MR. JORROCKS'S JOURNAL 



advance. Thus they reached the rushy, unen- 

 closed common, partially studded with patches of 

 straggling gorse, which bounds the east side of 

 South Grove, and our sporting master having wet 

 his forefinger on his tongue, and held it up to 

 ascertain which quarter the little air there was 

 came from, so as to give the pack the benefit of 

 the wind, prepared for throwing off without delay. 

 Having scrutinised the wood fence most atten- 

 tively, he brought his horse to bear upon the 

 rotten stakes and witherings of a low, ill made-up 

 gap. In the distance Jorrocks thought of jumping 

 it, but he changed his mind as he got nearer. 

 'Pull out this stake, Binjimin,' exclaimed he to 

 the boy, suddenly reining up short ; ' Jamp a top 

 on 't ! jamp a top on 't ! ' added he, ' so as to level 

 the 'edge with the ground,' observing, ' these little 

 places often give one werry nasty falls.' This feat 

 being accomplished, Benjamin climbed on to 

 Xerxes again, and Jorrocks desiring him to keep 

 on the right of the cover, parallel with him, and 

 not to be sparing of his voice, rode into the wood 



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