The Bloodhound. 21 



which blew on the Monday morning, when we left 

 Euston station for Boxmoor, where we were to see 

 two couples of Mr. Brough's bloodhounds run in the 

 open country without assistance of any kind, and 

 under any conditions which might prevail at the time. 

 Surely the surroundings could not well have been 

 more unfavourable unless a rapid thaw, immediately 

 following the snow, had made them so. At Boxmoor 

 the country was thoroughly w^hite. The snow lay on 

 the ground to an uniform depth of about eight inches ; 

 where it had drifted, occasionally we were almost up 

 to our knees. For a time the sky was fairly bright, 

 but later a blinding shower of snow fell, which 

 happily cleared off in about an hour^s time. At our 

 terminus we were joined by Mr. Holmes Pegler, who 

 brought with him a dog hound named Danger, by 

 Maltravers out of Blossom. This hound a few 

 generations back can claim some of the old southern 

 hound blood ; but he shows not the slightest trace of 

 this, being a good-looking black and tan animal, 

 though not then in the best form, so far as health was 

 concerned. He had very little preliminary training, 

 and thus afforded fair evidence of what a bloodhound 

 will do under adverse circumstances. Our small 

 party — which included, in addition to the gentlemen 

 already mentioned, three ladies in a sleigh. Dr. 

 Philpot', and Mr. W. K. Taunton — made the best way 



