Tom Tootler. 2 



o 



any country, no matter what the fences were like. I 

 shall never forget one day when I was with the stag. The 

 Squire and all his three brothers was out, for, though they 

 did not come with us reg'lar like, they was hawful fond of 

 gallopin' and jumpin', I can tell ye. Well, we had a 

 tremenjuoiis day. The pace the 'ounds went was something 

 to be remembered, I can tell ye, Squire. I got my second 

 horse just in the nick of time, or I shouldn't have seen the 

 end of it. Well, Squire Curzon and his brothers, they 

 rode, they did, as I don't believe any four brothers ever 

 rode afore. I see at last the Squire's horse was about 

 done, and I begins a chaffin' of him. The Squire was a rare 

 one for a bit o' fun and would often give me a turn, saying 

 his hounds was twice as fast as mine, etcetera. So I says 

 quietly, ' Well, Squire, are they fast enough for you to- 

 day ?' I see, just as I said it, the Squire turn from the 

 fence, and was looking out for a gate ; but. Lor' bless yer, 

 he was ready for me with an answer directly, he was. 



^^^ Fast enough for me!' says he — 'no, not 'a;/ fast 

 enough, only I'm on a damned cock-tailed brute 1 only 

 gave forty pound for at Tattersall's last week, and I 

 brought him out with these Staggers of yours just to see 

 what he was made of! ' and with that he gets into the lane 

 and goes straight home, and lucky he did, for we didn't take 

 the stag for half an hour after that. Well, who should I 

 come across not many days arter the run I speak of, but 

 the Squire's stud-groom, Joe Blackbird ; so I says to 

 him, 'Joe,' I says, 'what d'ye mean by mounting 

 your master,' I says, ' on a forty-pound screw the 

 other day when we had such a hawful run with 

 our hounds ? ' ' Wot ! ' he says, ' the brown as the 

 Squire rode second 'oss d'ye mean?' ' That's him,' I 



