HUNTS WITH JOEEOCKS 



other benevolent birds'; a thought that so dis- 

 tracted our master as to cause him to start and 

 turn in his couch, when the rotten main prop to 

 his back giving way, he came crashing and smash- 

 ing to the ground. 



' There/ 1 ejaculated Mr. Jorrocks, 'there!' re- 

 peated he, as he lay among the rotten fragments. 

 * Fallen a 'underd feet from the grund! Broke 

 every bone in my skin, I do believe. Bet a 

 guinea 'at to a 'alf-crown gossamer I 'aven't a 'ole 

 bone i' my body.' So saying our master having 

 carefully shaken first one limb and then another, 

 to ascertain the amount of the mischief, rose 

 slowly from the wet ground, and after anathe- 

 matising the deceptive, unfriendly tree, resumed 

 the tracking of his horse up the hill. His boots 

 were now well ' salivated' as he would say, and 

 the cold bog-water poached and churned as he 

 went. But if his feet were cold, his temper was 

 warm, and various were the recreations he pro- 

 mised Arterxerxes. He would ride 'his tail off,' 

 then recollecting how little he had, he 'would 



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