HORSES AND HOUNDS. 187 



men knew their business, as they had been rather a long time 

 at it, and the hounds were the finest and cleverest I had ever 

 seen. All they required was another huntsman. 



After the salutations of the morning had passed, my reverend 

 friend (who was a good judge of hounds) began scanning my 

 pack over, casting certain lowering looks at the whippers-in, 

 who were rather dandies in their way, and not at all suited to 

 his taste. The hounds, he remarked, were a fairish lot to look 

 at, but not to be compared to their pack; this I, of course, 

 admitted. He then observed that we should find this a dif- 

 ferent country to our own, and must not expect to kill many 

 foxes. " No doubt, sir, we have everything against us, but I 

 hope you will not be able to laugh at us when we leave you." I 

 then asked him a few questions about the coverts we had to 

 draw, foxes, &c., and their line of running, to all of which he 

 gave me every information in his power, but with a sneering 

 manner, which plainly said, " You are no favourite with me." 

 This I of course expected : we all like our own things best, and 

 I little thought to make a convert of one who was a stickler for 

 the old school. 



As soon as our field had assembled, which was a large one for 

 that country, all wishing to have a look at the strangers, we 

 proceeded to business, by going to the extreme point of all the 

 coverts, and drawing homewards. After trying some_ small 

 straggling copses, we came to a pretty grassy covert, lying on 

 the side of a hill, where we found Mr. Slyboots at home, and 

 when he had just taken a canter round the place, hewent away 

 at once, and I guessed from his style of going that it might be 

 some time before we should see him again. The day was not a 

 very favourable one for scent, but we followed pretty closely in 

 his wake for about forty minutes into some large woodlands, 

 where there was every p,robability of our changing foxes ; but 

 my whippers-in being both young and active fellows, with a 

 tolerable share of sense, knew their business too well to attend 

 to any halloos in such a case, and although there were other 

 foxes soon on foot, and every one pronounced, of course, to be 

 the hunted one, for no other reason except that he happened 

 to be seen, yet we contrived to hold on our line without waver- 

 ing, and were soon through this large covert, and once more 

 away over the open ; fallows and flints, in almost unvaried suc- 

 cession, presenting themselves to our unwelcome vision, with a 

 green wheat-field occasionally giving us a lifting hand to cheer 

 us on our way. Running hard over such a country, with an 

 indifferent scent, was out of the question. 



We were at last brought to in a piece ot turnips, not far from 



