ROUGH AND TUMBLE 321 



minutes later near Mr. E. Fitzroy's house, the steam rising 

 from the crowded road as from a boiling-house. Their 

 fox was back. I do not know that he had the excuse of 

 being headed, but he took back with him a comrade. One 

 of the twain popped into Buckby Folly ; the other went 

 over the beautiful ground chosen some years ago for the 

 Guards' Point-to-Point Race, and, a mile or two further, 

 crossing the front of hounds, came into view. Now 

 ensued, to my mind, the fun of the fair. Fox and hounds 

 hardly a field apart on a scenting day, there must be pace 

 and there must be frolic till that fox is dead ! If there 

 ever be a time to " hurry up " and be glad it is then. Such 

 was the present case — the country enchanting and the 

 pace immense. West H addon was passed on the right 

 by Lord Southampton and his ready following, nearest to 

 him, I make bold to assert, being a young lady from Hert- 

 fordshire, while for the next dozen minutes he rode towards 

 Watford Gorse. One field from the covert a fat fox made 

 his last effort, broke right through the pack, then was 

 coursed down by the big dog-hounds, and died fighting, 

 as an old fox should. One hour, not straight, but with a 

 bright beginning and a goodly finish. 



This much of the day — and " luncheon," as some of 

 our more golden and less engrossed ones dare to term it — 

 having been thus consumed, we were taken to Buckby 

 Folly. An anxious party, as usual, huddled in the centre 

 ride beneath the hill, more intent, doubtless, with their 

 ears than with their eyes. Else, while listening for the 

 view holloa, the dart of a lively fox across the lower hand- 

 gate could hardly have escaped their glance. As it was, 

 they started in sweet surprise to the tuneful echo of the 

 second whip's scream, up the valley and for half-a-dozen 

 fields rapidly. Why should hounds check so suddenly 

 and mysteriously ? The freshly-broken gap in the meadow 

 ought to have answered the question. But most of us, 

 who now waited and wondered, were unaware of the fact 

 that in this field hounds had wavered and many horsemen 

 had lingered only an hour ago. Thus the line had crossed 

 ground more foiled than if sheep by the flock or oxen by 

 the herd had trodden it after a fox. 



