100 NIMROD'S HUNTING TOUR 



See, at a cautious distance from the rest, 

 Curvets the royal Czar (1), by Steplien{2) prest — 

 Stephen, whose modest blush outvies the rose, 

 Or like a delicate red-cabbage glows. 

 And crimsons chiefly on his bottle nose ! 

 Last of the train comes on the whipper-in, 

 John Noble, mounted upon Harlequin. 

 The rest, a mingled crew, remain around. 

 Waiting in silence for the joyous sound 

 Of " Covert, hark ! Hark into covert ! " In 

 Dashes at once the pack, through thick and thin, 

 'Till the close brake, completely threaded through, 

 Presents a moving surface to the view. 

 One dog at first proclaims the scent is found — 

 " Hark, hark to Cardigan ! To him ev'ry hound ! " 

 On stirrup rais'd, " Look sharp ! " the master cries, 

 " For Cardigan's a dog that never lies ! " 

 Next Butcher's deep-mouth'd thunder swells the gale, 

 And Darling's triple yelp confirms the tale ; 

 Whilst chiming in, each hound so mute before. 

 Joins in the crash that makes the welkin roar. 

 But " Hark ! a ' Tally-ho ! ' from yonder side : 

 I saw him throuprh the bushes softly glide," 

 Says John ; " and see. Sir, there the hedge he broke. 

 Close to the corner, just before I spoke ! " 

 Pours forth th' impetuous pack with merry noise : 

 The master cheers them with his mellow voice ; 

 Whilst Stephen's notes, hoarse braying through the horn, 

 Swell the full gale that rising greets the morn. 



Old K — rs—e (3) knows the line the fox must take, 

 So straight he gallops to a distant brake : 

 There may he wait in vain till close of day, 

 For reynard's gone directly t'other way. 



And first to Chubhouse earths he speeds his course. 

 But, prest too hard, is driven thence by force : 

 His wiles are baffled, and he finds at length 

 That he must now depend upon his strength. 

 Bending his white-tipt brush, his point he makes 

 For Broadwood Kelly— next for Colstone Brakes. 



1 Czar Peter, by Sir Peter Teazle out of Xenia. He beat Prospero and 

 Witchcraft over the B. C. at Newmarket. 



2 An excellent huntsman, and most devoted admirer of the genuine Nantz. 



3 This was a favorite practice with the old gentleman, and by it he lost 

 many an excellent day's sport. He is no longer living, but in his lengthened 

 and well-spent life " he gathered golden opinions from all sorts of men." 



