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l6 THOUGHTS UPON HUNTING, 



river, to draw a cover on the other side of it : — The river 

 Stower frequently overflows its banks, and is also very rapid 

 and very dangerous. The flood that morning, though sud- 

 den, was extensive : the neighbouring meadows were all laid 

 under water, and only the tops of the hedges appeared. 

 There were posts to dired us to the bridge ; but we had a 

 great length of water to pass before we could get at it : it 

 was, besides, so deep, that our horses almost swam ; and the 

 shortest-legged horses, and longest-legged riders, were worst 

 off. — The hounds dashed in as usual, and were immediately 

 carried, by the rapidity of the current, a long way down 

 the stream. The huntsman was far behind them ; and, as 

 he could advance but slowly, he w^as constrained to see his 

 hounds w^ear themselves out in a useless contention with 

 the current, from their efforts to pet to him. It was a 

 shocking scene! — many of the hounds, when they reached 

 the shore, had entirely lost the use of their limbs; for it 

 froze, and the cold was intolerable ; some lay as if they were 

 dead, and others reeled as if they had been drinking wine. 

 Our ill-luck was not yet complete : the weakest hounds, 

 or such as were most afFeded by the cold, we now saw 

 entangled in the tops of the hedges, and heard their la- 



