The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1863-11-21
Fox Hunting In England.


In various newspapers, of more or les
, sporting character. are given the place
and dates where and when the meets
Will take place-srch as: The Croy do,
pack Of hounds will meet at the Greer
Dragon inn, ten miles from Bath, on tn.
Exeter road, on Wednesday, the 18th @
October next" On this occasion all who
love excitement, can afford the time, have
a good horse, and can ride well acros:
country. may 6e seen vending their vari,
Gus ways, either sngly or in groups o
tWos or threes, at slow trot smoking and
chatting along the country roads until
they find themselves in the good company
OF the fiery nosed, red eyed and fork tailed
monster, where ale and strong beverages
are pretty generally INDUCED in and fresh
cigars lighted Here is indeed a sight, in
itseif--say a hundred or two of good
riders, elegantly equipped, wearing scarlet
coats, mounted on the same number oi
spiesdid horses. and in heir midst, also on
| horseback, the huntsman and his assistant
whips" whose duty it is to keep the pack
together when not on cry" after the fox,
! while the huntsman attends more 20 the
| working Of them while finding Mons.
Reyn.rd, and the conducting Of the hunt
| generally.
| Now comes hetinle 10 start He esounds
/ his horn All in the inn rush out and
mount their steeds. when the whole hunt
or " meet, go lei.urely along az 4 walk or
t:ot towards where it is supposed their ga
Gerly wished-tor victim may be lurking in
| cover which Is "A term applied to plans
tat!on rough ground covered with tall
grass, brushwood, brake AMI ferns
through which if practicable all advance
III extended order, cracking their long
. iashed whips, like the reports OF small
plstol-shots, to scare the fox ron his lair,
while the pack of hounds scattard in every
direction, endeavOr TO scent out his recent
pressure IN The corps. If the thicI;e. is
too dense to be readily penetrated on
horseback, the Guatsnan enters, with the
pack, on fUot-IG winch many OF the coun
try peOp!., who nave come to the hunt,
JON him beating the bushes and tree,
with sticks while the meet SIT quietly
On their horses, laughing and talking, bat
keeping vigiiant eye on what is gong on.
Presently a keen old dog gives tongue,
then two or three. The horses prick up
their ears, stretch their nscxs and throw
up their heads, and by their g'istening
eyes and dls:ended uostril. show tha. they
are eager for the chase; but silence orce
more prevails.
Were the houndsa at fault? They think
c.eds. Again a dog utters long prolongs
ei c.y of certainty. All. what is that
creeping cut Of the end OF the wood
Tally ho is shouted Oh every hand,
echoes! aud re shc@:ed. The hounds, con
centratins in full cry, rush out in pursuit.
Here IS erctement in Its fullest sense.
Ali start of at fall gallop, cracking their
whips ami shouting Tally ho some,
=. Forward some, Stole away and
others blowing horns. Oh what gloli-
Gus Babel Of discordant noscs-what an
abstraction from fe or death, or the |
ground and dangers that seem to fly be-
meath our teeti Hedges and di;ches aye
s!shrSd sah Sdp5.tI 5SitIhfpp5 pp5 iA9aE4o aiSns
hundred red,jacke.s Charge over it "a If
1t We're mads of pa-teboArd; and with
fresh energy, whoopins = ferwArd ,-ya-
oy. Ia la.-!.t IL ai-aov--torw r'-an5; all
are once more safely ealiop:ng on the less /.
dangerous plain, SAVING a few uniogtu-
yates whose bad riding on inferior horses
has speedily brought them grief ard cha !
grin. Even of these. some aIe immediate |
iy gemountin., some examining their |
horses legs, 9. rubbing T. e,r own heads, |
limbs, and bodies while liInpiDs a.ong, |
dragging after them an equally incapacita- /
ted horse. Bat who cares? On goes the /
hunt and the dogs, with their musical |
tongues, proclaim the icy still! far ahead |
IN his speedy flight The rily tcx has re-
traced his steps, perhaps, and gone eff in
an opposite direction, or has crossed
rlvu!et, or gone up a running stream for
some distance, TO destroy tn continuity of
the scent; but, unfortunately for Master
Reygard, they are more accustomed to
the tricks of the chase than he is. and, by
takin. q sweeping circle, some dogis nearly
certain 10 shorty inform the rest, by |
" giving tongue, that he is after him |
cnce more, on his own account, in which !
the rest lose no time III joining.
This break, however, enables the blown /
stecds to regain their breath, and gives |
their painting. TANKS time TO get alittle cool !
er before ali are again in full cry.
After going over & mile or SO, we come !
to some cover where Master Reynard, /
thinking that he has found safety, stops to
get Mind; bat now the dogs wind him, and
10y their lusty voices send him out, now |
really frightened at the other side. lie |
is evidently making hopeless strides; his |
tail begins to drag, and the hounds re- |
double their efforts with hope, while he |
slackens his through despair. uulver- !
sal shout rings OH every side" tally no
forward !! lie manages to tumble and |
scramble into q wide brook with steep |
sides the dogs close at his heels; but the |
brock thins the ranks Of the riders. Some, !
with their wearie,l horses, do not care to
at .ennpt certain disaster; some leap short, |
and falling backward with their horses, |
bareiey escape drowning by:hasliiy scram-
bling out; seme land saie.y on the oppo-
site side by acting leap frog over their |
horses heads before the impetus allows |
the animals time to fall backwards, and |
L lc u f,f nj ri brill MT a p,h
that originally started, find themselves on !
the full gallop-they hardly know how
on the opposite. ~
Here comes u dead heat struggle. With |
comp, essed lips, they urge their horses 10 |
the utmost by spur aud whip, for the one
that Is in first at "the death IS rewarded |
with the brush" that is, the foxs tail
the honor of the day. The iox turns, |
and gives up further fight as worse than
death, and only seeks net TO die wholly !
unavensed But the whole pack are on
hi:,-he is down, and life is wrenched from
his body. The first rider comes galiop'ns
up, shouting whoo up, there. and lash
ing his way through the dogs, comPeis
them to stand aloof from the mangled |
carcass D:sn,ountlng, he raises 1t by the
tail. shouting Wv hoop up! takes out
his knife. cut. off the brush, and puts it in |
one of hi. coat pockets, sticking out-re-
mounts and quietly waits until the hunts
men er one or the whips comes up to take
charge of the pack. All then seek the
shortest ways home, for the sport is over.
The longest chase ! ever knew fox to
give was ore Of fifteen miles. where all the
oorses which did keep on to the terrible
end had 20 be bled for fear Of intlamma-
ton from cver-exertion, and left in the va
rious farmers stables for u week, before
they could be taken home.
This noble pastime, althoush u hard on
horses, logs and tex, IS health givingte
the riders, by expanding their lungs, in;
yisorating their systems, and by the more