MR. SPONGE'S SPORTING TOUR. 333 



sombre-headed firs and sweeping spruce, out of -which whirred 

 clouds of pheasants, and scuttling rabbits, and stupid hares kept 

 crossing and recrossing, to the derangement of Mr. Watchorn's 

 temper and the detriment of the unsteady pack. Squeak, squeak, 

 squeal sounded right and left, followed sometimes by the heavy retri- 

 butive hand of Justice on the offenders' hides, and sometimes by the 

 snarl, snap, and worry of a couple of hounds contending for the prey. 

 Twang, twang, twang, still went the horn ; and when the hunts- 

 man reached the unicorn-crested gates, between tea-caddy looking 

 lodges, he found himself in possession of a clear majority of his 

 unsizeable pack. Some were rather bloody to be sure, and a few 

 carried scraps of game, which fastidious masters would as soon have 

 seen them without ; but neither Sir Harry nor his huntsman 

 cared about appearances. 



On clearing the lodges, and passing about a quarter of a mile on 

 the Hardington Eoad, hedge-rows ceased, and they came upon 

 Farleyfair Downs, across which Mr. Watchorn now struck, making 

 for a square plantation, near the first hill-top, where it had been 

 arranged the bag-fox should be shook. It w T as a fine day, rather 

 brighter, perhaps, than sportsmen like, and there was a crispness 

 in the air indicative of frost, but then there is generally a burning 

 scent just before one. So thought Mr. Watchorn, as he turned his 

 feverish face up to the bright, blue sky, imbibing the fine fresh air 

 of the wide-extending downs, instead of the stale tobacco smoke of 

 the fetid beer-shop. As he trotted over the springy sward, up the 

 gently rising ground, he rose in his stirrups ; and, laying hold of his 

 horse's mane, turned to survey the long-drawn, lagging field behind. 



" You'll have to look sharp, my hearties," said he to himself, 

 as he run them over in his eye, and thought there might be twenty 

 or five-and-twenty horsemen ; " you'll have to look sharp, my 

 hearties," said he, " if you mean to get away, for Wily Tom has 

 his hat on the ground, which shows he has put him down, and if 

 he's the sort of gem'man I expect he'll not be long in cover." 



So saying, he resumed his seat in the saddle, and easing his 

 horse, endeavoured, by sundry dog noises — such as, " Yooi doit, 

 Ravager ! " " Gently, Paragon ! " " Here again, Mercury ! " — to- 

 restrain the ardour of the leading hounds, so as to let the rebellious 

 tail ones up and go into cover with something like a body. This 

 was rather a difficult task to accomplish, for those with him being 

 light, and consequently anxious to be doing and ready for riot r 

 were difficult to restrain from dashing forward ; while those that 

 had taken their diversion and refreshment among the game, were 

 easy whether they did anything more or not. 



While Watchorn was thus manoeuvring his forces Wily Tom 

 beckoned him on, and old Cruiser and Marmion, who had often 

 been at the game before, and knew what Wily Tom's hat on the 



