1877—78.] A llELEASE. 225 



Avhetlier each bottom is to be jumped or what is its depth, its 

 amateur helps (or liiiidrances, may be) to huntsman, its men of 

 mind and its men of matter. But among all these, and many 

 others, you will never hear a word that carries with it more 

 than good fellowship, jest and geniality. To hunt and to 

 enjoy themselves is the principle they advocate and on which 

 they act. 



Now to Monday — Wartnaby Stone Pits, a rainy morning, and 

 ever}' man fortified by three days' rest. Let us dismiss the 

 morning, and trace the outline of that cheery afternoon. 



At twenty minutes to four (by an indifferent watch) the first 

 note sounded in Lord A3desford's covert ; and the hands 

 pointed to the quarter as we galloped round to Will's shrill 

 scream on the Slioby Scoles side. The same scream rang out 

 again clear and sharp when, a minute later, he had by a quick 

 forward movement viewed his fox away beyond the second 

 covert. There he goes — a black form stealing over the Shoby 

 hill, apparently the same faint-hearted one who wasted our 

 afternoon but one Mondaj' ago. But, hurrah, there's another, 

 gliding along the same hill side, but bending his course with 

 the valley that stretches down to Hoby— a light-coloured and 

 lighter-hearted customer is this. Firr is for the moment shut 

 in by a locked gate ; while the dog pack are noisily following 

 the track through the Scoles. " Take the right-hand line for 

 Heaven's sake ! Both are past the gorse bushes yonder ; but 

 the last fox has gone down the valle}', the other only back to 

 Lord Aylesford's." And, ye gods, how they are holloaing 

 back — keeping the hounds' heads up and almost turning Firr 

 in his saddle, with their distracting shouts. But an old 

 hound has flung himself wide and forward with ears closed to 

 the distant tumult ; his deep voice recalls his bewildered com- 

 rades to their senses ; and now they are away, pointing confi- 

 dently for the best country nortli of the Wreake — the best, in 

 spite of the bottoms and nullahs that cross it here and there. 

 The first of these watercourses is met after the three early 

 fields. A small post-and-rails into water running over sound 



Q 



