RETROSPECTIVE REMARKS. 173 



LETTER XIV. 



Fox-hunting, however lively and animating 

 it may be in the field, is but a dull, dry subject 

 to write upon ; and I can now assure you, from 

 experience, that it is much less difficult to fol- 

 low a fox-chase than to describe one. You will 

 easily imagine, that to give enough of variety to 

 a single action, to make it interesting, and to 

 describe in a few minutes the events of, perhaps, 

 as many hours, though it pretends to no merit, 

 has at least some difficulty and trouble; and 

 you will as easily conclude that I am glad they 

 are over. 



You desire me to explain that part of my last 

 letter, which says, if we can hold him on, we 

 may now recover him. It means, if we have 

 scent to follow on the line of him, it is probable 

 he will stop, and we may hunt up to him again. 

 You also object to my saying catch a fox : you 

 call it a bad expression, and say it is not sportly : 

 I believe that I have not often used it; and 

 when I have, it has been to distinguish betwixt 



