154 SKETCHES E\ THE HUXTIXG TIE LB. 



shaking his head. " He could not have jumped up, if 

 he could have travelled along that thin rail." 



" Sweetheart says so, sir," Bill replied. " He's run 

 up that tree, jumped on to the branch, and then on to 

 the wall." 



The thing seemed impossible, lor, though the fox 

 might have got on the branch, it appeared quite out of 

 the question that he could have jumped a good eight 

 feet on to the w^all in such a way that the impetus would 

 not have carried him over on the other side; and the 

 rail he must have crossed, if Bill were right, was a piece 

 of timber with the top at an acute angle. 



Sweetheart, however, stuck to her post at the foot of 

 the tree, running to and fro between that and the corner 

 of the wall, and a few of her friends returned to see w-hat 

 she had to say. Bill lifted her up, and she ran along 

 the top speaking to it vociferously, but stopped at the 

 rail as if wondering how to get across. Bill solved the 

 difficulty by lifting her over, and on the other side she 

 went on till, some few yards beyond on a branch of an 

 ivy-covered oak-tree, the fox was seen peering down. 



To understand how utterly improbable Bill's idea 

 seemed to be, the nature of the place and the position of 

 the high wall and tree must be realised, and it vastly 

 astonished all who were up at the time. 



I have no story to tell about Bill Heigh on one point 

 concerning which there are many current anecdotes of 

 huntsmen. I do not know that he ever directed an 

 insolent witticism at any gentlemen out with his 



