Notable Runs 67 



dogs, by trotting quietly through the cross-roads, 

 and knowing the country well. Well, having a 

 good guess where the hounds would find, and the 

 line that sly Reynolds (as they call the fox) would 

 take, the Spicy Dustman turned his animal down 

 the lane, from Squashtail to Cutshins Common, 

 across which, sure enough, came the whole hunt. 

 There's a small hedge and a remarkably fine ditch 

 here ; some of the leading chaps took both in fine 

 style ; others went round by a gate, and so would 

 I, only I couldn't ; for Trumpeter would have 

 the hedge, and be hanged to him, and went right 

 for it. 



Hoop ! if ever you did try a leap ! Out go your 

 legs, out fling your arms, off goes your hat ; and the 

 next thing you feel, that is, I did, is a most tre- 

 mendous thwack across the chest, and my feet 

 jerked out of the stirrups; me left in the branches 

 of a tree ; Trumpeter gone clean from under me, 

 and walloping and floundering in the ditch under- 

 neath. One of the stirrup-leathers had caught in a 

 stake, and the horse couldn't get away ; and neither 

 of us, I thought, ever would have got away ; but all 

 of a sudden, who should come up the lane but the 

 Spicy Dustman ! 



" Holloa ! " says I, " you gent, just let us down 

 from this here tree ! " 



"Lor!" says he, "I'm blessed if I didn't take 

 you for a robin ! " 



" Let's down," says I ; but he was all the time 

 employed in disengaging Trumpeter, whom he got 

 out of the ditch, trembling and as quiet as possible. 

 " Let's down," says L 



"Presently," says he ; and taking off his coat, he 

 begins whistling and swishing down Trumpeter's 

 sides and saddle ; and, when he had finished, what 



