106 THE ETON COLLEGE HVNT. 



Probably before very long he would suddenly stop, and, 

 indicating a certain spot perhaps twenty yards away, would quite 

 quietly remark, ''There she sets!'*' Surely enough there she 

 did sit ; though as often as not his eye alone could discern 

 Madam Puss crouched in her heathery form. A wonderfully 

 observant man he must have been, and great fun we used to have 

 about him ; but as to reclaiming him, you might as well have 

 asked him not to eat — or drink, for it must be regretfully 

 admitted he was at least as fond of liquid as of solid nourishment. 



He was often in gaol — always for poaching — and, as the 

 keeper used to say, " The Long 'un always came out fatter than 

 he went in! " so his home fare was probably neither plentiful in 

 quantity nor of an Epicurean quality. He never bore malice, as 

 the following incident shows. He had been in gaol for poaching 

 on the common above described. His sentence expired on a 

 Saturday, and as a party of us were walking on the following 

 Sunday afternoon along one of the footpaths which thread the 

 common, who should appear round a corner but our friend, just 

 fresh from gaol? 



What did he do? Why, lie lifted his hat, and wished us 

 good-day in the cheeriest manner possible, just as if he had met 

 US' by appointment to help find a hare for the beagles. 



Probably he was there for no very legitimate purpose, but 

 at the moment he was, of course, on the footpath, where he had 

 a> much right to be as anyone else ; and one could hardly help 

 sympathising with the love of sporting adventure which was 

 doubtless the main cause of his poaching proclivities. At any 

 rate, he found us many a hare, and was an important factor in 

 bringing not a few to hand. 



No attempt has been made to describe in detail the different 

 methods of hunting beagles, or the different stamp of beagle 

 which is suitable for different countries, as all these points have 

 been dealt with in the Hunting volume of the '' Badminton 

 Library." The writer has merely attempted to place before the 

 reader a picture (very imperfect, doubtless) of such leading 

 episodes in this sport as he has himself witnessed many and many 

 a time ; and if the picture should by any lucky chance induce any 

 reader of these pages to be '' up and at it " by six o'clock in the 

 morning, and test for himself the enjoyment of watching a good 

 pack of beagles at work, he will, if he has any hunting instinct 

 at all in him, assuredly be well repaid, and the writer will not 

 have written in vain. 



