50 THE HAUGHTYSHIRE HUNT. 



his hired gee in most merciless fashion ; the Duke, still going 

 strong and well, on the neat little chestnut ; three light Aveight 

 men, and a lady — not Mrs. Joggletilt, \Yhose hig horse had 

 found that the conjunction of heavy ground, a strong pace, 

 and his by no means fairy burden, was not to his taste. 

 Sir Tommy had come down a ' buster ' at a bank and wattle 

 on the top, which he had gone rather out of his way, in the 

 early part of the run, to jump. All those going at the time 

 of Binkie's disaster meant seeing it out to the bitter end, or 

 as far, at least, as their horses could carry them towards that 

 desirable consummation. 



Although travelling with arched back and tag dragging 

 over the wet, peaty soil. Pug was not yet in hand. ' As 

 artful as a cartload of monkeys ' is an expression which 

 applies to no animal more forcibly than to a hunted fox. 

 What the average specimen of the vulpine race doesn't know, 

 isn't worth knowing. 



They were emerging now on to sounder ground, and soon 

 after reaching a little cultivated and starveling potato patch, 

 Keynard turned sharply left-handed up a short grass hill. By 

 this time horses were getting rapidly to that stage known 

 to the initiated as ' cooked,' and even Will galloped round the 

 foot of the hill instead of going up it, in hopes that hounds 

 would come back to him. This they did in less than five 

 minutes, and as the Huntsman viewed his quarry again, his 

 experienced eye told him that the end was not far off. Just as 

 the fox reached the foot of the hill, he endeavoured to climb 

 a low stone wall ; but he was too stiff', and his tired limbs 

 refused their office. He fell back, and in another moment a 

 rush of the hounds, a few fierce snaps, something bedraggled, 



