LETTER XXX. 329 



water with any genuine fox-hunter. As, however, there 

 were some outside spinies, not regular fox coverts, to 

 which foxhounds seldom or ever went, his occasionally 

 finding and running a fox was thought little of for some 

 time. It was only when the thing became rather more 

 common, and a run or two was put into print, that the 

 suspicions of the master of the foxhounds and some of 

 his field were excited, that there were more outlying 

 foxes found by this marauder, than the small district he 

 laid claim to was likely to afford. 



It was known in well-informed circles that this hare- 

 hunting professor was not in the habit of making any 

 wide distinction between meum and ^wwm, and a pretty 

 strong hint was given him that if such practices were 

 continued, the limits of his country would be curtailed. 

 The hint had the effect only of making him more cau- 

 tious, by shifting his scene of action out of the precincts 

 of the foxhounds. 



An old fox-hunter being resolved to catch him out 

 and convict him of hunting bag foxes, found out his next 

 place of meeting, when they expected to have a day's 

 sport, which was always to be known at a certain sadler's 

 shop in the gay city, and joined the cry. His appearance, 

 however, was not particularly agreeable to the con- 

 spirators, but things were conducted so snug, that they 

 fancied he would be outwitted. After pretending to 

 draw for a hare over some fallows, and up a hedge row 

 or two, they trotted off to a small covert, from which 

 the hounds went away almost as soon as thrown in, on 

 the other side. *' Stole away," cried the professor at the 

 top of his cracked voice ; but our old fox -hunter was 

 soon with them, and kept his place in the foremost rank, 



