82 THE LIFE OF A FOX 



grounds adjoining some immense woods, through 

 the whole of which they hunted me again at a good 

 pace, and straight on for nine or ten miles, till I 

 was almost exhausted ; luckily they were stopped 

 when crossing a field where there was a flock of 

 sheep, no one being there to assist them. Shortly 

 I heard in a loud voice, " John ! Where is 

 John ? " and finding that they were not likely to 

 get much assistance from the huntsman, I quietly 

 retraced my steps towards the place fi'om which 

 I started, but remained there for a short time 

 only. 



I was again lying one morning in a piece of 

 gorse near the Down House, when I was waked 

 by hearing what I thought was the whistle of the 

 keeper, but which turned out to be that of Lord 

 Portman's huntsman, whose hounds were all around 

 me before I was aware. The men on horseback 

 were scattered in all directions over the down, 

 and it would have served them right if they had 

 lost their day's sport, which they very nearly did, 

 as I stole away to a large rabbit earth close by, 

 into which I ran. 



Unluckily some of the hounds got on my scent 

 and hunted it up to the earth, where they marked 

 it by stopping and baying. Shortly after this two 



