142 HOUND AND HORN 



coming towards us, and making fair progress on 

 the line alone. Our Talladale friends were at work 

 again, and we heard their shouts faintly in the 

 distance as they cheered on the rest of the baying 

 pack. To our undisguised delight we viewed the 

 fox, a rakish-looking hill customer, coming inwards, 

 and we saw him actually pass up wind of us and 

 about a quarter of a mile off. Hounds, if they did 

 not view him also, knew he was there, and were 

 soon screaming in the wake of the astonished 

 animal. He took them at a great pace about three 

 miles straight, and was killed on the steps of the 

 Parish Church Manse. So, for the second time on 

 one and the same day, we ran and killed a fox 

 found by another pack, and on this latter occasion 

 we saved the carcase for the neighbouring Master, 

 who, soon coming up with his lot, had the satis- 

 faction of seeing it eaten by the combined packs. 



A RECORD RUN 



Far from anticipating a blank day, we felt the 

 full assurance of coming sport, as we started one 

 morning early in the year with the low temperature 

 of 38°, a minimum of 28° during the night, and a 

 light east wind and a rising barometer. For we 

 had received gracious permission to hunt an envi- 

 able portion of the Duke's country, well stocked 

 with stout running foxes, and consisting of sound old 

 pastures strongly fenced, and good moorland of un- 

 limited extent, over which we had recollections of 

 many good gallops with his Grace's famous pack. 



" I like the feel of things to-day," Billy had said, 



