136 A Run 



friendly shelter for which he is heading, cross stakes in 

 the mouth of the earth will prevent his entrance — and 

 then, these turbulent enemies will be upon him ! First 

 Dairymaid is leading, then Wanton, then old Banger 

 rushes to the front with a flash of speed, and the poor 

 fox is only in the sheltering undergrowth fifty yards 

 before his pursuers, as they throw themselves in after 

 him. 



But what is this ? By degrees the music ceases. 

 The huntsman, who has got off his horse, and clambered 

 through the fence, supposing that the hounds were into 

 their fox, makes his way to the earth which he has been 

 assured is stopped. The assurance was correct enough. 

 No fox can have gone in there. He calls Eanger to him, 

 but the hound can make nothing of it. A doubtful note 

 now and then gives hope as the hounds pursue their 

 patient search ; but it dies away. Into the covert the 

 fox certainly went, a very different beast from that which 

 cantered so easil}- away from his resting-place this 

 morning ; but he has vanished, as foxes sometimes do. 

 Perhaps in their eagerness hounds have run over him and 

 he has found a shelter other than the one expected — that 

 particular refuge the door of which was so carefully 

 barred last night was not his goal — and amid the beech- 

 leaves which so thickly strew the ground hounds can 

 make nothing of it about the spot they have foiled. The 

 fact remains that the fox is not to be found. 



' A good thirteen miles, master ! ' Sylvanson observes, 

 as they stand by the side of their panting horses just 

 outside the covert, and the master has given due vent to 

 his perplexity. 



' Not less, I think ! ' he replies, more cheerfully. At 

 least they have had a good run after a game fox, over a 



