42 THE LIFE OF A FOX 



this huntsman and his powerful pack. Whether it 

 was the water or the fences that stopped him, I 

 cannot say, but I suspect it was the latter ; although 

 a few years before nothing could have done it. 

 The hounds were at times running without him, 

 and it was in consequence of that, I think, that I 

 eventually beat him and escaped. In the course of 

 a few days I returned to the same covert, and had 

 not been there more than fourteen more when this 

 man's awful voice startled me again. 



I was soon prepared for another run with a 

 north-east wind, which might have led me to take 

 the same line as before, but that I heard Sawyer 

 the whipper-in exclaim, " 'Tis our old fox, and he 

 went through the same holes that he did the last 

 time we found him." He gave the view-halloo 

 directly afterwards. I felt certain that they came 

 again thus soon determined if possible to kill me ; 

 and though frightened a little, I took care to keep 

 on without stopping to listen, as I had done before ; 

 so that I kept a good distance ahead of them, and 

 continued my best pace for many miles, crossing 

 Wolmer Forest into Sussex. I no longer heard 

 the hounds following me, and being much distressed 

 with fatigue, ran forward to very short distances, 

 and then turned either to the right or to the left, 



