136 MANAGEMENT OF HOUNDS. 



were awoke yesterday morning, quite yarley like, just as 

 it were getting grey light, by a desperate scrimmage and 

 squalling in the pig-stye. Says I to Mary, my missus — 

 you knows Mary, Sir V ' Quite well, John, and a good 

 housewife and missus she is, too, and a comely-looking 

 one into the bargain.' * Well, Sir, I says to missus, 

 ' What the dickens is the matter with the grunters ?* 

 ' Nothing the matter with them, John, they are only 

 rubbing one another up a bit ; do ye lie down again.* 

 Just then such another squeal, which Mary couldn't help 

 hearing as well. ' Odds bobs,' says I, * this'll never do ;* 

 so out I jumps, out of bed, and throws open the window 

 as looked into the yard, and what d'ye think I sees, Sir ? 

 Why, you won t never believe it ; there, a great big fox, 

 a jumping over the pig-stye hatch, with a pig of ten 

 score on his back — there now I' " Shouts of laughter 

 followed the squire's story. " Well, gentlemen," he said, 

 " 1 have not done yet. John Grubber's story about the 

 pig is quite as true as my lord's keeper's about the fawns." 

 *' Now, gentlemen," exclaimed a jovial farmer, " as the 

 squire has broached the subject, I think I can throw a 

 little more light upon it — this story of fawn-killing, I 

 mean. I happen to live just outside my lord's park, and 

 rent some land and a small brake as well, where a litter 

 of foxes is very often bred ; and there was one there 

 this last season, when all this work was mads about 

 them. Meeting with old John, the earth-stopper, we went 

 down together to the earths. In searching about, we 

 found some fish-bones, which puzzled old John exceed- 

 ingly, but I had little doubt they belonged to a turbot, 

 and said so. * Dang it,' says John, * why, measter, they 

 ban't turned fishermen as well, be they ; them sorts of 



