St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1880-09-17
An Old Fox Hunters Story.
From the New York World.I

FROM tne new 1Ork w Orlu
'T was once" said the hunter, ''chas-
ing small fox with half dozen hounds.
They had been pushing him pretty
closely for some three hours, and he
was finally forced to try to gain his den
in ledge of rocks. Now it happens to
be fact that fox always likes to put
as much distance as possible between
himself and his pursuers when he takes
to his domicile, and as a consequence
he makes the highest possible speed
when finishing the run. In this partic-
ular instance Reynard started on a
straight run for his home when nearly a
mile distant, and was soon two or three
hundred yards ahead of the hounds and
widening the gap. When less than a
quarter of mile from home he was in
tercepted by three fresh dogs, which,
hearing the chase, had started to join it
from point on a line with the fOX's
kenneling place. OF course they drove
him back on line nearly parallel with
the course on which he had been run
ming, and it looked as though he would
have to make a circuit of two or three
miles to reach home.
The fresh hounds having literally ia
ken up the chase and carried it back
past my own at an angle, my dogs left
the trail and by a short cut Joined the
intruders, and the whole pack was soon
in full cry within one hundred yards of
the fox, which was now running direct
ly away from home. At this point the
fox left the woods and took to an open
field that slOped abruptly down some
three hundred yards to a narrow valley.
He had barely disappeared over the
brow of the hill when the nine dogs
broke from the woods over the fence,
all of them except the leader with heads
erect looking eagerly for their prey.
| was standing on the opposite hill
and had an unobstructed view and care
fully noted all the movements of the
fox and his pursuers. AS soon as he
had cleared the fence and before the
hounds were in position to see him he
put on a magnificent burst of speed for
one hundred. yards down the hill until
he reached large stump three feet in
hight and perfectly fiat on top. Leap
ing upon it he lay down with his nose
pointing in the direction of his noisy
pursuers and flattened himself out so
completely that he was practically in
visible to me, and 1 doubt whether a
man would have noticed him passing
within two rods of the stump unless he
was looking for something on it.
The hounds came down the hill with
rush, some taking one side of the
stump and some the other. There was
no abatement in their speed until they
reached nearly the opposite side of the
field, when the leader discovered that
the trail was "lost," and giving the
l. o1 fha al
into confusion and the search to pick it
up began. AS soon as the hounds had
gone safe distance beyond him, Rey-
nard leaped from his perch and made
bee-line for home. 1t was nearly fifteen
minutes before the hounds made out the
trail, and he had ample time to reach
the ledge before they were again in pur-
suit of him.
The nice judgment displayed by the
fox when "doubling" on his trail was
thus described: When fox wants to
rest and at the same time enjoy the dis
comfiture of the dogs, he "doubles" and
then sits down and enjoys the sport,
which may last fifteen minutes or half
an hour according to circumstances.
There is something peculiar as well as
musical in the "nOten or "notes" of
pack of hounds in chase. When going
straight-away upon the trail each dog
has "note" to which he gives utter
ance at regular intervals, running from
40 to l20 per minute, the interval be-
ing heightened or shortened according
to the distance between pursuer and
pursued-the emusic" being slow when
the distance is great and growing mole
and more rapid as it is shortened.
When the chase is fairly under way the
'tonguing" or baying of the hounds is
i'll concert, and, to the hunter at least,
very musical and harmonious. But the
moment the trail is ''lost" the harmony
is broken; the long, melodious tone is
changed to harsh barking or howling at
irregular intervals, and not until the
trail is recovered does the music set in
again.