HEROES OF THE HUNTING-FIELD 133 



short answers had been, so I could scarcely keep my 

 countenance. It was this : A day or two before, the 

 hounds had run their fox up to the palings of a park 

 which the squire did not wish them, to enter. John, 

 however, being ignorant of this, was on his knees on 

 the ground in the act of pulling out a pale, when his 

 worthy old master came up. " Leave it alone, John," 

 said he. " Come away, John ; I tell you, I don't 

 want them to go in there, John." But as every 

 hound in the pack was at bay close to the said John's 

 back, he might just as well have halloed to the 

 pale itself ; so, raising his hunting-whip (one of the 

 old-fashioned sort, mind ye), he let the top of it drop 

 on John's right ear, just peeping out from under his 

 old buck cap. Now, on a cold morning in January, 

 or indeed at any time, this was beyond a joke, and 

 it must have been admitted to have been a stinging 

 reproof to an old and faithful servant, doing what he 

 thought was his duty to the hounds, and I question 

 whether Job himself would not have murmured at 

 it; at all events, it was beyond John's endurance, 

 naturally a most civil fellow; so, turning sharp 



round, he exclaimed, " D n your old eyes, I have 



a good mind to pull you off your horse ! " It was 

 indeed a short answer, as Mr. Chute said, and John 

 lost his place in consequence. He afterwards went 

 to live with a noble duke, who used to declare he 

 couldn't bear the sight of him, he looked so like a 

 rat-catcher ! ' 



