Chapter 14
A GROUP OF dedicated foxchasers showed up the next morning for the seven o’clock meet at the Montfair Hunt kennels. Two-dozen followers left their homes in the predawn hours—virtually the middle of the night to some—to arrive as early as six thirty for final preparation and to assure they were not tardy.
A gauzy mist hung over the fields, lying heaviest in the low areas, blurring the sunrise into a diffuse glow. The insistence of the sun, though, would soon dispel every visible trace of vapor and temperatures would rise quickly under a bright summer sky. The horse flies were already starting their search for fresh blood and the scent of strong insect repellent merged with the aroma of mowed grass and oiled leather.
Bing Sensabaugh was among the first to arrive. At the admirab
