FOX-HUNTING. 33 



but rather breathlessly, as Ravager and Ruthless 

 make occasional recaptures of the fox, requiring 

 strong coercive measures before they yield posses- 

 sion. " Who has a knife ? " They can hardly hear 

 themselves, speak ; and a fumbling in the pocket, 

 rather than the voice, conveys the inquiry. Our 

 friend has ; and placing his foot on the fox's neck 

 contrives to cut off the brush pretty artistically. 

 He hands it to his companion, and wisely deciding 

 to make no post-mortem surgical efforts on the head, 

 holds the stiff corpse aloft for one moment only 

 the hounds are bounding and snapping, and the 

 situation is getting serious and hurls it with a 

 final " Whoohoop ! " and " Tear him ! " which latter 

 exhortation is instantly and literally followed, among 

 the now absolutely uncontrollable canine mob. And 

 now both, rather happy to find themselves unbitten, 

 form themselves on the spot, and deservedly, into a 

 small Mutual Admiration Society, for they are the 

 sole survivors out of perhaps three hundred people, 

 and ecstatically compare notes on this long-to-be- 



D 



