142 Ralph Duckworth of the Wild Farm. 



woods, in point of fact, all but joined each other. Well, 

 they had not been in covert ^v^ minutes before a holloa 

 from the far end announced that the fox had been viewed 

 away, and in a trice the first whip, who was hunting the 

 pack in the absence of Tom Tootler (rendered temporarily 

 hors de combat from a fall the last day they were out, and 

 consequently " staying out " as the Eton boys call it), 

 brought the hounds up, and away they went, best pace. 

 Guessing pretty well the point the fox would make for, 

 away we pounded in that direction, accompanied, as usual, 

 by a whole lot of dear little boys and girls, and one or two 

 old boys and girls, too, for that matter, who, relying on 

 our knowledge of the country, and (so they tell us) our 

 well-known sagacity as regards the run of the fox, are 

 good enough to honour us with their company on these 

 occasions. Well, away we all went, now down this 

 lane, now down that, then a short cut through a 

 farmyard, and a line of gates, anon pulling up to 

 listen, and so on. It was during one of these stoppages, 

 on this particular day, that, hearing a clattering of boys 

 behind us, we turned round, when, to our surprise, who 

 should gallop up but our ex-huntsman, old Harry Gold- 

 acre, and his friend Joe JoUikins. '' Hallo ! " said we, 

 "why, what brings you two young fellows along the hard 

 high road, eh ? Have some of 'em pounded you, or are 

 you thrown out ? " " Neither the one nor the other, 

 squire," replied Harry, with one of his woodenest grins. 

 " We was havin' a hargument with that silly old fule of 

 a Ralph Duckworth ; he would hev it as the hunds had 

 got separated in them two woods, and that one lot was a 

 runnin' their fox in the fust, at the werry same identical 

 moment's the rest on 'em was drawin' at the t'other, and 



