Tricks of old Foxes. 65 



large earth, was stopped just beyond Dum- 

 mer's coppice by tbe meadows. After a short 

 ring or two, the fox ran straight to this earth, 

 and the hounds began scratching and trying 

 to get in. Mr. Smith, supposing it had not 

 been stopped, was for the moment very angry; 

 but he soon saw the sticks that the whipper-in 

 had thrust in, and jumping again on his horse, 

 he galloped with the hounds to the end of the 

 wood, where they hit off the scent, and had 

 the finest run possible of fifteen miles before 

 they killed their fox, near the village of West 

 Meon. It was a very fine old fellow. Colonel 

 Greenwood, who alone had kept him company 

 across the dirty Duiiey country, will recollect 

 Mr. Smith saying, when he had the fox in his 

 hands, '^ JN'ow I don't care if I never kill 

 another fox;'' so good did he consider this run 

 to have been, which was afforded by a fox 

 that would have gone to gi'ound in ten minutes 

 if he could. 



In Hampshire it rarely happens that it is 



