February Fill-dyke 



half-and-half affair, but blown up in the teeth 

 of a half-gale, stinging the face and wetting 

 one through about the knees in less time than 

 it takes to tell of it. This gave the malcontents 

 an excuse for going home, of which many 

 availed themselves, and the field was by this 

 time considerably reduced in numbers, though 

 still of formidable dimensions. 



The shower was sharp, but was quickly over. 

 As soon as it was over the wind fell, as is 

 usual with these sudden squally showers in 

 February fill-dyke, and the sun shone out faintly 

 through a watery cloud. Then matters began 

 to be more lively in the covert. Hounds ran 

 round it twice rather nicely ; the shrill scream 

 of the whipper-in told that the fox had 

 gone away; the huntsman was handy, and 

 a few notes of his horn brought hounds 

 tumbling out of the covert close on their fox's 

 brush. 



They had got a good start with him, and 



matters were still further improved by the fact 



that the covert was a long and narrow one, and 



that with one or two exceptions the field was 



127 



