226 RIDING RECOLLECTIONS. 



splashing through a glittering, shallow streamlet, still in 

 the lane, with the hounds not a bowshot from them on 

 the right. 



" And pace ? " inquires young Rapid, when his father 

 describes the run to him on Christmas-eve. " Of course 

 you had no pace with so good a point ? " 



" Pace, sir ! " answers the indignant parent ; " my 

 hounds run because they can hunt I tell you, they 

 were never off the line for an hour and three-quarters ! 

 Matthew would try to cast them once, and very nearly 

 lost his fox, but Charmer hit it off on the other side of 

 the combe and put us right. He's as like old Chal- 

 lenger as he can stick ; a deal more like than you are 

 to me" 



Young Rapid concedes the point readily, and the 

 Squire continues his narrative : " I had but eighteen 

 couple out, because of a run the week before I'll tell 

 you about it presently, five-and-thirty minutes on the 

 hills, and a kill in the open, that lamed half the pack 

 amongst the flints. You talk of pace they went fast 

 enough to have settled the best of you, I'll warrant ! but 

 I'm getting off the line I've not done with the other 

 yet. I never saw hounds work better. They came 

 away all together, they hunted their fox like a cluster 

 of bees ; swarming over every field, and every fence, they 



