SHOOTING NEAK BOPPART. 259 



Though the table land which we had been traversing the 

 greater part of the morning appeared almost boundless, yet 

 at a short distance towards the Rhine it began to dip, and 

 although the country appeared tolerably fiat, yet deep 

 ravines ran through it, some of great breadth, with steep 

 sides and level bottoms, their sides clothed with beech- 

 trees, all running down towards the larger valleys that led 

 towards the Rhine. Down these we went, beating our way 

 through the thick underwood, and sinking often up to our 

 knees in some green and treacherous bog, but shooting 

 nothing, and seeing nothing to shoot, and rather incapaci- 

 tated for making the rapid descents and ascents peculiar to 

 the country, from our previous conviviality. 



At last, on reaching rather a more favourable spot for our 

 operations, a thick patch of beech wood lying on the slope 

 of one of the little valleys, it was determined to beat it out 

 properly; and the party so disposed themselves as to be able 

 to get shots at whatever might be found in the small circle, 

 or driven from it, assigning to me what was considered the 

 most favourable position. After a few minutes' shooting and 

 hallooing, out jumped a venerable fox, and, with brush erect, 

 took his line across country. I uttered impulsively a loud 

 view halloo, when, to my astonishment, up came the whole 

 party, with wonder and fear imprinted on their countenances, 

 to know the meaning of such unmusical sounds. They evi- 

 dently thought I had been frightened by the fox, or some 

 other and more formidable beast of prey, and could not be 

 made to understand that this was the usual way of saluting 

 Reynard in England, and bewailed my misfortune in not 

 shooting so fine a reineke. I devoutly hoped that if another 

 fox was in the cover he would not come in my way; but alas! 

 fate was against my wishes, and scarcely had the drivers 

 recommenced their yelling, when out bounced another 

 within a few yards of me, and with a kind of spasmodic 



32 



