126 THE LIFE OF A FOXHOUND. 



wind, hang me if I shall have any hope of 

 breaking up the devil's own." 



" Have you made known your plan tx) any 

 of the others? " I inquired. 



" Yes," replied my companion, " two 

 couple and a half of the right sort stand in 

 with us, and it will go hard but we'll give a 

 better account of him than he has met with 



yet." 



We had not to travel far to the meet, and 

 soon after Trimbush ceased speaking we came 

 in sight of it. The Squire had just trotted 

 up on his hack, and was dismounting at the 

 moment of our arrival. 



"Well!" said he, addressing Will 

 Sykes, *' is the devil's own to beat us again 

 to-day ? ' ' 



*' He may, sir," replied the huntsman, 

 giving a cursory glance at us, as if to direct 

 his master's attention to the draft; " but if 

 he does, I shall think Tom's suspicions are 

 right." 



" And what are they? " asked the Squire. 



** That he bears a charmed life," replied 

 Will, '* and no hounds ever bred could run 

 into him." 



Our master laughed heartily at this, and 



