172 IN THE GREEN LEAF 



when out for exercise was a well-known fact, 

 and it required no small amount of hard riding 

 and thonging at times to keep them from doing 

 mischief. One morning, when out on the main 

 road, they caught sight of a sweep who had 

 been down to the mansion to sweep the kitchen 

 chimney. He was plodding along one of the 

 field-paths well above the road. They sighted 

 him, roared out their challenge, and were in full 

 pursuit like a flash, followed by their attendants, 

 just as hard as the horses could gallop. Old 

 "Coomber" heard the hounds, and the shouts 

 of those that were following them ; but not 

 before they had crashed through into the large 

 field did he dream that they were after him. 

 Fortunately for him, some trees were near ; 

 down went his sweeping kit, and Coomber 

 was up one of these like a squirrel, with the 

 hounds baying him at the foot of it. 



Deer-parks and coverts for pheasants, to 

 say nothing about the large fields with their 

 partridge coveys, have a class of numerous 

 admirers whom those who look after them 

 would prefer not to see about. Desperate 

 gangs have come from the borders of one 

 county into another, got their booty, and 

 cleared off again without being seen. Their 



