44) SYSTEM OF KENNEL AND 



lost), on his grey, taking the lead, and we could 

 hear liim floundering through the heavy bullfinches 

 with loud " come-ups " occasionally, and a cry of 

 warning to ourselves, " Look out, master, there's 

 a nasty ditch t'other side/' Looking out being 

 out of the question when we could barely see our 

 horse's ears, as he had the best eyes we trusted all 

 to his discretion, and thankful indeed did we feel 

 when we saw the lamps of a town glimmering in 

 the flir distance, near which there was a strong 

 head of earths. These, however, being closed, our 

 fox, then thoroughly beaten like ourselves, got into 

 a drain on the premises of an old lady, living on 

 the outskirts of the town, from which it was im- 

 possible to dislodge him. The servants rushed out 

 on hearing the row, with candles and lanterns, to 

 offer their assistance, which we declined, and left 

 him alone in his glor\^, having then just eighteen 

 miles of road-work before us ere we could reach 

 the kennels. This last run was eleven miles as the 

 crow flies, with deviations at least four more, and 

 the time one hour and thirty minutes. 



We have not mentioned this day's work as any- 

 thing very extraordinary in those times, such being 

 of frequent occurrence; and we have had sometimes 

 to feed our hounds at twelve o'clock at night, when 

 unable to stop them in large woodlands more than 

 twenty miles from home. Foxes were stouter 

 then than now, having to travel much farther in 

 search of food. Game preserving is antagonistic 

 to our sport in two ways — first, foxes are and will 

 be trapped by keepers ; and, secondly, those which 



