240 The Hunting Field With Horse and Hound 



yielding bank, "ding-dong" goes their tongue, as if they would 

 sooner die in the attempt than neglect to proclaim the good 

 news. Time and again some hound was thus seen going under 

 with a flounder, then bravely coming to the surface just as 

 another hound ahead of him lost liis footing and fell upon him. 

 Again he comes up like an otter, with more than half-drowned 

 breath, to try again in a different place, only to repeat the fruit- 

 less exertion. Such fortitude, such endurance, and amidst it 

 all, such manifestations of joy. The joy of hunting. It was 

 indeed a glorious sight! There is no form of hunting with 

 hounds that begins to equal this for interest and excitement. 

 Grand and inspiring as it was to the writer and most of the 

 followers, a pretty little picture was enacted at this point, 

 that showed there are still deeper feelings in human nature 

 than are brought out in the most exciting moments of tliis 

 most exciting chase. Seated on the opposite bank, along which 

 a dozen or more hounds were swimming and giving tongue, 

 were a sweetheart and her lover, oblivious alike to the "heavenly 

 music" of the eager pack and the passers-by. In the midst 

 of all they saw only each other, heard only each other. There 

 is nothing strange or unnatural about this. It was the same 

 old story, the interesting part of it was that it must have been 

 the real tiling, for if an English youth and maiden can make 

 love to each other oblivious of what was going on about them 

 on such an occasion, their affection each for the other must 

 have been "the pure quill." The writer wanted very much 

 to take a snapshot of the pair, but it seemed too good to go 

 into his wicked camera and he let it pass. All the world is in 

 love with this sort and so it should be, for — Hold hard there, 

 Author. Don't you hear the joyous cry of "Tally-ho otter" 

 from twenty rods up water, and you are not there to see the 

 first "view halloo." It serves you right, you will never make 

 an otter hunter if you run riot at a bit of love-making. 



On rushes the crowd, nearly every hound taking to land 



