10 MELTON AND HOMESPUN 



question, and as there was no probability of any one 

 stopping him my anxiety was great lest he should manage 

 to injure himself. 



" I was at my wits' end what to do until it occurred to 

 me that my first horse might still be within hail. I ran 

 back as fast as I could across the two fields and on to the 

 road at the top of the Whin, where I came upon a group 

 of second horsemen just turning away from watching the 

 disappearing hounds, and among them was my man. 

 Fortunately we had done nothing to speak of before I 

 changed on to Pride of Tyrone, so the horse was quite 

 fresh, and I galloped down the line in pursuit of the 

 fugitive. 



" Hounds and Pride of Tyrone and all were out of sight 

 and earshot by this time, but the tracks of the horses led 

 straight away over the line the grey fox knew so well. 

 It was not long before I began to meet people coming 

 back, thrown out by falling or beaten by the pace, among 

 them the first whip with his horse badly staked. But 

 of Pride of Tyrone there was not a sign, and the tale of 

 casualties did not tend to lessen my uneasiness on his 

 account. 



" The tracks became fewer and fewer, and at length 

 between Humbleby Farm and Buckfield I encountered a 

 man leading his horse back. From him I learnt that the 

 pace, terrific for the first few miles, had slackened to a 

 slow hunting run, when he, alone of all the field anywhere 

 within sight of the hounds, had come to grief. He said 

 that when he last saw the hounds they were running 

 straight ahead, more slowly now, but in full cry ; and right 

 up alongside them, moving like a machine, as though he 

 revelled in the game, was my embryo racehorse. 



