The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1886-10-20
A MOONLIGHT FOX CHASE.
The vivacious Picture of Fifteen Year
Old Memory.

Some fifteen years ago | was q boy in
my teens, but an enthusiastic lover of
the chase and an ardent admirer of the
fair sex. l could never quite decide in
my own mind which was dearest to my
heart-the girls or the hounds Ii is
true | went 10 see the girls oftener than
/ went fox-hunting, but many time
and often have | cut short n visit when
the FIRE was warm and the girl was pret-
ty, to go home to give TO Rowdy and
Rival their evening meal and see that
they were comfortably housed for the
night | had learned to hunt under the
old squire, an old-time Virginia gentle
man, who. although past three-Seore
years, was boy in his ardent admira-
! ton OF the chase, and desirable part
ner but dreaded opponent IN game of
marbles or quOits. Oh, many game
of seven up, of euchre. of whist. and of
| draw-poker have | enjoyed around his
| Lospitable board. Peace be to his ashes;
/ he is now no more, but his memory
| shah ever be dear to my heart. He once
| paid me compliment | can never for
| get After an unusually long and un-
/ successful days ride he turned to me,
calling me by name, and said; Il have
raised eight sons and taught them all
| to hunt. and have also taught good
many other boys. bat you are the only
| one who would ride over with me all
day and be as eager to hunt at night as
1 YOU were in the morning; like myself,
/ you never know when to quit We
/ had a very dry season the latter part of
the summer and early fall and could
not take the dogs out somewhat TO our
chagrin. One day by the way of con-
| ISOLATION | rode over to see my elderly
/ friend, and while there the rain began
/ to fall and we hoped for an old-fashion-
! ed ''dog mire, but were disappointed,
| for Just before sundown the clouds
| broke away and the beautiful rainbow
declared that the rain was over. III
we had your dogs and Georges we
would go out tonight on McGraw
bridge and start young fox" This
| was enough for me. Il will have my
dogs and Georges here in less than an
hour, was my reply. The distance
/ from his house to my grandfather s,
where | lived, was between three and
/ four miles. aad almost an unlimited
number of gates and draw-bars to con-
tend with; but my pony. Old Rabbit,
J was fond of sport, and | whispered in
his ear and told him what was on hand.
In an hours time i had returned with
/ my two hounds and with George and
his two, which, added to the old squire S
five, made nine as good, rafting. red
| fox hounds rs any neighborhood ever
/ had. The squire was ready, as were
two or three of his sons. Two black
boys employed on the farm were told
that if they desired it they might get a
pair of unused horses and accompany
US, and this they did with great gusto,
thinking it a great thing to 90 fox-hunt-
ing along with the ''gentlemen" on
| horseback. These boys were very use
ful that night pulling down and putting
up fences. We had gone about a mile
when the glorious full moon arose in its
splendor, making it almost light enough
to see to read. In few moments after
we entered a bank of mist which was so
dense that in the moonlight it looked
almost like wool. After passing through
it we skirted its eastern border, with
the moon on one side and the bank on
the other. and then saw what l never
saw before OF since-a lunar bow |
had supposed that it was colored like
the solar bow, but | was mistaken; it
was as white as sheet and not More
than ten steps from US. 1t was an arc
Of circle of about fifteen feet radius,
and about one and half to two feet in
breadth. The squire told the colored
boys if they did not ride up close to us
that the ghost would catch them. This
made their teeth chatter. and had it not
been for repeated assurances of safety
have no idea what would have been the
result, for, as it was. they shadowed US
closely the remainder of the evening"
We started young red, and after an
interesting chase the dogs put him in
;he ground Another was started-an
Did red, we thought for he led the dogs
at once to where no ram had fallen in
this partial shower, and soon got away
from them. We got home early, but
shall ever remember this as one of tn,
pleasantest evenings of my life. :
A7laertcdR Field