THE WHITE TROUT. 451 



it came — Avhile hounds (and others) bent rightward, and the 

 brook came again. Very yellow, very rapid — ordinarily very 

 small, to-day very assertive — was the swift running streamlet ; 

 while horses had forty minutes and a fortnight's frost now 

 telling upon them. Mr. G. Barrett — already penalised seven 

 pounds with a cropper over some strong timber near Bradden 

 village — didn't hesitate. Others did — while he gallantly worked 

 out the contrast between hard ash rails and soft snow-water. 

 Never mind ; he landed — and the rest looked for something 

 better. They hoped for it, it seems, from knowledge of a 

 narrow channel through which the water was wont to run only 

 six feet wide. But the water was all abroad to-day. Mr. Fuller 

 found the place but couldn't find the bottom : so his plucky 

 example only served as a warning to the others. From the 

 rear now rode the resurrectionist * (I know him well enough to 

 anticipate his pardon) and by way of annulling the ill effects 

 of one ducking bade his wood horse face the chances of another. 

 Again he took a fall, though not a ducking this time — and yet 

 no key was found. So far from personal observation. Now 

 for the hateful pronoun I. But / comes in handy, when some- 

 body has to instance misadventure. When I make a fool of 

 myself (no uncommon occurrence, I grant) I can deal with / as 

 I choose. Well, I was averse to remaining there. Wistfully I 

 glanced for the huntsman's directing form, but he too was for 

 the moment nonplussed on the bank. So, with a fat mare and 

 a fainting heart, I took the plunge — for hounds were already a 

 furlong away, fairly laughing at us with their merry cackle. I 

 hated to get in ; but I should have hated myself far worse had 

 I turned away. Or, to put it otherwise, I hadn't the pluck to 

 funk though I would. You shall hear it out — for it is from 

 fool's mishaps that men become wise. 



The steeper bank was on the side of the hounds : the mare 

 could not climb it ; and all hope of progress was dashed to the 

 waters. The little band of horsemen — intent on their own 



* Mr. C. Adamtlnvaite. 



G G 2 



