228 MANAGEMENT OF HOUNDS. 



The enjoyment of sport upon such occasions is almost 

 out of the question ; but I have known good runs, and 

 even a good scent, when everything appeared to dispute 

 it. Upon one occasion, when taking my hounds into 

 another county for a fortnight's hunting, we had a capital 

 run. It was a very windy day, and we unfortunately 

 had to draw a large covert, which it was difficult to tra- 

 verse on horseback. On finding our fox, we kept as 

 close to the hounds as the nature of the ground would 

 admit of, being both hilly and abounding in rocks as 

 well; the hounds, however, at last slipped away down 

 wind, and we lost them entirely. Being ignorant of the 

 country, I could not tell the run of the foxes, and we 

 could find no traces of the hounds. We therefore sepa- 

 rated in different directions. 1 got upon their line and 

 followed them for some miles, gaining intelligence here 

 and there of their route ; but at last I lost it altogether, 

 and could pick up no further information. It being then 

 late I was obliged to give up all further pursuit, and 

 return to our temporary kennel, in the hope that the 

 whippers-in might have been more fortunate in their 

 researches. There again I was doomed to disappoint- 

 ment ; the}^ had returned, after having ridden many miles, 

 without hearing any intelligence of the hounds. It was 

 then becoming dark, and we all three looked /gloomy 

 enough ; but in a dark night and an unknown country 

 we were obliged to wait the dawning of another day. 



Before daylight we were all astir again. Some few of 

 the hounds had returned during the night, for which the 

 feeding-house had been left open and their food prepared ; 

 but the body of the hounds was still missing. The whip- 

 pers-in were again despatched in different directions, and 



