52 The Hvmting Field With Horse and Hound 



comes," cried Jim, "and dar" (pointing to the baseboard as if 

 he actually saw the fox again, his eyes wide open, and his chin 

 drooping with astonishment. The Colonel and the writer both 

 looked more than half expecting to see a fox sneaking past) — 

 "And dar, shu' 'nuff went past us Mr. Fox." The Colonel 

 stood up the better to see the fox as he passed. 



"On came ole Ginger," continued Jim, "bless my eyes! 

 Oh, Marster Thorpe, dat war de bes' sight of all. She war 

 not two rods from dat ole fox's tail, and all her chilen hard 

 after." 



The old lady was, as Jim said, showing her sons and daugh- 

 ters the way in great shape. This point was lost to the writer 

 at the time. It only goes to confirm what has already been 

 said about fox hunting in the Southern States, one must know 

 the whole family history, not only of the hounds, but the people 

 who hunt them in order to appreciate the game. When you do, 

 it becomes, as the reader must imagine it was in this case, inter- 

 esting beyond comparison. Let us hark back to old Ginger. 



"Good old Ginger!" cried the Colonel. "There is not her 

 equal in the State. She — " 



"Say in de worl', Marster Thorpe, say in de worl'," inter- 

 rupted the enthusiastic Jim. "If you see de way she laid 

 herself long de groun' after dat are fox, 'twould dun tickle 

 you mos' to def." 



"Did you cheer her on, Jim?" 



"Did I cheer her on! Well, Marster Thorpe, how can you 

 ask such a question? Cheer her on — I jus' dun shouted my 

 head clean off — I holler and cheer until all de woods and de 

 hills were hollering back. Yes, Sah, — I speck dey all hollering 

 yit. An' when she jus' look at me, out o' de corner of her eye, 

 as she went pas', much as to say, 'dun j^ou trouble 'bout me, 

 Jim. I dun know my business !' " And Jim with his face side- 

 ways to his master, gave him a quick look out of his big, lus- 

 trous eyes, just to show how it was done. This pleased the 



