HORSES AND HOUNDS. 243 



enter it, and be careful not to halloo any fox but the hunted 

 one. Should the hounds carry the scent through, he will signal 

 the huntsman, and keep forward with the hounds until his 

 arrival. 



Beckford says he would rather have a first-rate whipper-in 

 and a secondary huntsman, than vice versa. I quite agree with 

 liim in this remark. A whipper-in has quite as many oppor- 

 tunities of showing his talents as a huntsman, and upon him 

 often 'depends the successful termination of a hard day's work. 

 With him also rests, to a very great extent, the steadiness of 

 the hounds. A clever whipper-in will at once discern the 

 hunted fox from a fresh one ; whereas a stupid fellow will 

 halloo the first fox he views, and bring the hounds into more 

 difiEiculties than he has the sense to get them out of. 



There have been times when I liave been almost deceived 

 myself in the appearance of the hunted fox, in dry weather 

 particularly; and his last eftbrts to escape are sometimes 

 astonishing. I remember once, after a severe chase, running a 

 fox into a gentleman's kitchen garden, the wall of which was 

 about ten feet high. Over this he went, apparently as fresh as 

 when he was first found ; but he made no further efforts, and 

 lay down among some cabbages until the hounds picked him 

 up. Another ran to the top of a house, and remained on the 

 roof till the hounds made their appearance in the yard below. 

 He then made a spring at the chimney stack, which he suc- 

 ceeded in gaining, and bolted down the flue. The house was 

 three stories high, which he ascended by first jumping on to 

 some buildings adjoining. It was occupied by two maiden 

 ladies, who were sitting in the room, into which J\lr. Eeynard 

 made his entree down the chimney, covered with soot. The 

 consternation of the ladies may be easier imagined than de- 

 scribed. The screams they uttered at the unexpected visit of 

 such an intruder, begrimed with soot as he was, and from such. 

 a quarter, scared the fox so much, that, after taking a turn 

 round the room, he bolted again up the flue — the ladies in their 

 terror flying through the door at the same time, and screaming 

 for assistance. In a moment the whole house was in an uproar, 

 and the first flight of riders coming up, soon added to the 

 confasion. 



One more zealous than the rest, a hard rider, as well as a 

 very handsome fellow — who went by the name of " Handsome 

 Jack " — gained admittance at the front door, and with him and 

 two or three others, the hounds also rushed in, and took pos- 

 session. The ladies fled down to the lower regions, leaving to 

 their domestics, who were all women, the ejection of these uu- 



£2 



