RUN WITH THE MEATH 69 



shall never forget the style in which the Meath pack 

 worked up to him over a stiff line of country for three 

 miles till we reached Kilbrew stick covert, when, just 

 as we neared it, we ' tallied ' our monster fox jumping 

 the nine- foot demesne wall of Kilbrew. When he 

 reached the top the hounds were within thirty yards of 

 him, and it seemed as if he were doomed to death like 

 his confreres, but although he floundered about and 

 all but fell back amongst the hounds, he managed to 

 recover himself; and as the hounds had to be taken 

 round to a gate, he got a fair start of us, and led us a 

 ' clinker ' towards Garristown, and then on to a place 

 called Mallahow, near Westown, a ten-mile point from 

 Kilbrew, which, with the three miles worked up wind 

 to him, made up one of the best runs on record, there 

 not havinsf been the slightest check after we started in 

 earnest from outside the Kilbrew demesne wall until 

 the hounds suddenly threw up at Mallahow after going 

 for fifty minutes. At this point it was evident that 

 something was wrong, as the hounds literally raced to 

 the middle of a field and then threw up their heads 

 and gave up ; nor could the line be recovered by 

 casting. The field arrived about ten minutes after, 

 and I heard our master's welcome voice shouting out 

 to me, * Have you accounted for him, Corballis ? 

 What a clipper!' etc. ' No,' I replied ; ' I'm sorry to 

 say I have not. I'm afraid there has been foul play 

 somewhere, and that the fox has been unfairly killed. 

 There are a lot of men over there at work at a drain, 

 and they have got a greyhound with them, and it's 

 my belief they have got the fox ; I can't make any- 

 thing else out of it.' The very suggestion of such a 

 possibility threw our worthy master into a towering 



