72 THE HUNTING-riELD. 



artificial or natural gorse cover. I only speak of 

 such hunting as showing the different state horses 

 must now be in on commencing the season. 



We now meet at eleven : foxes have had time 

 to digest their midnight meal, and recover from 

 their night's ramble. In lieu of hunting in large 

 covers up to their kennel, we come on them at 

 once. Pug is awake ; here there is no " dodging," 

 no " running his foil ; " go he must, or die where 

 he is. Like ministers of olden date, he takes a hint 

 and at once goes out, when he finds the majority 

 gives him a hint to do so : now -a- days they do not 

 show the white feather by so doing; but Pug 

 shows the white tip of his brush and does. It is 

 all well enough to hesitate in giving up the 

 emoluments of office, whether the adverse party 

 be Whigs or Tories, but where life or death is 

 the stake it becomes another affair, particularly, 

 as in Pug^s case, where the open-mouthed majority 

 are anything but Liberals. 



Hounds are now brought out in as fine wind 

 and condition as greyhounds at a coursing meeting, 

 and save in the practice of endurance of long- 

 continued fatigue, are as fit for all hunting pur- 

 poses in November as in February ; so must, there- 

 fore, be the horses. 



For some time prior to the first regular fixture, 

 the hunter requires pretty much the same exercise 

 as the race-horse gets (till within a fortnight or 



