WILY'S STORY 45 



the first real good scenting day we liave liad." 1 

 could stop no longer, but stole away, hoping not to 

 be seen ; but, my friends, fancy my horror when, 

 on stealing from the gorse on the open down, and 

 thinking that the rising ground would screen me, I 

 saw this famed pack and first-rate huntsman within 

 two hundred yards of me. I stopped for an instant, 

 but scorned to return into the gorse, so took away 

 across the hilly downs near Hog's Lodge, and crossed 

 the Petersfield road to Portsmouth, over the open 

 down for two miles, with the pack viewing me the 

 whole time, except a moment or two when I was 

 rounding the tops of the hills, then again they saw, 

 and swung after me down the steep sides of the 

 hills. I cleared the first fence adjoining the down, 

 and had scarcely got fifty yards when I saw the 

 whole pack flying over it after me, and at the next 

 fence I turned short to the right as soon as I had 

 cleared it. They were di'iven a httle beyond it before 

 they turned, which gave me a trifling advantage. 

 I now continued to gain ground in advance of the 

 pack, and though they never once were at fault, or 

 lost the scent for a minute, and went on several 

 miles across open downs into Sussex, still I kept 

 on, determined to save my hfe. 



I had gone full nine miles as straight as I could 



