126 



HrsrORY OF THE YORK AND A/A'STV HUNT. 



his owner walked up and saluted him with a crack over 

 the head, which the steed seemed to take quite as a 

 matter of course, there were roars of laughter. 



'"There he is!" said Sir George, as a fox just looked 

 out of the gorse, and again retired ; but, though he was 

 on foot, not a hound spoke, and grave doubts were 

 entertained regarding the scent. Presently a note or two 

 told us they had at last hit on the line, but still very 

 little was done with it. Then the fox made a small circle 

 round the crowd, and again entering the gorse, picked 

 up a companion, and breaking close under our noses, 

 they went away across a couple of fields. In company 

 with such a crowd there is nothing for it but to make 

 the most of the time at starting, if you do not wish to 

 be ridden down and killed ; consequently Backhouse and 

 his flying ladies had but little chance given them. Our 

 foxes had divided after a field or two, and one went away 

 to the left, with, I fancy, three couple of hounds on his 

 line ; but the other bore down some deep wet meadow 

 lands into the rough country below Rufforth and Marston, 

 threading the deep Marston drain se\'eral times in the 

 course of his journey. This formed a very nasty obstacle, 

 and to make matters better, I, in company with several 

 others, chanced to encounter three good-sized fields in 

 succession that had been turned up very deeply with the 

 steam-plough, and, as they were also strongly fenced, had 

 we gone quick across them it would have left its mark. 

 .■\s may be imagined, the riding was somewhat of the 

 wildest ; and one fellow, on a rushing young one, was 

 dashing at the fences as though he meant to knock every 

 one out of his road. How many more of the same 

 character they had in other parts of the field I know not 

 — a good supply I should say, judging by the number 

 of spills. .Scent served us but indifferently ; and as the 

 fox ran dodging about, those who would not have done 

 wrong on any account, at times found themselves before 

 the hounds. Luckily, the country traversed is one of the 

 stiffest pieces in the Ainsty hunt, and the fences certainly 

 relieved a little of the pressure. The bitches worked 

 industriously and well, and kept picking it out, inch by 

 inch, by the right of Hutton Thorns, and away by Wilstrop 



