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trailing after him. He avoids swamps and barbed wire fences. Then 

 the club comes out on horseback, and the huntsman brings the hounds 

 out. The hounds scent the anise, and follow the course that the 

 huntsman had gone. This is called hunting a drag. The hounds make 

 a lot of noise, which is called giving tongue. I heard my master tell the 

 huntsman one day to make a short run, as he wanted to try Tomboy 

 across country, and that he would ride Duster ; that the one was too 

 young and the other too old for a long run, and to make it about four 

 miles. So we were taken out one afternoon. My master rode my mother, 

 and my mistress was up on me. As soon as the hounds came in sight 

 I noticed that my mother became excited. She pawed the ground 

 and champed the bit and wanted to be off. I did not understand it, as I 

 saw nothing to be excited about. There were about twenty ladies and 

 gentlemen in the saddle. After a while the hounds scented the drag, 

 and one of them gave tongue. My master said, " Old Cecil has found, 

 it ; steady Duster, steady." 



Away the hounds went over the fence. My master had his hands full 

 controlling his mount, but he managed to steady her and said to my mis- 

 tress, " Now, I will give you a lead ; steady her well at her jumps. " He 

 gave my mother her head and took the fence. I followed and off we went 

 after the hounds. The other riders followed. My mother was very anxious 

 to go fast, but her rider held her in, and said to my mistress, "Keep Tomboy 

 back for a while ; we will save our mounts at first, and see if the 

 old mare and her daughter cannot beat them all out at the finish." I 

 soon understood my mother's excitement, as I was becoming excited too, 

 and anxious to run to the front. Our riders held us back without being 

 severe or cross with us, and we jumped everything that came in the way. 

 We enjoyed the sport as much as our riders. My mistress talked to me 

 and praised the way I was carrying her, and said that she would let me 

 have a brush with my mother at the finish. By this she meant that she 

 would let me try to outrun her. I would rather have gone faster, but 

 wanted to please my mistress, and I knew that she was the better judge. 

 Some of the riders were ahead of us and some were behind as their horses 

 refused to jump. We went along steadily and did not make any mis- 

 takes, but took our jumps well. After we had gone about three miles we 

 noticed those in front of us stop short. The riders took their mounts back 

 and then turned and whipped them ; after which they ran to a certain place 

 and balked. Two of the riders went forward over their horses heads and 

 were lost to view, while the horses galloped over the field with empty sad- 

 dles. My master said to mj' mistress, "They have come to a stream and the 

 horses refuse to take water." He meant that they would not jump over 

 the water. " It is a broad jump and our mounts will require speed to take 

 it ; steady Tomboy and follow me, but do not whip her." He gave my 

 mother her head, and she went fast, with me close up. We passed 

 through the other horses and both jumped the stream with ease. The 

 hounds had lost the scent and were running around the field without 

 making any noise. We came to a standstill and got a rest. Our master 

 blew his horn, when everyhound raised his head and looked towards us. He 

 blew again, and they all came to us. In the meantime, some of the horses 

 got across the stream, but some would not take it. Master told the 



