DORSETS STORY 81 



frightful manner, at the same time waving his 

 hat as if he was out of his mind ; the consequence 

 of which was, that the hounds, which were hunting 

 me closely out of the covert, immediately they 

 saw and heard him threw up their heads and ran 

 ^\'ildly after him, expecting to see me, which 

 fortunately they did not, as I had by that time 

 just got beyond a small elevation in the doA\Ti, 

 which prevented the man also from seeing me. 

 I turned directly to the left. He now found out 

 the mischief he had done by causing the hounds 

 to Uft their heads, and galloped on still farther, 

 hoping to get another \dew of me, but in vain, 

 as I had sunk into a small valley, and he luckily 

 turned the hounds in a direction opposite to that 

 in which I had gone. The scene at this time 

 defies description. " A-VHiat are you at, you crazy 

 old man ? You have lost our fox ! " and endless 

 execrations were lavished on him. I beheve this 

 circumstance saved my life ; for had it not occurred, 

 the hounds would have had me in ^^ew for three 

 miles across the doAviis, and although it was some 

 httle time before they got on my scent again, they 

 came after me at a most terrific pace, which fortun- 

 ately, however, was slackened on their crossing the 

 road and having to chmb over a wall into the 



