A ROUGH HOUR WITH THE PYTCHLEY 49 



polish of classical English the cruder query, " Are you 

 knocked out of time ? If not, say so at once, and let 

 us get forrard ! " In this case he was eager to relieve 

 their minds as quickly as possible : stood to attention 

 forthwith, and was about to reply. But the military 

 instinct thwarted him disastrously. At the first sound 

 of voices he had seized his hat. As their near presence 

 dawned on him he clapped it on his head. But, alas ! 

 the hat was a bucket of mud-and-water, that poured over 

 his face, caulked the seam 'twixt collar and neck, and 

 completely choked utterance and reply. A few seconds 

 later he was hauled on to the bank. Seventy minutes 

 afterwards his ship was out of dock — his horse upon dry 

 land. 



I take it for granted (why, I scarcely know ; for all 

 who glance over the Field are not of Warwickshire nor of 

 Northamptonshire) you are familiar with the fact that 

 from Shuckburgh to Catesby is, as hounds usually run, 

 about a three-mile course of ravishing — now distressing 

 — grass. Afterwards come the highlands again. Over 

 these hounds nearly ran the road, to Badby Wood, 

 the harder galloping very acceptable indeed. Then, as 

 has been instanced a thousand times before, a beaten 

 fox could not stay in the strong covert. They rushed 

 her through, and had her fairly beaten in the open fields 

 about Newnham. Once they coursed her in view ; but 

 it took another half- hour to run her down from hedgerow 

 to hedgerow. All first-horses were fully cooked. Second- 

 horses had long been requisitioned where possible. At 

 last in her extremity the old vixen crept into Badby 

 village ; and for refuge betook herself under a wooden 

 hen-house on wheels. There she squatted at bay — 

 snapping victoriously for a while at the baying pack, 

 till the Master and a few stalwart assistants raised the 

 caravan, and hounds went in at their prey. Two hours 

 ami fifty minutes from find to finish — and my story pro- 

 portionately long. The kill took place within fifty yards 

 of where the Grafton last year caught their fox from a 

 roof-top ; and thus they now reproduced two good runs 

 of last season rolled into one. All thanks and good 



D 



