I never saw a muffin so browned in the whole course of my life. If he had been sworn at and called a parcel of hard names--which always recoil upon the utterers of them--he might have been made more angry; but nothing could be more effective than the rate from the cutting, gentlemanlike tone and manner which accompanied it. In consequence of being scared with this halloo, the fox showed the greatest disinclination to break a second time, and the day being very warm, and the cover strong, we began to feel as if a spider had been spinning cobwebs in our throats. “It’s choking work this,” said I. “Yes,” replied Trimbush. “There’s no wind here. Let’s press him as hard as we can; for he feels it as well as us, recollect.” We now rattled him up to the top of the cover, and, crossing a ride, Will Sykes viewed him, and giving us a ringing view-halloo, convinced us we were on our hunted fox. “There’s a leash a-foot, sir,” said the huntsman, as the Squire now came to his assistance. “Then get them as near to him as you can,” replied the Squire, “and prevent them getting on the other lines.” Ned Adams now viewed the fox in a broad open ride, and hallooed, “Tally-ho!” “Never mind,” said Trimbush, as I was about leaving the scent to fly to the halloo. “Ned Adams, like yourself,” continued he, “is young and cannot be depended upon. Keep your nose down; we are quite close enough to carry him over the other lines of scent without changing.” Immediately afterwards I heard the Squire ask in a loud, angry voice, “Why did you halloo?” “Because I viewed the hunted fox, sir,” replied Ned, touching his cap deferentially. “Where?” “At the bottom of the ride, sir.” “And you standing at the top,” returned the Squire, “when you must hear that the body is well settled to him, halloo them away. What could be your object?” “I thought the stragglers----” “Would rather fly to their tongues than to your foolish halloo,” interrupted the Squire, “or you ought to have thought so.” “You see,” added Trimbush, “I was right. But all young ’uns think they know everything, and the study and experience of the oldsters go for nothing.” We had now given him such a dusting that he could hang no longer, and Tom, holding up his hat at the farthest end of the brake up wind, quietly announced that he had gone away. Following Will, crashing through the furze, I heard Tom say to him, “He’s just crossed the road,” pointing with his whip to the exact spot. We flew in a body to it, and, taking up the scent, away we went. “Get on,” said Trimbush, “and we may, perhaps, shake off the rabble and have a run. It’s our only chance.”