292 SOME HUMOURS OF THE CHASE 



" Did what go ? " roared Ned in reply. " The fox, ye 

 donkey ! " came in stentorian tones from the Master. 

 "I saw no fox," returned the Avhipper-in at the top 

 of his voice. "Then what the devil did you raise 

 your cap for ? " thundered the M.F.H. " To scratch me 

 head ! " stolidly replied Ned, and there was a silence 

 that could be felt before our uncontrollable laughter 

 arose. 



The unconsciously spoken truth, " I'm afraid we're 

 in for a good thing, confound it ! " blurted out by a 

 faultlessly got-up shirker as hounds poured out of 

 covert on a scent evidently of the best has become 

 almost classic. One can imagine the delight of those 

 who heard it. 



In Ireland the conversation of the foot-people when 

 a covert is being drawn, or when one meets them 

 during the progress of a run, is often delightfully 

 amusing, and one is thankful to the authors of The 

 Experiences of an Irish R.M., for preserving many 

 typically quaint sayings of the peasantry when "the 

 Hunt is out," and they are enjoying the winter amuse- 

 ment they love. The expressions used are comical 

 -to a degree, particularly when the spectators get a 

 bit excited, and the English visitor is usually consider- 

 ably edified. 



"No man," said an old gentleman by the covert-side 

 very gravely, in my hearing, — " no man is anny use 

 to folly dogs — only a fierce-goin' man through the 

 country ! " And I think it will be admitted that 

 " fierce-goin' " is delightfully original and descriptive. 



" Give me ould Watson's dogs," said a bystander, 

 when the late Earl Fitzwilliam's hounds were drawing 



