30 SPORTING REMINISCENCES 



keeping my mother away when Thady said the 

 ' dear was cot,' and tore up — to look after me. 



" Chokin' the young lady," said Thady ripping 

 open the stud, and lifting my head, " an' she not 

 dead at all." 



• Thady Cooney is dead himself now for many 

 years. He lost all his money and fretted sorely 

 without either Gay Boy or the missus's mare to 

 go out to see the hounds on. 



We were still at Fedamore in Mr. Humble's 

 day and had an extraordinary fox in our covert 

 there. Mr. Humble called him the Old Customer. 

 He was a very long dark fox and I really beheve he 

 liked being hunted. Day after day he took hounds 

 the same lines, he had two, and seemed to beat 

 them when he liked. 



One hunt was over Fedamore Hill, across the 

 Commogee River, at which the riding people had 

 to make for the bridge, and as far as Cahir 

 Gullamore, when he used to disappear. Hounds 

 would run it to the wall there and no further. I 

 beUeve he knew of some hole in the old wall. 

 The other was from the covert right across one 

 lair, over the Corcas into Grange, up to the old 

 caves at Lough Gur — when he used to disappear. 

 Of course there was never anybody with hounds 

 in Grange, as horses could not cross the Corcas. 

 I saw that fox myself turn and break one grey- 

 hound's leg on our lawn. Someone loosed the 

 brute, and the Old Customer took it quite coolly, 



