TfiOtGHTS UPON HUNTING. 287 



Bad never before heard without pleafure. It was 

 painful to fee their diftrefs, and not know how ia 

 relieve it. A number of people, by tlils time, 

 were afTembled near the river lide, but there was 

 not one amongft them that would venture in. 

 However, a guinea, at lafi:, tempted one man to 

 fetch out a hound that was entangled in a bufl), 

 and would otherwife have perifhed. Two hounds 

 remained upon a hedge all night, and though at 

 a conliderable ditlance from each other when 

 we left them, yet they got together afterwards, 

 and the next morning, w^hen the flood abated, 

 they were found clofcly clafping each other r 

 without doubt; it was the friendly warmth they 

 afforded each other that kept both alive. We 

 loll but one hound by this unlucky expedition, 

 but could not favc any of our terriers. They 

 were feen to fink, their flrength not being fuffi- 

 cient to refifl the two enemies they had to en- 

 counter, powerful, when combined — the feverity 

 of the cold, and the rapidity of the ftream. 



You afk, at what time you fhould leave ofF 

 hunting ? It is a queftion which I know no! 

 how to anfvver, as it depends as much on the 

 quantity of game that you have, as on the coun- 

 try that you hunt. However, in my opinion, no 

 good counti-y fhould be hunted after February ; 

 nor fhould there be any hunting at all after 

 March, Spring hunting is lad dedruction of 



foxes : 



