4 THE SPORT OF KINGS 



arguing about the minute difference which was 

 between them, yet to each individual with eyes to 

 see, who rode in those runs, the incidents of the 

 chase were as different as possible. Truly, they 

 were galloping over the same ground, but they 

 were doing more than that — they were hunting a 

 fox. Just listen for a moment to what that good 

 sportsman, my friend Mr. X. Y. Z., has to say 

 about these two runs. " Yes," says he, speaking 

 of the first run, " that was a real good gallop from 

 Hornblower Hazels. Hounds got right on the 

 top of their fox, and never gave him a chance of 

 a turn in covert. They ran hard for twenty-five 

 minutes, and then Farmer Jones's sheep caused a 

 check. Harry was casting them, when he viewed 

 fox, clapped hounds close at his brush, and in 

 another quarter of an hour they rolled him over. 

 I got fairly away, and was in a fair good place, 

 but did not see quite so much of hounds' work as 

 I liked. You see, Bouncer came down at the 

 brook, and interfered with me a bit. Oh ! the 

 last run was the best, certainly ; at least, from my 

 standpoint, though I'm not saying anything against 

 the other. You see, our fox was well on his legs 

 this last time, and had got half way over the 

 second field before Harry had them settled to their 

 work. Then they did go, my word ! It was like 

 a steeplechase. I got a nailing start, and took 

 care that I was not balked at the brook this time. 

 Hounds ran on for half an hour at top pace, and 

 then came a most unlooked-for check. Hounds 

 spread like a fan, and then Ruby hit off the line down 

 a dry ditch, which the fox had run down for about 

 a couple of hundred yards, and away we went again 

 as hard as ever. You know, Ruby was always a 



