296 Cross Country with Horse and Hound 



themselves full of merriment and expectation. After din- 

 ner the Master excuses himself, and is soon closeted with 

 the huntsman, who has come in to discuss plans for the 

 morrow. The county map is taken down, and also a map 

 which the Master has had specially made, on which is 

 marked every farm, lane, woodland, ravine, or brook in the 

 neighbourhood. With these spread before them, and the 

 Master's note-book at hand for reference, the two proceed 

 to work. The note-book is a complete chronicle of past 

 events, giving a history of every run, and a record of the 

 participants in it, and of every covert drawn for years past 

 — a regular log-book, in fact, and most indispensable it is, 

 too. The Master opens the consultation. 



" Well, Huntsman," he says, *' what do you think of 

 drawing the Maple Ravine ? Or shall we try the Peters 

 gully ? We had a capital run from there last year." 



" Please yourself," replies the huntsman, who has reasons 

 of his own for not drawing either place, but is politic 

 enough not to advance his own preferences. He will let 

 the Master draw these out of him to suit himself. 



" On some accounts," says the Master, '* I prefer the 

 Springer woods to either. You see, we shall have some 

 followers out with us to-morrow from the Blanck Hunt, and 

 they 're said to be devils to ride. I should like to give 

 them a ride across some of our great grass meadows. We 

 might draw the woods behind Parker's. Or what about 

 Johnston's ravine, with a chance of a run over Burden Flats?" 



" The flats have been planted with beans this year," 

 says the huntsman, " and the recent rains will make the 

 going awfully slow." 



