234 CAPT. Johnstone's hounds and country. 



" The best laid schemes o' mice an' men 

 Gang aft a glee," 



the big drains and ragged fences soon began 

 to assert themselves, and grief became very 

 frequent. Still, at the end of two miles, there 

 were plenty of them left, and some of the older 

 and more knowing hands began steadily to forge 

 ahead as the pace slacked a bit. Strange to say 

 that the field became still further diminished by 

 two gentlemen getting pounded on their own farms. 

 By the time another mile and a half was passed, 

 three against the field would have been a safe 

 bet, for it was very evident to those who could 

 see them that the winner would turn up in Mr. 

 James Darrell's Bendigo or Forge Valley, or Mr. 

 Taylor's Scaramouch. Mr. Ellershaw, on Forge 

 Valley, and Mr. Nesfield, on Scaramouch, 

 challenged Bendigo here, but could not wrest the 

 lead, which he had held for some time, from him, 

 and they never passed him until they got into the 

 field before the finish. 



Mr. Darrell, who believes thoroughly in the 

 doctrine enunciated by Euclid some centuries ago, 

 that the nearest way between two given points is 

 a straight line, and who has acted religiously up 

 to his convictions for the last thirty years over 

 the Howe Bridge country, set his horse going 

 the shortest way as soon as the winning field was 

 within hail, and did not take much notice of what 

 the obstacles were that came in his road. The 



