OBSERVATIONS ON FOX-HUNTING 69 



you have spoiled your own sport, and must suffer 

 for it. Foxes are scarce in this part of the hunt ; 

 there is but very httle chance of finding again 1 " 

 This was the case : we did not find afterwards, 

 although to please them (which was more than 

 they deserved,) I drew till very late. It is never- 

 theless a bad plan at any time to draw late in 

 the day. I know many masters who make it 

 a rule not to go on after three o'clock, which is 

 a very good one ; in the middle of winter a great 

 deal of misery is often caused by finding too 

 late. You will almost to a certainty be beat, 

 and the pack will not be very easily stopped in 

 the dark. It once happened to me to lose my 

 whole pack ; it was a good scenting day ; we 

 found early, and had a sharp thing of one hour 

 and five minutes without a check ; and as a 

 good deal of it was in covert, I found another 

 fox, had a long run over a country, and run our 

 fox, quite beat, into a small covert, where I 

 thought they were catching him every moment ; 

 but unfortunately another fox was in the same 

 covert, and the hunted one laid down ; it was 

 nearly dark, and I fancied him our own ; but 

 to my great surprize, a fresh one broke away 

 with the hounds close at him, over a difficult 

 country to ride ; they killed him by themselves, 

 after running him several miles. The consequence 



