164 WITH HOUND AND TERRIER. 



forty minutes. The pace throughout had been fast, 

 and the country being very deep, grief had been 

 rife among the field. After a ring round Yarcombe 

 the fox broke again and led us to Hazelgrove, 

 across the park and out over the big drop fence, 

 leaving South Barrow village on the left, till he 

 reached Wearyall and made for the Hadspen 

 coverts. The last part of the way was not so fast, 

 and as by the time we came to Hadspen it was 

 four o'clock and fresh foxes were likely to be on 

 foot, hounds were stopped. They had then been 

 running three hours, and those of us who had 

 escaped disaster by the way had a good day's 

 record to our credit. 



Among the humours of the hunting -field that 

 occur to me, I remember having a good laugh one 

 day over an incident that tried the Master's 

 patience sorely. We had found a fox in Sherborne 

 Park, which broke towards Crackmore Lodge, and 

 while we were going across the fallow in the 

 direction of Ven, where there were some sheep, 

 hounds threw up. Seeing a boy holding on to a 

 half-frantic, yapping sheep-dog, the Master asked 

 him if he had seen the fox. " Yah, sir," was the 

 answer ; " he be gone across the ground." " Which 

 way, my boy ? " " Across ground, sir," was again 

 the luminous response, as the urchin held on 

 valiantly to his struggling dog. " Which way, my 

 lad ? Where was his head ? " came from the now 

 angry Master. " Straight in front of him, sir," 

 replied young hopeful ; and while we were enjoying 



