HUJ^TING TOURS. 191 



over, quietly waited in the road ; but the fox 

 went straight through the cover, and over the 

 hill to Boulter's Barn, leaving it on the 

 right, across the Chipping Norton and 

 Churchill road, down to Kingham Brook, 

 over which Major Shirley and Tom Hills 

 were the only two who rode. In Kingham 

 fields there was a check, when a halloo back 

 by the mill set all right again, and the 

 hounds ran merrily for Churchill heath, 

 leavino^ Churchill village on the left to Mr. 

 Langston's pleasure grounds, where, among 

 the shrubs, there was of course little or no 

 scent, and here Hills' masterly tactics served 

 him. Instead of leaving his hounds to con- 

 tend with a difficulty verging on impractica- 

 bility, he held them on to the extremity of 

 the plantations, where, as the fox had left, 

 they got again on fair terms, and ran him 

 up to the Burford and Chipping Norton road, 

 close to Puddlicot Quarries ; having him 

 dead beat, the hounds were evidently running 

 into him, but they were defeated, either by a 

 sheep dog or some greyhounds which were 

 near to the spot where they suddenly checked, 

 and could never hit the line of the fox a 

 yard afterwards. The hounds well deserved 



