St. Mary's beacon., 1853-04-28

might be expected, were we to regar,
them as mere freaks of nature.
The fox is proverbially cunning. boti
In hls predatory movements, and in. tn,
instinct Of preservation, which promts.
him tn stratagens, when Gle I4t q 9,
! by. hounds and hunters; so sasaciols as te
5alfie the seeming qualities of the fnest
dogs, and to outwit mans penetration.
/ He is bold, hardy, and indefatigable
whether in the pursuit of game, or in es.
Gaping from his enemies. In the latte,
category / have myself been in the field
more than once, when celebrated and
well-known fox, easily distinguished bv
the loss of portion of his brush, ampu-
ta;ed in a steel trap, has stood before a
good pack of hounds from ten O'Clock in
the morning until it became too dark to
continue the chase, across an open
country, without wood or coppiee. COW
erins above forty miles of distance durinc
that time, and thoroughly tiring out every
horse in the field.
II was my fortune to be present at the
last run afforded by this gallant fox, and
to asslst-as the French call it--at his
death. On being found, he took his
usual line from the covert which he
haunted, due westward across fine. firm.
grazing country, consisting for the most
part forty and fifty acre pasture-fields in
closed by dry stone walls, from four and
half to six feet in height. There had
been warm rain over night, but not
enough to render the country deep or
heavy; and strong but mild west wind
was blowing directly in the teeth of the
fox; circumstances the most favorable
that can be conceived to the hounds. and
0'ce rersq to the quarry-since the same
gale which impedes his progress con-
veys his efiluvium fresh and reekinr to
the oltactoSE organs Of BIZ. nl.re.,ers,
and vigor.
Consequently, in many years of fox
hunting, never saw hounds run so fast
as they did on that morning, topping the
walls, ten or twelve breast, and unable
to give tongue, beyond an occasional
whimper, owing to the tremendous pace
they were going.
Thirteen miles were done in one hour
and seven minutes, before the gallant
fox was run into, without a check,
turn, or double, in the whole line, in
the middle Of large grass-held only
FIVE horses, out Of seventy or more,
which started from the covert side, being
on the spot when the who-whoop was
given-all the remainder had come to
stand still, some farther, some nearer,
along the entire course Of country ira
versed, and not few were rendered en-
tirely useless by the exertions of the
dav.
This is one of the most remarkable
runs with fox-hounds on record, so far as
speed is concerned; twelve miles an hour
being considered the utmost rate of speed
attainable, even for short distances, by
either hounds or horses, across an in
closed country; and the maintenance Of
that pace for thirteen consecutive miles
being a circumstance almost unparalleled
in the annals Of sporting. The fences
were, moreover, unusually severe, as
being of solid stone they afforded the
hounds no opportunity of passing through
or mensing them, as it is technically
termed, but compelled them to scramble
over their tops, as it did the horses to
take them in their stride.
The introduction Of finely bred and
feet hounds, and of thoroughbred
horses, instead of the slow, staunch old
Southern breed of dogs, and the short
barreled, punchy, half-bred hunters of the
last century, has effected as complete
revolution in the style of English fox
hunting, as the introduction Of steam has
done with the system Of travel.
Instead Of meeting in the gray of a
chill November morning before the sun
has risen, the modern Nimrods muster at
the covert-side at half past ten or eleven
o'clock; and, if the scent be goOd and the
sport in proportion, the day is over by
two or three, and both hounds and horses