Scarlet. 361 



the dog pack to make her break. During the whole 

 day they only threw up twice, and Charles Payne 

 went in and cast them across it. For four hours 

 they expected to kill every minute, but all in vain, 

 and Lord Hopetoun and Captain Newland rode 

 home, quite tired out at three. A sort of cordon of 

 country people was drawn up in one corner, but she 

 slipped through their legs, over and over again, and 

 even when the second whip had been despatched to 

 Brigstocke for four couple of the best bitches, and they 

 had tried their best for another hour, she was as lively 

 and inexhaustible in her dodges as ever. Pillager 

 and Helicon (who was then a mere puppy), ran with 

 the bitches to the last, and not only went home with 

 their sterns up, but were the first off the benches in 

 the morning. Every hound was stripped bare in his 

 breast and fore-legs ; Jasper and his sister Joyful 

 dropped beaten on the road ; and Charles Payne was 

 so anxious about them all, that he went to see them 

 twice after feeding. 



The Pytchley country has always been p^ v, 

 celebrated for its foxes, but unfortunately ^ 



there has been a sad craven habit of running them 

 with greyhounds, and one man is known to have killed 

 eleven in one year. In Mr. Musters's mastership, the 

 Sulby Gorse fox was as renowned as the Gartree Hill 

 one in Mr. Osbaldeston's, at Quorn. They both 

 finished on the same day in their two countries, and 

 as each had determined to have a turn at their old 

 foe, Mr. Musters offered to back himself for 5/. to kill 

 his fox, against "The Squire" killing his. He went 

 out of the gorse at the first crack of the whip, past 

 Bosworth, and leaving Theddingworth on the right, to 

 Laughton Hills, where a man stood at the head of the 

 earths. Bending rather more towards Sibbertoft, he 

 ran the same line back again, and near Theddingworth 

 they viewed him in a large pasture. " llicre he goes ^' 

 said Mr. Musters; '' they shari t say I killed Jdm unhand* 



