^Nimrod ' 



Mr. Holyoake, * there are three couple of hounds on the 

 scent.' ' That 's your sort,' says Billy Coke/ coming up 

 at the rate of thirty miles an hour on Advance, with a label 

 pinned on his back, ' he kicks ' ; ' the rest are all coming, 

 and there 's a rare scent to-day, I 'm sure.' Bonaparte's 

 Old Guard, in its best days, would not have stopped such 

 men as these, so long as life remained in them. 



Only those who have witnessed it can know in what an 

 extraordinary manner hounds that are left behind in a 

 cover make their way through a crowd, and get up to the 

 leading ones of the pack, which have been fortunate in 

 getting away with their fox. It is true they possess the 

 speed of a race-horse ; still, nothing short of their high 

 mettle could induce them to thread their way through a 

 body of horsemen going the best pace, with the prospect 

 of being ridden over and maimed at every stride they take. 

 But, as Beckford observes, ' 'Tis the dash of the foxhound 

 which distinguishes him.' A turn, however, in their favour, 

 or a momentary loss of scent in the few hounds that have 

 shot ahead — an occurrence to be looked for on such occa- 

 sions — joins head and tail together, and the scent being 

 good, every hound settles to his fox ; the pace gradually 

 improves ; vires acqiiirit eiindo ; a terrible hurst is the 

 result ! 



At the end of nineteen minutes the hounds come to a 

 fault, and for a moment the fox has a chance — in fact, they 



1 Nephew to Mr. Coke of Holkham ; his famous horse Advance was 

 dangerous in a crowd, and hence the necessity of a label. 



167 



