LETTER XVII. 181 



perhaps flattered himself I was come out to take a lesson, 

 and mend my ways. He was fated to be woefully de- 

 ceived ; but of that anon. "We soon commenced drawing 

 some pretty coverts, not far from the road side. The 

 hounds spread well over the stuff, and in about ten mi- 

 nutes a loud tongue was heard — a fox, of course — the 

 hounds being proverbially steady. The body soon got 

 together, and rattled their fox merrily through the 

 underwood ; and, after a turn or two round the covert, 

 away we went over the open, Mr. Slowman blowing his 

 horn furiously, and dashing forward on his favourite 

 steed, with a triumphant look at me, as much as to say, 

 " That's the way to do business !" My friend, riding up, 

 was also in high glee. " What do you think of this ?" 

 " All right," I said, " as to Act No. 1 — quite perfection." 

 " Well, I am glad you think so." 



The pace was good for the first twenty minutes ; the 

 hounds ran well together, and seemed bent on mischief, 

 when we came to a small covert, in which was a fresh 

 fox. Here we changed, but their whipper-in not being 

 quite quick enough to the further point, where he ought 

 to have been, could not tell what happened ; had he 

 been at his post, he would have seen the hunted fox 

 going away. In this small place we jolted about for a 

 few minutes, and then back again to nearly the same 

 coverts we had first found in. We did not hang here 

 long, but went away once more over the open to some 

 large woodlands. Several foxes were now on foot, and 

 Mr. Slowman had plenty of work cut out for himself and 

 assistants. Jim took care to be always near me, as I had 

 told him in the morning we would, if we could see an 

 opportunity, take the game out of Mr. Slowman's hands, 



