nearly three o'clock
Fortunately , however , I escaped disaster , and for the greater part of the run I was close to the gentleman with the Mephistophelian face and Tom Rawlings , who acted as his pilot . Tom rode well , of course -- it was his business -- but no better than his master , whose horse , besides being a big jumper , was as clever as a cat , flying the ditches like a bird , and clearing the blindest fences without making a single mistake . After the first run we drew two coverts blank , but eventually found a second fox , which gave us a slow hunting run of about an hour , interrupted by several checks , and saved his brush by taking refuge in an unstopped earth . By this time it was nearly three o'clock , and being a long way from home , and thinking no more good would be done , I deemed it expedient to leave off . I went away as Mephistopheles and his man were mounting their second horses , which had just been brought up by the two grooms in livery . My way lay by Matching Green , and as I stopped at the village inn to refresh my horse with a pail of gruel and myself with a glass of ale , who should come up but old Tawney , Tom Cuffe 's second horseman ! Besides being an adept at his calling , familiar with every cross-road and almost every field in the county , he knew nearly as well as a hunted fox himself which way the creature meant to run .