Httnting Sketches 251 



the Wetherby Eoad, and pointing in the direction of 

 Bickerton. The hounds were quickly laid on, there was a 

 magnificent scent, and we were scarcely half a field behind 

 the fox at the start, nor was he ever able to increase his 

 lead the whole way. Being fortunately mounted on an 

 extremely good horse, " Mullingar," belonging to my 

 brother, and seeing from the way that the hounds started 

 what a scent there was, I did my utmost to keep up with 

 the pack. The knowledge that a very big drain was at 

 hand caused nearly the whole field to go round by the gate, 

 and we never saw them again. I scarcely lost sight of 

 the fox the whole way, for as each fence was jumped he 

 was only half-way across the next field, and with the 

 exception of one small bit of plough at starting, the whole 

 run was over grass. The fox ran as straight as an arrow, 

 only making a slight detour in the last field, where there 

 was a quantity of flood-water half-way across, and round 

 which he skirted. As he did so, and showed his broadside, 

 the leading hounds caught sight of him and raced him to 

 the next fence, where he dashed through a few posts 

 blocking up a gap, into a green lane close to Tockwith. 

 The hounds were of course unsighted, and crashed into the 

 road after him, and at once threw up their heads. 



Just at that instant there was a " view holloa " some 

 way higher up, and though I felt surprised at the moment 

 that the fox could have got so far in the short time that 

 had elapsed since I had seen him go through the fence, I 

 was on the verge of endeavouring to get the hounds on to 

 the holloa when a rustle in the fence at my feet caused me 

 to stop. At first I thought it might be a hound crawling 

 through, but this did not prove to be the case. A 

 favourite saying of the late Sir C. Slingsby then flashed 



