196 THE BEST SEASON ON EECORD. 



drawn. The famous covert was silent as the grave for a 

 full quarter of an hour or more. Blackthorn and gorse 

 alike had apparently been duly searclied, and searched 

 in vain — when a solitary whimper broke the spell, and a 

 ready fox cut sliort suspense. He had evidently matured 

 his plan of action beforehand — founding it possibly on 

 the result of previous trials. He had no taste for the 

 northern plough ; nor, on the other hand, did he intend 

 to run his head against the laneful of carriage and foot 

 Iblk, that apparently cut him off from the best of the 

 Vale of Belvoir. Setting his head southward, in a direc- 

 tion that meant nothing definite unless It might be Old 

 Dalby Wood, he led us for a mile alongside the Melton 

 Railway ; then, turning sharper than at a right angle, he 

 twisted over the Widmer-pool-and-Broughton road near 

 the latter village — by this manoeuvre effectually evading 

 the caravanserai above mentioned. The sudden move- 

 ment had another result — disastrous or fortunate as the 

 case might be. It entirely readjusted the order of going 

 Avith a great proportion of the riders. Thus they on the 

 right flank — whatever their previous position — found 

 themselves at once in the extreme rear ; while few 

 became so well placed as those who with an indifferent 

 start were thundering up the road. The scent had 

 already proved Its power; and hounds were already 

 showing that they could glide over this difficult and 

 strongly fenced grass-country far more readily than a 

 cumbrous crowd of horsemen. Truly It was an excep- 

 tional hunting-day — the air clear, sharp, keen and quiet, 

 after a night broken by storms of snow and rain. The 



