THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 



jiamely, ' Leave that to me.' In fact, Sir John said, ' Let the 

 horse be sent to my house to-morrow, and I will advance 

 the money, and with pleasure, for I think you have bought a 

 right good horse.' 



But we nuist ' Hark back ' to the harriers. They also found 

 a capital liare, and a capital run was the result. Our hero not 

 only, took the lead, but frequently pressed upon the hounds ; 

 now and then, indeed, riding abreast of the leading ones, regard- 

 less of old Dick's — 



' Pray don't press upon 'em, Mr. Raby ' — (it was no longer 

 ' Mr. Francis ') ; on the contrary, he had once the satisfaction 

 of hearing him exclaim — 



' Go along, you yelping curs ; get from under my horse's feet, 

 or I'll ride over you ! ' 



But the scent was so good, and the hounds were so good, 

 that they would not be driven off the line ; and a capital forty 

 minutes to Lord Morton's plantation was the result, no one 

 being near to them except Frank Raby and old Dick, Sir John 

 being upon a hack. But I have not done with them yet. 

 Seeing Mr. Raby, as he called him, putting his horse straight 

 at a six-barred white gate, into his lordship's plantation, 

 which he knew was always locked, the following soliloquy 

 escaped him : — 



' Surely Mr. Raby ain't agoing to jump that gate ! He's 

 over it, by the Lord ! Well, now I am done ; I never thought 

 I should have seen the man who could set me with these 

 hounds ; but I am too old, and so is Clodhopper, for white 

 plantation gates. Well, I never thought I should have come 

 to this.' 



One of the park keepers being at hand, the gate was opened, 

 and the first thing that presented itself to Dick, was our hero, 

 who had jumped some very high paling, out of the plantation, 

 into the park, standing on his feet in the middle of the pack, 

 the hare lying dead in their presence. 



' Well, Mr. Raby,' exclaimed Dick, on approaching his young 

 master, and within hearing — with a sort of gfrin on his counte- 

 nance, which I believe is called ' laughing on the wrong side of 

 the mouth ' — ' I think, sir, you needn't go to the foxhounds, 

 when you can see such a run as this with our hounds. And 

 what a hor.se, to be sure, is that there Ackillis ! ' 

 ' He's only half a good one,' said Frank. 



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