128 REMINISCENCES OF A HUNTSMAN. 



labourer, who used to attend tlie eub-hunting on foot; 

 his name was Darlowe. This boy would neither work 

 nor be kept at home if my fixture was within reach, 

 but there he was in the rides of the woods, attending 

 to the hounds, and watching for a view if needed. 

 In only seeing the hounds out, so quick was he, and 

 fond of the sport, that he learned every name in the 

 pack and knew each hound individually, in a remark- 

 ably short space of time, and could speak to them 

 like a sportsman. He pleased me very much, and 

 I thought of taking him into my service when old 

 enough ; but his appearance one morning in his 

 pursuit of learning under difficulties accelerated his 

 rise in the world, and made me employ him at once. 

 I expected him out, as Odell Wood was near his 

 cottage, but he was not there at meeting, which did 

 not much surprise me, as he had once or twice been 

 late, his appearance at cover delayed from the fact 

 of his having been locked up by his mother, to 

 prevent his going, and his being obliged to break out 

 or descend from the window of the cottage. The 

 hounds had found and were running, when all at 

 once came a figure capering all alive over the nettles, 

 with such elastic hops to escape stings, and flying 

 garments, that my startlish mare Freyia very nearly 

 bolted with me. This was the boy in nothing but 

 his shirt, the rest of his wardrobe having been taken 

 and locked up over night, by way of hostages to 

 insure his retention. In this undress, a prey to flies, 

 gnats, and harvest bugs, and. tortured by nettles, the 

 boy continued the chase, and, to save him a thrashing 

 and to reward him, I bade him tell his mother to 

 send him to the kennel that afternoon, and I would 

 take him into service as an aid to the hounds in 



