318 COVERT-SIDE SKETCHES. 



lawn or arid shingle ; yard by yard they gain upon her now, 

 their long lopping stride is like that of fate. They catch a 

 view, once more she crosses the line, down the bank they roll, 

 hounds and hare together, to the green sward beneath, and the 

 next moment Jack, who has run the whole chase, with a 

 mighty ' who-whoop' that would have done credit to the lungs 

 of a Stentor, holds her up dead and stiff. 



" ' One hour and three quarters,' says the master, looking at 

 his watch, ' and the hounds have never been cast, save when 

 stopped from the fresh hare, and no check has occurred.' 



"'That's what I call real hunting,' remarked a man who 

 appeared delighted with the sport, * for the hounds hunted her 

 out every inch themselves — no holloaing or lifting.' 



" The master decides that enough has been done for the day ; 

 though, as we take the road home with Jack and his favourites, 

 they seem, by their manner and action, to say that they could 

 tackle another yet, and totally alter the opinion we had formed 

 at first sight, that a long, hard day would be likely to tire 

 them. There they are, blue mottles, black and tans, and black, 

 white, and tan, one and all apparently as fresh as when they 

 left their kennel in the morning ; and Jack, in the absence of a 

 whip, is much exercised in mind, as we cross the fields, lest 

 they should get wide from him and put up a fresh hare — a 

 thing which more than one of them seem bent on doing — and 

 not only the young ones, but the elders even, are continually 

 being called to order. 



" At length the station is reached, and, amidst hearty good 

 wishes from one and all to the stranger, and congratulations 

 that the day's sport has turned out so good, we step into the 

 train and start for home, after one of the most enjoyable days 

 we ever had with hounds." 



It is some time now since the foregoing was written, yet I 

 often look back on that day, with all its (to me) novel features ; 

 and I must say that for the time I seemed to be living in a 

 world which knew not the days of express trains and electric 



