 

 was most likely directed to what was passing in his 

 rear) ; that upon the fox coming nearer to him he first 

 threw his crook at him, but he would not drop the 

 rabbit ; he then set his dog after him ; the fox, showing 

 fight, dropped the rabbit, which therefore fell to the 

 shepherd's lot. This accounted for our hounds coming 

 to a sudden check where the dog had hustled the fox. 

 Nothing will so soon baffle a good pack of hounds as 

 such an occurrence ; they at once detect that something 

 is wrong, and will not go on with the scent where a dog 

 has been chasing the fox. Many such cases have hap- 

 pened to me, and I always hold the hounds on until they 

 take to the line again freely. 



' Jim's story about the shepherd and rabbit bothered 

 me not a little. " Can all this be true, Jim ?" I said. 

 " O yes, Sir, I suppose it is ; it looks all right, but the 

 foxes must be cool hands in this part of the world to 

 carry their dinner about with 'em in that brazen sort of 

 a way. I don't half like this gentleman we're after, Sir, 



