332 MR. SPONGE'S SPOUTING TOUP. 



they had met, and he -was just going to ask him whether it was at 

 Offley's or the Coal Hole, when a sudden move outside attracted 

 his attention. It was the hounds. 



The huntsman's horse having at length returned from the fiddler 

 hunt, and being whisped over, and made tolerably decent, Mr. 

 Watchorn, having exchanged the postilion saddle in which it had 

 been ridden for a horn-cased hunting one, had mounted, and 

 opening the kennel-door, had liberated the pent-up pack, who came 

 tearing out full cry and spread themselves over the country, re- 

 gardless alike of the twang, twang, twang of the horn and the furious 

 onslaught of a couple of stable lads in scarlet and caps, who, true 

 to the title of "whippers-in," let drive at all they could get within 

 reach of. The hounds had not been out, even to exercise, since 

 the Snobston-Green day, and were as wild as hawks. They were 

 ready to run anything. Furious and Furrier tackled with a cow. 

 Bountiful ran a black cart-colt, and made him leap the haw-haw. 

 Sempstress, Singwell, and Saladin (puppies), went after some crows. 

 Mercury took after the stable cat, while old Thunderer and Come- 

 by-chance (supposed to be one of Lord Scarnperdale's) joined in 

 pursuit of a cur. Watchorn, however, did not care for these little 

 ebullitions of spirit, and never having been accustomed to exercise 

 the " Camberwell and Balham Hill Union Harriers," he did not 

 see any occasion for troubling the fox hounds. " They would soon 

 settle," he said, " when they got a scent." 



It was this riotous start that diverted Sixteen-string'd Jack's 

 attention from our friend, and, looking out of the window, Mr. 

 Sponge saw all the company preparing to be off. There was the 

 elegant Bugles mounting her ladyship's white Arab ; the brothers 

 Spangles climbing on to their cream-colours ; Mr. This getting on 

 to the postman's pony, and Mr. That on to the gamekeeper's. Mr. 

 Sponge hurried out to get to the brown ere his anger arose at being 

 left behind, and provoked a scene. He only just arrived in time ; 

 for the twang of the horn, the cracks of the whips, the clamorous 

 rates of the servants, the yelping of the hounds, and the general 

 commotion, had got up his courage, and he launched out in such a 

 way, when Mr. Sponge mounted, as would have shot a loose rider 

 into the air. As it was, Mr. Sponge grappled manfully with him, 

 and, letting the Latchfords into his sides, shoved him in front of the 

 throng, as if nothing had happened. Mr. Leather then slunk back 

 to the stable, to get out the hack to have a hunt in the distance. 



The hounds, as we said before, were desperately wild ; but at 

 length, by dint of coaxing and cracking, and whooping and halloo- 

 ing, they got some ten couples out of the five-and-twenty gathered 

 together, and Mr. Watchorn, putting himself at their head, trotted 

 briskly on, blowing most lustily, in the hopes that the rest would 

 follow. So he clattered along the avenue, formed between rows of 



