HUNTING TOURS. 57 



Rosey Brook, but in a tributary stream hard 

 by ; the huntsman got well over, but the 

 hounds bearing somewhat to the right, the 

 remainder of the field took a different — in- 

 deed, a nearer — route. Another gentleman I 

 noticed with his horse's fore legs under the 

 lowermost bar" of a flight of rails, not in a 

 very enviable position, but there was no time 

 for delay to contemplate disasters ; the 

 hounds had settled to the scent, and were 

 racing away at the top of their speed, when, 

 making a slight detour to the left, in sixteen 

 minutes, without a check till they got into 

 the last field, pointing for Farringdon Clumps, 

 they ran into their fox. This check, if such 

 it could be called, simply arose from the fact 

 of the dying fox, after having gone through a 

 small plantation and across a small field, 

 threading, as beaten foxes are wont to do, a 

 thick hedgerow. It was short, sharp, and 

 decisive, the acme of perfection to those who 

 delight in bursts ; every hound was in his 

 place, and the ceremonial of breaking up the 

 fox was performed most artistically. Pro- 

 ceeded then to draw Cox well Furze Hills, no 

 easy matter for hounds, as it is of consider- 

 able extent, and one of the strongest gorse 



D 5 



