538 BIG GAME OF XOKTII AMERICA. 



My father himself doubted whether this Fox was not 

 superior to any pack in the world. However, he deter- 

 mined to try a final conclusion with him, and, with this 

 end in view, took measures to get nine of his best hounds 

 in the highest attainable condition. He had in his pack, 

 at that time, a strain of black-and-tan hounds which he 

 had owned and bred for thirty years, and which his father 

 had long owned before him. At this time, there were 

 in the pack, besides the brood bitch and four or five dogs 

 of that strain, the two spayed bitches already mentioned, 

 named Vanity and Juno, which were undoubtedly the best 

 pair of hounds which the strain, great as it was, ever pro- 

 duced. Of course, these great bitches were first choice for 

 this race. They were backed by two dogs of the same 

 strain, but not full brothers in blood, called Leader and 

 Rogue. The next selections were blue-mottled hounds 

 from the Crawford strain of Maryland; three dogs, Drum- 

 mer, Farmer, and Trump, and a spayed bitch, Countess. In 

 addition to these, a lemon-and-white hound of great excel- 

 lence, "ailed Frowner, was put in. My father believed that 

 these were, in all points, as good Fox-hounds as were ever 

 seen, and he thought the great sisters, Juno and Vanity, 

 the very best he had ever seen run. 



Our friends were notified that all was ready for the race 

 the next day, and that the meet, for those who did not 

 breakfast with us, would be at the upper end of the mill- 

 dam field, within a few minutes after sunrise. 



My father and I saw personally to the feeding and bed- 

 ding of the hounds, and each of us to his own horse. We 

 went early to bed, after a light supper, and so slept well 

 all night. ' At early dawn we were up, and quickly dressed 

 in hunting-clothes, and out to attend to matters at the ken- 

 nels and stables; for our experience had taught us that such 

 details must have our personal attention. 



By the time these matters were settled, some of our 

 neighbors arrived, and brought several additional couples 

 of hounds. Breakfast was a simple affair. As soon as 

 dispatched, we mounted and rode to the meeting-place, 



