136 EXTRAORDINARY CHASE. [CH. vm. 



acknowledged partiality for Kent, it must be admitted that birds 

 are not so plentiful as in certain preserves in Norfolk, though pro- 

 bably foxes are fully as numerous. It has been remarked, by the 

 bye, that where foxes abound, old pheasants are very cunning ; 

 doubtless from having been often put to their shifts to escape from 

 their wily adversaries. 



232. K g sprung a splendid cock-pheasant, which, although 



a long way off, he shot at and dropped. Judging from the manner 

 in which it fell that it was a runner, and well knowing the racing 

 propensities of the old cocks, he hastened to the spot where it 

 tumbled, and, giving his gun to the marker, prepared for a sharp 

 burst, though he little expected the extraordinary chase that was to 

 follow. He found, as he had anticipated, some breast feathers, but 

 no bird. After fruitlessly trying in every direction, for nearly a 



quarter of an hour, to put "Dash" on the scent, K g's eyes 



rested on one of the grips just spoken of : it ran close to where the 

 bird had fallen, and the thought struck him that possibly the cun- 

 ning creature might have taken refuge in it, and thus have thrown 



out the spaniel. K g got into it, and though finding fully six 



inches of water, he persevered in following it. It brought him to 

 a high wood about one hundred yards off, and towards which the 

 pheasant had been flying when shot at, but " Dash" could not obtain 



the least scent of the bird. As a last resource, K g then returned 



to the spot where he had left the marker with his gun, being deter- 

 mined to try the grip in the opposite direction, notwithstanding its 

 leading exactly contrary to the point for which the bird had been 

 making. He did so, and by calling energetically to "Dash," he 

 endeavoured to make the dog believe that at length the bird was in 

 view. The plan succeeded. " Dash," who had become slack from 

 disappointment, hunted with renewed animation, and, after pur- 

 suing the grip for some time, took the scent full cry across the 

 springs until he came to an old waggon-road, along which he went 



at speed. Feeling assured that all was now right, K g gladly 



moderated his pace, for he was much out of breath. When at 

 length he overtook " Dash," instead of seeing him in possession of 

 the bird, he only found him completely at fault, trying up and 

 down the well-indented wheel-ruts. On the other side of the road 



there was another grip. Into it K g jumped, followed the plan 



he had before adopted, and with like success ; for on running up the 

 grip for about sixty yards, the spaniel again hit off the scent, and 



after taking it away at a right angle (so far that K g could only 



now and then catch a faint tingle of the bell), brought it back to 

 the same grip, but some 200 yards higher, where he suddenly 



threw up." For the fourth time in went K g. " Dash " now 



seemed thoroughly to understand matters, and kept trying both 

 sides of the grip for the scent. At length he found it, and went 

 full cry across a yearling fall, which was everywhere very bare, 

 except here and there an occasional patch of high strong grass. At 



one of these K g found him again at fault. The dog seemed 



quite done ; but still it was evident, from his excited manner, that 



