824 SYSTEM OF KENNEL AND 



run into their fox^ if he goes straight ; but tempora 

 si forent nubila, on bad scenting days he escapes. 

 Exempli gratia, we now relate how Will Headman 

 succeeded a few days after in bringing another good 

 fox to book, in a country wholly arable, under the 

 most adverse and most unpropitious circumstances. 

 The wind was in the west, with a cold-looking leaden 

 sky, and the air was the reverse of soft and balmy; 

 in short, those weather-wise collected at the place 

 of meeting proclaimed it at once as a scentless 

 morning. The covert to be drawn first was a 

 large one_, over a hundred acres, like the majority 

 of woods in that country. Little spinnies and 

 patches of gorse were very few and very far 

 between. 



''Well, Will," asked John Staveley, a genuine 

 orthodox foxhunter, " what think you of the morn- 

 ing?" 



" Queerish, sir. Nothing to be done without 

 patience and perseverance, and — yes — a bit of luck 

 also." 



" Very true. Will, that's my opinion ; but if you 



lose one fox you are pretty certain of finding 



another without much trouble." 



"That's not our way of doing business, sir. 



When I find a fox worth attending to, I make a 



point of sticking to him as long as we can ; and in 



the main I generally find this sort of thing pays 



best." 



" Right, Will— quite right. That's the way to 



make good hounds for every day in the week. 



Never mind the weather." 



