68 The Chase 



do you think the rascal did ? — he just quietly 

 mounted on Trumpeter's back, and shouts out, 

 " Git down yourself, old Bearsgrease ; you've only 

 to drop ; I'll give your 'oss a hairing arter them 

 'ounds ; and you, vy you may ride back my pony 

 to Tuggeridgew^eal ! " And v^^ith this, I'm blest if 

 he didn't ride aw^ay, leaving mc holding as for the 

 dear life, and expecting every minute the branch 

 would break. 



It did break too, and down I came into the slush ; 

 and, when I got out of it, I can tell you I didn't 

 look much like the Venuses or the Apollor Belvi- 

 dearis what I used to dress and titivate up for my 

 shop window, when I was in the hair-dressing line, 

 or smell quite so elegant as our rose-oil. Faugh ! 

 what a figure I was ! I had nothing for it but to 

 mount the dustman's donkey (which was very 

 quietly cropping grass in the hedge), and to make 

 my way home ; and after a weary, weary journey, 

 I arrived at my own gate. 



A whole party was assembled there. Tagrag, 

 who had come back ; their Excellencies Mace and 

 Punter, who were on a visit ; and a number of 

 horses walking up and down before the whole of 

 the gentlemen of the hunt, who had come in after 

 losing their fox ! " Here's Squire Coxe ! " shouted 

 the grooms. Out rushed the servants, out poured 

 the gents of the hunt, and on trotted poor me, 

 digging into the donkey, and everybody dying with 

 laughter at me. 



Just as I got up to the door, a horse came 

 galloping up, and passed me ; a man jumped down, 

 and taking off a fantail hat, come up, very gravely, 

 to help me down. "Squire," says he, " how came 

 you by that there hanimal ? Jist git down, will you, 

 and give it to hits howner." 



