The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1886-01-28
THE Fox HUNT ON BALD NOUN
TAIN.

THE Fox HUNT ON BALD NOUN
TAIN.
I did want 10 sse real fox hunt do
not soc much excitement 10 my quiet liie
Once nav a cat fight; !, vas terrible. but
! was too young 70 either enjoy or sppre'
eiste the grandeur Of tho spectacle And
IL wss 80 long ago that ! have completely
forgotten which cat whipped. think il
was the other one. bat cannot fcel sui
fIciently confident 10 put up any money
on n.
Thus the bliehiing shadow Of another
mystery falls upon my life, aud one more
tally ia added to the long score Of things
! do not know.
0ne time. remember also when Was
q child. travelling tinker stopped II my
fathers hous 10 plug up . few hundred
spertares in the family plate. While be
was doctoring diagonal slit in . quaint
old copper -bottomed wash boiler that had
come over with William the Conqueror.
he spilled about three) csats' worth OF
luosson sosuss dUwr INTO his seoe. vas
young, q nero child, all unused TO scenes
OF violence and cyclonic fury, but that
spectacle burned itself into my memory
like U. S. brand. As though ii we're
bnt yesterday whereas il really is to day.,
| can remem Der just how the tinker stood
on bis head TO empty his shoe, and how
the hot solder 1t once fell ont and drop
ped like plummet into his ear also
remember what he said--not necessary
for publication, but because cannot help
/ H.
What have these incidents to do with .
fox hunt, do you ask9 Nothing Whatever.
Then why do repeat them' To pad out
the story, simple one; to help oil up the
column. Perhaps you never wrote sto.
ry yourself, No' Well, then you can't be
expected to know how little connection
one part OF story has with itself or with
the other parts.
Shorty after the war business Of an uu-
i'm portant nature called me toVirginia. My
business was with sheriff OF q remote
county in Oregon, so / naturally went as
far southeast as possible to attend to it,
While / loitered among my friends, .
vague, indefnable yearning to witness q
fox hunt crept into my heart with the
stealthy, noisless football of man coming
home late. My indulgent uncle-an hon
est man, although farmer-told his boys
to trap fox. and they would arrange .
run for me.
The fox was caught, the word sent
round and the following morning the
neighbors assembled. There was no reg
ular ordained pack OF hounds in the coun-
ty, so every man who owned good fox
dog was expected to bring him along.
Every last man at the hunt owned just
that kind OF dog.
Bill Lamson, brought black-and-tan
dog ("Beeswax"). about two and half
hands high. with > back as broad as .
bread board aud stump OF tail 81. long
as your thumb. "Shs wur nst'ral coon
dog" Bill said ''jess chain lightuin' on
coons, but right likely dog fur fox. II
she could oncest ketch him" snrmised
that Bill was going to carry "Beeswax" ia
his arms and run with her
JEFF. Thompson had . straight-haired
brindle dog, with remnants Of ears. and
legs so handy they looked like ice-tongs
with hair on. He was chained to q sap
ling, aud / noticed that none Of the other
dogs went within ten feet OF that sapling.
He "oncest help to kill bar" MIR.
Thompson told me, IAN mo- an likely
he cud kilt hit hisself; an foxes was
on sport fnr 'Reb,'" The only draw
back to "Reb's" usefulness as fox dog
was bis blindness. But he couldn't help
that.
Bart. Hilleary brought along big
black Newfoundland" about the size Of
yearling calf. but not nearly so quick
and graceful. He semed to be fond oil
getting into peoples way and getting
kicked therefor. He also managed to step
on hisself with two or three horses. He
hadn't been tried for nothin'," Bart said,
''but he reckoned be might be right !peart
on plain trail.
Then there were house dogs. Of all sizes
classes, colors, and combinations Of colors.
Hank LowJen's fawn colored meat hound
with liver colored spots, WAS there, yelp-
ing distractedly oil the time, land letting
out howl that you could hang your hat
on every time anybody hit him with .
riding-whip to make him shut up. "Yal.
lab dogs" to the extent.of dozen, from
the negro quarters and the cabins Of the
/" sang diggers," joined the band; one or
,~o aristocrstic settlers and gentleman
! like pointer attended the hunt; and when
Jute Sycamore came ambling over with
his dog. noisy, fnssy. irritable, jealous,
uar arrelsome little Scotch ratter not much
bigger than cat. and most appropriately
named 'Rustler," the convention was
called TO order. and the order OF the hunt
announced.
The fox Was to be given one hundred
feet and ten seconds start; every man to
loose his own dog at the word. The Gagged
fox, nervous, uneasy. excited. was taken
out the established distance; be shot out
Of the open door like puff from . gun.
and was out Of sight before You could
wink an eye the dogs seeing him go. set
up . hideous combination Of howl, and
bark. and yelp Aha, made your blood run
cold aud blind old "Reb." driven to
frenzy because he could zee nothing 10
ho~l s,. felt around aud bit the man who