68 OBSERVATIONS ON FOX-HUNTING 



than himself. They are not aware of the injury 

 they are doing by riding over the scent and foihng 

 the ground. It frequently happens at these times 

 the hounds never run him a single yard. If 

 people would only have a little patience, and be 

 cautious where they ride, first allowing the pack 

 to settle to their fox, they would have every 

 chance of sport. 



A misery of this sort once happened to me ; 

 a fox was halloo'd away at the farther end of 

 the covert to that where the hounds were, by 

 a man at work, whom I knew. I got to him 

 with as little delay as possible, and naturally 

 said, which way is he gone ? "I zee'd um, Zir, 

 where them there gemmen are ; they be all over 

 the zcent ; and I could zee um no varder than 

 where thick mon is on a grey horse ; I telt im 

 you would be angry, and they swear at me un- 

 marcifully, but as I noo some of them there red 

 coats can boxy a little, I heeled my tongue till 

 your honour came up." The hounds in conse- 

 quence could not hunt him an inch. INIany said 

 " make a wide cast down wind ; he is gone to 

 such a covert ; " another, " to such an earth ; " 

 " no, Gentlemen," I replied, " I shall do no such 

 thing, I will not spoil my hounds to please any 

 man's fancy, by galloping over a country, the 

 Lord knows where, on almost a forlorn hope ; 



