MR. Brooks's, or the bex-hill harriers. 315 



and rung her knell at every footstep. The issue was not long 

 doubtful. A high piece of rape sheltered her for a few 

 moments, and then, at the end of forty minutes, they ran into 

 her in the open, after a magnificent piece of hunting. 



" Killing not far from the scene of the fixture, the Squire 

 thought that, after the exertions all had undergone, a little 

 more in the refreshment line would do no harm, and right 

 willing listeners he found to the reasons set forth for again 

 doing justice to his good things. However, eating and drinking 

 can't last for ever, even with the hest of cheer, and on this 

 occasion, though all were glad of a refresher, they were anxious 

 to be at work again. A move was made to the rough meadow 

 in which the first hare was found, and, ere many minutes, the 

 pack were discoursing sweet music on the line of another, who 

 also appeared inclined to run the village. Those sort of shifts, 

 however, which would make sad havoc with less tender-nosed 

 hounds, have very little effect on these, who, we believe, would 

 run their game up Ludgate-hill or Fleet-street at high noon, 

 were they required to do so. And now, hunting the line inch 

 by inch, they forced her from the village gardens into the open, 

 taking a wide ring over as stiff a bit of country as ever we saw, 

 a very respectable brook being included amongst its numerous 

 beauties. It was a beautiful sight to see the pack sail away all 

 alone, though a gentleman who, we fancied, came from some- 

 where Windsor way, was loud in his censure of the cavalry 

 division for not ' riding up to the hounds,' as he called it ; but 

 then, it must be remembered, he was sitting on a gate instead 

 of a horse, which at times makes all the difference in the es- 

 timation one forms of the practicability of a country. Had he 

 been mounted on a living steed, perchance he might have taken 

 a difterent view of the matter. During this ring it became 

 evident that the badger-pied hound with the Sinnington blood, 

 though in voice and everything save colour he matched the rest, 

 was too fast for them, and, moreover, inclined to be very jealous 

 and skirt, so that we expect ere this he is drafted, unless, being 



