ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 51 



and we frequently found her most useful in bolting a fox 

 from his earth. Poor old Smut ! she lost her teeth early in 

 life, but she would force herself into any place, and at times 

 we had hard work to extricate her from some complicated 

 hole among masses of rock and roots. 



The foxes were of the usual Deccan breed, small but fast, 

 and would double and turn before the dogs with wonderful 

 agility. The jackals, too, were strong and active ; but they 

 give but a poor run before good dogs, unless the ground is 

 rough and they have a good start, and then they will fre- 

 quently escape. 



The dogs knew their work, and kept near the horses till 

 they saw their game, when they would dash off over the most 

 rugged ground in a manner that would astonish a man only 

 accustomed to legitimate coursing. 



Eiding quietly along, we would frequently start two and 

 three foxes together, and I have seen as many as four jump 

 up at once from some hollow, where they had been basking 

 in the morning sun after their nocturnal wanderings. At 

 such times we had to trust to our luck to get the dogs on any 

 particular fox, and if our pack scattered the chances were 

 against us ; but we seldom came home without one or two 

 brushes to show for our morning's work. 



When a fox went to ground, the terrier came into play, 

 though she bad neither teeth nor strength to draw him ; but 

 we found that, as a rule, if the fox were followed into its earth 

 by the terrier, and there bullied a little, all we had to do was 

 to get her out, and withdraw with her and the other dogs to 

 a distance of fifty yards. If we then kept quiet for a few 

 minutes, the fox, apparently satisfied that its retreat had been 

 discovered, would often bolt out and make off, giving a second, 

 and for him often a fatal run. 



