CUB-HUNTING 87 



the rooks leaving him as they saw me, till he was well-landed in 

 the grass-field where I stood, and within forty yards of the little 

 cover full of hounds. As soon as he saw me he dashed for the 

 cover, and I gave such a view holloa and touch of the hom as 

 sent him in, — taking up all his attention, and bringing the 

 hounds out, or gathering them near, to meet him. One hoinid 

 met him on the bank, and caught at him ; but he was gone in 

 an instant, with all the hounds crashing at his brush. The 

 cover became foiled, and, though we contrived to head him 

 whenever he would have broken for the great woods and fresh 

 foxes, he lived for another hour; and then! did I not I'ejoice, 

 when I heard that, to a huntsman's ear, unmistakable silence, 

 broken Only by a growl, that proclaims a victory ! This was 

 my first fox. The gloves I had on when I picked him up for 

 days were as perfume in my nostrils ; but another triumph the 

 very next day I went out, awaited me ! 



We drew the Melchbourne woods, and found a litter of four 

 cubs. There was plenty of riot there, but the hares were out on 

 the farms, and therefore not in the way ; besides this, there was, 

 though not a brilliant, a thoroughly good holding scent, enough 

 to keep the pack well together, and to give every hound who 

 wished to hunt plenty to do. We ran hard for more than two 

 hom-s, and during that time I never saw a hound out of place ; 

 and when at last we settled to a cub, and thoroughly hunted him 

 down, great was my joy to see old Proctor roll him over into a 

 ditch by the side of the woods out of which the body of the 

 pack had driven him. This was triumph number two, and I 

 began to think it was all plain sailing ; but fate had in store for 

 me much hard and up-hill work with the hounds, for which I 

 did not care, had fate but kept men in the Oakley Club from 

 raising a cabal against me. 



I continued to work at the great woods incessantly ; for 

 having a pack to make, as >vell as having heard the rumour that 

 " if from the open, a fox got into those fastnesses it was all up 

 with sport for the day," I determined to meet both contingencies. 

 The first task then, that I resolved to attempt, ^\■as to make 



