io6 THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 



of these times; and driving hounds over the scent, as 

 if that instinctive agent, called nose, was by no means 

 necessary to their pursuing it, to the final accomplishment 

 of their object the death of a stout fox. 



It is unnecessary to relate all the particulars of this 

 day's hunting ; suffice it to say, that a fox was soon found, 

 and, after having taken two deep rings in this justly 

 celebrated cover, broke under the most favourable cir- 

 cumstances ; namely, with the body of the hounds on the 

 scent, and the horsemen where they should be ; not 

 too near, to drive them over the scent, or so far distant 

 from them as to be unable to enjoy them in their work. 

 Still there was one thing unusual in the break. The 

 general run of foxes from Oddington Ashes is, what is 

 called in that country, " up hill ; " that is to say, not down 

 the vale, but either for the woods of Heythrop, or Ditchley, 

 or, as oftentimes, for the forest of Witchwood. Upon this 

 day, however, the fox took a very different course, going 

 straight down the vale for Pain's Furze, near to the 

 town of Moreton-in- Marsh, and thence to Bourton Wood 

 beyond Bourton-on-the-Hill now hunted by Lord 

 Segrave. Nor was this regretted by the young Oxonians, 

 although it took them in a contrary direction to their 

 homes. It gave to Frank Raby, and to the commoner 

 of Oriel whose name, by-the-by, was Goodall an 

 opportunity of witnessing the fine horsemanship and 

 good judgment of Hargrave, whom they selected as their 

 pilot in as severe a country as hounds often run over. In 

 the first place, they had the Kingham brook to leap, and 

 the Kingham field to cross, which none but good horses 

 can do, and live with hounds when they are going their 

 best pace, as they did in the run I am alluding to. And 

 it told on the horses that crossed it on this day. It 

 reduced the number that started with the hounds to, at 

 most, one-third ; and the field soon became, what in these 

 days is termed, " most desirably select." But the trial 

 of trials was yet to come. There runs through this rich 

 vale a brook called the Evenload commonly called the 

 Emload which not more than one man in twenty would 

 ride at, in those days, nor will more than one man in ten 

 get well over it in these. In fact, it is, in many places, 

 all but a stopper ; in all, a very serious affair for horses a 

 little pumped out by the pace, the banks being far from 

 good, and the water both wide and deep. Now it so 



