HORSES AND HOUNDS. 201 



in the first rank, Jim carrying on the charge furiously. The 

 unceremonious way in wliich Wiley had been ejected from his 

 last refuge, appeared to have thrown such a mist around him, 

 that he hardly knew where he was running, and the burst was 

 short and decisive, which put an end to his artful dodges. The 

 " whoo-whoop " soon resounded over the Last of the Mohicans, 

 for this was the last of those upon which old Mr. Slowman 

 had pinned his fiiitli to beat us. His three mighty warriors 

 had now fallen before the strangers. The fight had been won, 

 vcB victis. 



The day being yet early, we drew some small spinnies, at the 

 end of which a fox went away, and gave us a pretty skurry 

 for twenty minutes into a covert of about forty acres ; the 

 pace was severe whilst it lasted, but our fox showed no clispo- 

 sition to quit his present quarters, to try it again in the open. 

 The scent being good, the hounds rattled him round the covert 

 at a clinking rate ; but, being a sulky one, he would not break. 

 Jim came down the ride to where I was. " Shall I finish him 

 off-hand, sir? he's a bad one, and there's no more go in him." 

 "No, Jim, let them alone ; we've had wildish work this morning, 

 and it will do the hounds good to scratch their faces a little — 

 mind we don't change, that's all." " No fear of that, sir ; they 

 are running as if they were tied to him, and his mouth is wide 

 open already. My notion is, he's been a breakfasting rather 

 late this morning." Old Dunbar and the reverend divine soon 

 after joined me in the ride. "By Jove, my old friend, they are 

 a cheerful lot, how they score through the covert," he was 

 remarking ; " hang it. I wish we could change them for old 

 Slowman and Co." Some reply was made in a gruff tone. 

 " You are too hard upon these youngsters, and forget that when 

 you and I were young, we could do a thing or two. No more 

 grumbling, doctor, for hang me if I wont double my subscrip- 

 tion if they will hunt the country next season." A decided 

 change had come over the doctor, for upon coming up he ex- 

 pressed his satisfaction at the manner in which the hounds 

 were doing their work ; and, wonderful to relate, asked me to 

 dine with him the following week. The fox now turned very 

 short, and it was very soon over with him. 



Hounds soon find out when a fox is sinking, and it is at this 

 time that there is great risk of their losing him, by dashing in 

 their eagerness over the scent, the fox often lying down behind 

 them. I once Tvitnessed a curious instance of this in my own 

 country. We had found a fox in our grass district, and had a 

 beautiful burst for about forty minutes, with a burning scent, 

 into a small covert, where there was a head of earths — the 



