42 Memoir of Tom Smith, 



awful pace, whicli it appeared impossible for 

 horses to maintain. Mr. Smith allowed every 

 horse to pass him, being 500 at the least, and 

 followed them quietly, until he saw them bear- 

 ing to the right, when he rode across, and was 

 shortly first, instead of last. He kept his eye 

 on the leading hounds, and they ran into a 

 patch of bushes and among trees. He keeping 

 outside, saw the same hounds leading as usual 

 into this covert, and he continued with them, 

 only two couple going away. He hallooed as 

 loud as he could ; but no other hounds came 

 after them, and only four or five men. They 

 ran straight across the forest for eight or ten 

 miles, and into an enclosure called the Frenches, 

 where he followed; but he found the other 

 men at the end of the enclosure, who must 

 have headed the stag, as the then only two 

 hounds came to a check ; and after making a 

 cast forward without success, he brought them 

 to the spot where they had been checked. On 

 riding into some high fern, he saw the stag 



