Fox-HuxTixG. 187 



temptation of giving him a rattling "Tally 

 ho!" 



" What was that ? " said my host. 



" A fox." 



"Why the devil didn't you shoot him?" 



" Shoot him ! " said I, horrified (I believe 

 my hair stood up more firmly than it did 

 when I heard the owl) ; " shoot him ! I 

 would as soon think of shooting a baby." 



'' Never mind," said he, " old David will have 

 him before to-morrow." 



When I came down to breakfast next 

 morning that fox's brush was lying on my 

 plate, and a delighted smile (I thought it was 

 a broad grin of the ugliest kind) upon ev'ery- 

 body's face. I was not at all pleased ; I thought 

 it too bad a joke, and it took away my appetite. 

 > In my introduction I said, that these being 

 reminiscences of my earliest experiences only, 

 I should refrain from giving more than my 

 first appearance with and entry to fox-hunting, 

 that which is so well called par excellence " the 

 noble science ; " but I cannot after all quite 

 so easily dispose of so important and en- 

 grossing a subject (if my pen runs away with 

 me at any time I must beg the reader's pardon, 



