FUTILITY OF THE FRENCH METHOD. 235 



looked on ; and shortly after, M. E. Brunier arrived, 

 but not yet his two men with their limier. They 

 came at last, and, on arriving, proclaimed that there 

 was neither boar nor wolf, nor anything else in that 

 part of the forest where we were supposed to have 

 left a wounded sow. Supposing she had been there, 

 if hurt to the extent affirmed by the blouse, she would 

 either have been laid up in the midst of the thick 

 cover, or been devoured by the wolves, who had, 

 since we were there, been seen in that vicinity. The 

 men then made into the public-house for a good 

 hearty meal ; and when that was concluded, a long 

 consultation was held as to what it was best to do. 



I was for trying the woods where the piqueurs and 

 limier had been ; but, as my French friends still 

 declared their method infallible, in spite of the ex- 

 amples already made in my presence, it was ulti- 

 mately resolved to draw in another direction, where 

 they deemed it more likely to find either boar, wolf, 

 or roe deer. Having again gained some news of 

 wolves, a halt was made, the chief piqueur tied up 

 his horse and his bunch of hounds, and sat down, 

 I take it, as usual, to smoke his pipe ; while M. E. 

 Brunier, selecting a couple of old hounds, supposed 

 to be steady and to be relied on, commenced drawing, 

 or attempting to draw, an interminable forest of the 



