HORSES AND HOUXDS. iSo 



covert, T gave them orders, one to ride to tlie end of tlie drive, 

 where the fox always crossed over, and keep cracking Jiis whip, 

 but not before he had a signal from me. I then rode down to 

 the point where the fox passed over to the upper part of the 

 covert, with the second wliipper-in. As soon as the fox was 

 well over the ride, I stopped the body of the hounds, leaving 

 only a few to follow him on to the other end. The second 

 whipper-in hustled the hounds after me down the drive ; and 

 giving the signal to the other to crack his whip at the further 

 end, to which the fox had now arrived, we all three dashed 

 straight in, hounds and all, and gave the old gentleman such a 

 meeting that he broke away at once, nearly in view, and we ran 

 into him in the open in about forty minutes. Thus ended our 

 first day in my friend's country, which was anything but satis- 

 factory to Mr. Slowman, who not only lost his live shillings, but 

 somewhat of his credit also, by our mastering this old fox, 

 which had so often mastered him. Being a stranger in the 

 country, they did their best to take me in, and accordingly 

 selected the most distant fixtures, where foxes were rather scarce. 

 Our next appointment was quite at the outskirts of their 

 country, and where another old slyboots was in the habit of 

 residing. He wds, a very cool hand, as the sequel will show, 

 but this time reckoned without his host. The changing from a 

 good scenting country to a bad one is very much against a pack 

 of hounds. Ours had come from nearly a grass country into 

 one almost entirely under the plough, and abounding in flints, 

 by which the hounds' feet were sorely cut and bruised. We 

 were alike all strangers in the land ; and these things being 

 taken into consideration, we had a hard battle to fight, all the 

 odds being against us. We had on our side confidence in the 

 hounds, perseverance, and activity ; and to these we trusted to 

 fight through our difficulties. Halloos, as I have before 

 remarked, I never attended to ; knowledge of the country I 

 had none. We had, therefore, to find our fox, and stick close 

 to the hounds, in and out of covert, being always with them, 

 wherever they turned. Our horses were nearly thorough-bred, 

 and good fencers, but in the fencing department the country 

 was deficient. We had, therefore, no opportunity of 2^ounding 

 our neighbours, which at that time of day we were quite 

 capable of doing, when any stiff work of this kind was before 

 us. A few of our hard riders had gone up with the hounds, 

 just, as they said, to show the natives how to do the trick ; but, 

 much to their annoyance, there were few fences to ride over, 

 and, but for the warm and hospitable reception they met with, 

 would soon have returned back again. 



