200 HORSES AND HOUNDS. 



man's field to pieces, to kill a fox and eat him on the earth." 

 "No, sir, we do not do things in that cowardly way in our part 

 of the world ; but bolt him I will if I can." 



The young farmer quickly returned, and borrowed a spade 

 from a liedger and ditcher. I stopped up the mouth of the 

 drain, leaving .Jim there, who was told what to do. I then took 

 the hounds with me to the upper end of the drain, where we 

 opened a hole ; the hounds winded him down the drain — that 

 was all I wanted to know. '' Now, farmer, for the straw and 

 matches." Cramming all the straw into the drain, I set fire to 

 it, and threw the rest of the matches upon it. When well 

 burning I stamped some sods upon the entrance. " Well, sir, 

 if that don't make him sneeze, snuff wont, that's all I can say ; 

 why he'll stink like a burnt pig when he comes out." " So 

 much the better, farmer, we shall run the harder." " You do 

 know a wrinkle or two in the parts you come from about 

 catching foxes, and no mistake." 



My hat being now held up, Jim raised his cap also in answer 

 to my signal, and jumped upon his horse away from the other 

 end of the drain. ' The smoke having no vent above, forced its 

 way down to the lower end, when Jim pulling away the sods, 

 out came the brimstone vapour, and in a trice Mr. Wiley also 

 made his exit, in a terrible fluster. Into the pond he dashed, 

 and when through on the other side, Jim's shriek made him 

 jump off his legs. " Hold hard a minute, gentlemen, let the 

 hounds settle to the scent." It was useless ; I might as well 

 have spoken to the winds ; away they went, hounds and horses, 

 pell-mell together, but fortunately there was a stiff white-thorn 

 hedge before us, which was a stopper to many. The first flight, 

 however, went over; then came the scramble with the craners 

 and thrusters. Old Dunbar took his line upon a long-legged 

 thorough-bred, for an easy place, to which the eyes of a sporting 

 chemist, mounted upon a nondescript sort of animal — with a 

 carcase like a weasel, and a head like a fiddle — had been also 

 directed. These two, bent upon the same gap, formed a junction 

 at acute angles, just as they reached the fence. The shock was 

 electrifying to the small chemist, who was shot out of his saddle 

 like the cork of one of his soda-water bottles, and went flying 

 into the next field. " My eyes," quoth the farmer, " little Mr. 

 Mixum is thrown into the next parish. What a purl !" "Oh 

 dear, oh dear," cried another in the ditch, " pull my horse ofi", 

 he's breaking my leg." "Hold hard, Doctor H.," said the 

 farmer, " there's a job for you." " Lie still a bit, I'll be back 

 in ten minutes," said the doctor, " can't stop now." We were 

 soon out of this hurly-burly and straining to regain our places 



