€l)t Camr of a ^pur. 89 



"Nemesis" as a line of willows loomed in view; 

 how " stickey " that old beggar was, to be sure ! and 

 did I not also, when boring through a hairy bullfinch, 

 endeavour, by inclining my head outwards, to save, 

 if possible, the flanks of that generous little Bay, 

 "Balloon," from even an accidental scratch. Then 

 there was old "Postman," who, although he was 

 very good on the bank side of our country, used to 

 land over every big fence into plough as if he had 

 found his everlasting home ; how quickly used my 

 butty and I to implant our rowels into his well- 

 arched ribs, and keep them there, too, until we 

 obtained some other response than a grunt, which 

 was not always a very easy matter. 



Yet, during those three seasons, I must allow that 

 I was once re-plated ; but hard work is no disgrace, 

 and will, if persisted in, tell its own tale on the 

 best of us. What rare sport we had, too ; for Jem 

 Hornblower was a real good man — quick and clever 

 when handling his hounds, and clever enough to let 

 them alone also when they did not stand in need of 

 his assistance. 



But those dashing days are, alas ! past and gone 

 now, never to return ; for every spur, like every dog^ 

 can but have its day. It was just about the first 

 day's cubbing, at the commencement of what would 

 have been my fourth season, that did for me, and it 



