70 HUNTING THE FOX 



holloa. One fine day a Fox was found in a small 

 covert on the north side of a road that runs from 

 Bristol to Hull. The Fox went away up wind, 

 and ran for three fields parallel to the road in the 

 direction of Hull. He then made a sharp turn to 

 the right, and the Hounds overran the scent, 

 flashing rather wildly for a hundred yards or so. 

 One of the Staff who had not left the road saw the 

 Fox cross the road, but could not see him beyond 

 it. He held up his cap, and as the Huntsman 

 approached gave him full information. The Hunts- 

 man jumped in and out of the road, carried his 

 Hounds with him, made a wide circle round the 

 open fields, expecting to pick up the scent every 

 second, but never crossed the line at all. Being 

 anxious to show sport to an eager Field, he no doubt 

 thought that this risk was worth taking in order 

 to save time. What he ought to have done was 

 to have laid on his Hounds at the exact place in 

 the fence where his man saw the Fox leave the 

 road. No one, indeed, could have reasonably found 

 fault with him even if he had made assurance 

 doubly sure and laid them on at the place in the 

 fence where the Fox had been seen to enter the road, 

 and let them hunt him out of it. Either of these 

 courses was a certainty ; the course he actually 

 took was a speculation, which spoilt the run. 



Let us now suppose that the check has been 

 successfully dealt with. Unless the Fox has turned 



