Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-10-02

lay three miles from the village; and
could anything have enlivened the
ljaunt, my company would, for it con-
sisted Of a merry group Of every va.
Iriety Of disposition. But freezing man
cannot be lively, and. consequently,
. was not.
Our pack consisted of eighteen ol
Twenty hounds; but there were but
two Of them which could be relied on
with confidence-George Hurts Loud
er and Captain Reid's Rome. With
these I was we'll acquainted, having
often been with them in the deer and
rabbit hunt. Could I say, like Horace
"exigi monumentum are perennius,'
they should be immortalized; for bet
ter dogs never mingled in the chase
They knew perfectly well, from the
hour Of the hunt and the equipments
of the huntsmen, the game Of which
they were in pursuit; and no other
would they notice.
Captain Reid's Music was said to be
remarkably "cold," but her veracity
was questionable Her ambition never
aimed at anything higher than finding
the track for fieeter-footed hounds.
When the game was up, she soon
knocked out" and went in quest of
cold trails; why or wherefore no one
could tell, unless 1t was that she had
the common fault Of those who possess
peculiar accomplishments. Her habit
was to get trail, and, If she could
not lead off on it readily, to open" by
the half-hour upon so much Of 1t as
lay within the compass of three rods
square.
We had proceeded about two miles
on our way, when, in washed field
to our right, Music opened.
What dogs that?" inquired several
voices at once.
It's Music said the captain.
|"She's the coldest hound in the pack. "
The majority were for moving on,
regardless Of Music's cry; but, in
courtesy to the captain, who had more
confidence in her than the rest Of us,
we agreed "to wait on her little"
Speak to him, Music!" said the
captain.
| Music opened again.
"Try for him, Music!"
Music opened again.
Lets go to her." said the captain;
there's not much confidence to be
placed in her. but it may be fox"
We went, and as soon as Music saw
us she seemed highly delighted at our
attentions, ran into little gully, put
her nose to the ground, seemed In
doubt, rooted in the dirt little way:
then raised her head, paused second,
and trotted round circle Of ten yards
circumference, opening all the time as
If the whole horizon were lined with
foxes-that is, as though there were
an abundance Of foxes about, but they
we're long way off.
"Try for him again, Music!" said
the captain. Music fdgeted about with
great animation, shook her tail spir-
itedly, and, after taking sweep Of
sixty feet, returned to the gully and
did as before. ss--a-,s,
I'm afraid it's too cold" said the
captain.
"Oh no." said Colonel Peyton, wag-
gishly, "let's wait on her. 'Bundance
O. foxes in that gully; only give Mu-
sic time. and she'll fill it full O. dead
foxes before sunrise"
81 reckon" said Stewart Andrews, in
long, drawing, dry way, that Music
has got upon a Miss Mary Ann that
went along there last winter"
| The reader must here be informed
that when 1 went into the neighbor-
hood Of which 1 have been speaking
the common appellation Of the rabbit
was MOLLY Cotton-tail, as it still is
elsewhere in Georgia; but as thought
this inelegant, If not vulgar, prevail
ed upon my fellow huntsmen to ex-
change it for a more classic term,
offending the most squeamish delicacy.
At my suggestion, therefore, 1t was
called the MARY Cotton TAIL" and af-
terwards. by further refinement, Miss
Mary Ann Cotton-ta tail" But to re-
turn.
We were just about taking leave of
Music. when young, awkward, over
grown hound trotted up to her, assist
ance He arrived just as Music had
paid third visit to the track In the
gully, and as soon as she left it he put
his nose to the spot, snuffed a little,
and then raised one foot, and with 1t
kindly scratched out the tantaliZing
track. While 1 sat waiting upon
Miss Music my freezing limbs forced
me into this train Of reflection: "How
could I have so far taken leave Of my
senses as to promise myself any pleas
ure from such a jaunt as this! 1t is
extremely doubtful whether we shall
start a fox; and If we should, what are
the cries of twenty hounds to three
or four hours exposure, without even
an overcoat, upon such pierre
will the cry differ from that Of the
same pack in pursuit of rabbit on a
fine, sunny day? And why seek amuse-
ment in the torture Of poor, unof-
Tending animal? In this country, al
least, 1 never heard of a single loss
from a farm-yard which could be fair
ly traced to the fox; not even Of q
goose, much less Of lamb. My rest
broken, my health jeoparded, and my
immediate suffering excruclating
Folly! madness in the extreme!"
We had not proceeded far before
groups Of from two to five hounds
could be heard in all directions in pur-
suit of Miss Mary AIMS. Hitherto my
hopes had been buoyed up by the num-
Der of hounds; for I naturally con.
cluded that our chances Of success in
creased with their number; but now
plainly saw that our only hope was
upon Rome and Louder, for all the
others had resigned themselves unre.
servedly to Mary AIMS.
; We were moving on upon skirt o.
n l.