136 THE LIFE OF A FOX.

During the time they were waiting for the ter-
rier at the last drain, and doubting whether he
could be found, a farmer was filling in the stones
at the entrance of the drain, and being asked what
he was about, he answered,—* Why, if the terrier
don’t come, we will starve the fox to death, which
is easy to do in this drain. He has had mony
fowls; about forty I ken.”

“ What’s that?” said the Southron. “ Pretty
sort of encouragement for a gentleman to spend
so much money in the country in keeping hounds.
Why the Duke pays more money to the farmers
in one week, than all the poultry in the hunt
would sell for in a twelvemonth ; to say nothing
of all.that is spent in it by the gentlemen who
hunt. If there were no foxes, there would be no
hounds.”

“ Vary true, vary true,” was the reply; “ but
Mr. Williams is raather too close fisted, when he
pays a bittee o’ the Duke’s siller.”

The worst part of the story, as relates to our-
selves, remains to be told, namely, that when they

left, a hard bargain was going on for the purchase