ction on
themselves and the country at large. I speak to you as a friend, and
perhaps in an unpatriotic way tell you of occurrences which ought to be
kept secret; but I trust that you have seen many things in Russia to
admire, and will not judge us over harshly when you hear of some of our
weak points. But, tally ho! The huntsmen's horns give notice that the
pack have found some game. It will soon break cover, and then away
after it!"

Besides the gaily-coated picqueurs on horseback, a number of peasants
habited in the usual pink shirt, wide green breeches, and willow-woven
sandals, were engaged with long sticks in beating the bushes and
underwood which grew in thick clumps in the forest. The green-and-gold
coated huntsmen galloped about outside, sounding their horns, shouting
to the peasants, and watching eagerly the movements of the dogs. On a
sudden the huntsmen sounded their horns more gaily than before, the
people shouted, and a large fox broke from the cover, and darted away
along the skirts of the wood. Away went the hounds, and away went the
horsemen after him, the Count and his English friends shouting "Tally
ho! Tally ho!" in right honest British fashion, while the peasants gave
utterance to the wildest cries, which sounded wonderfully strange in the
travellers' ears.

It was not very hard riding, although Mr Evergreen seemed to think it
so; but as he was mounted on a fast horse, he, in spite of himself, kept
well ahead of most of the field. Cousin Giles and the Count rode
alongside each other, and the two Markhams kept together.

They had not gone far when another fox showed his nose out of the wood,
apparently to learn what was going forward, and a few of the dogs
instantly made chase after him, while the huntsmen followed the main
body.

"Tally ho!" shouted Fred Markham. "Harry, let us have a hunt of our
own. It will be fine fun to bring home a brush which we have got all by
ourselves."

"Capital fun," answered Harry; and boy-like, thought less of the
consequences, away they galloped after the four or five dogs which had
separated themselves from the chase. No one followed. The fox led them
directly into the wood. He was a knowing old fellow, and was aware that
they would thus have the greatest difficulty in overtaking him. Deeper
and deeper they got into the forest, but the dogs had still the scent of
the old fox.

"I wish that we could kill a deer now," exclaimed Harry. "That would