158 HUNTING TOURS. 



hounds worked his line, speaking cheerily to 

 it, over the ploughed land which he selected 

 as his route, and round Thorpe House, 

 through Thorpe Woods into Milton Park 

 again ; and after hunting him most perse- 

 veringly upwards of an hour, he was lost in 

 one of the shrubberies. Whether he went 

 to ground, or what became of him I cannot 

 say, but where shrubs prevail scent is in- 

 variably bad. They found another near at 

 hand, and stuck to him most assiduousl3^ 

 Still the elements were unpropitious, and 

 they could not taste him. No hounds were 

 ever more deserving of blood — not indivi- 

 dually, but collectively ; when in difficulties 

 every hound was feeling for the line. The 

 run of the season, as described to me, was 

 about five weeks previously, when they met 

 at Layton Village, on the Huntingdon side ; 

 drew the gorse and found ; ran the fox 

 about twenty minutes, when a sheep-dog 

 intrusively presented himself, and thus ended 

 number one. Number two was at home in 

 Rauuce Old Meadow, and ran to Denford 

 Ash, but, turning back on his foil, was lost. 

 After drawing Clapton Spinnies blank, went 

 on to Barnwell Wold ; found instantly, ran 



