BERKSHIRKS STORY 107 



the village, and make that good first ; they would 

 then have seen whether I had gone on or not, and 

 if not it would have been time to come back and 

 try aU those places. This hint was taken, but too 

 late to gain by it, for the scent, which the hounds 

 had got on again, was now so cold that they could 

 hunt me but slowly, instead of going at the pace 

 they had hitherto gone, and which must have been 

 the death of me had it been continued but a short 

 time longer. I went straight on for several miles, 

 until I reached the Thames near Cookham. I did 

 not Uke to cross it, and returned to Bisham Wood ; 

 by which time, owing to my stopping about in a 

 part of the wood, the hounds had got very near to 

 me, when it luckily grew nearly dark ; and though 

 I was seen by them at not more than five hundred 

 yards' distance, they were stopped and taken home, 

 and I narrowly escaped from one of the most dash- 

 ing packs in the kingdom. It is to be hoped by us 

 in this part that his Royal Highness Prince Albert 

 will have his commands obeyed by the keepers in 

 Windsor Forest, and that this pack of hounds will 

 not be driven elsewhere to find a fox. I now re- 

 mained for a short time in a very thick covert, 

 called Pigeon-House Coppice, through which I 

 passed when hunted by the hounds. 



