SOME HUMOURS OF THE CHASE 293 



a covert in the Carlow country, " the Lord's dogs don't 

 bawl anythin' worth while." 



Those who have the happy knack of remembering 

 quaint sayings like the above, which one hears every 

 hunting day in Ireland, are much to be envied ; par- 

 ticularly if they can be induced to pull them out for 

 our edification afterwards. 



Why te-Melville delighted in an Irish story which came 

 from these parts, and he introduced it into Satanella. 

 Two country folk were admiring the horse of a well- 

 known welter squire who was always splendidly 

 mounted, and one summed up the matter by saying, 

 "Sure, ye niver see his honour but ye see a great 

 baste ! " The same squire in later years grew very 

 obese, and in England one day rode down at a fence 

 which was guarded by an excited agriculturist and 

 his myrmidons armed with pitchforks. " Let this 'un 

 coom ! " roared the farmer, — " let this 'un coom ! He's 

 sure to faall, and he'll mook half an acre o' land." 



Few hunting days pass without some very comical 

 sights coming under notice, and the humours of the 

 chase invariably crowd in when a bit of open water 

 has to be encountered ; for, somehow or other, the 

 spectacle of a fellow-creature disappearing from sight 

 beneath the waters never fails to arouse laughter, 

 which is repeated when he emerges ; particularly if 

 he lands on one side of the brook and his horse on 

 the other. This is horribly barbarous and unfeeling, 

 no doubt ; but the fact remains. 



Tom Firr's story of the gentleman who popped his 

 head up from the middle of the brook at which Tom 

 was riding, said " Cuckoo ! " and ducked under again, 



