132 COURSING THE HARE 



The morning wore on, and shortly after luncheon 

 our dogs went to slips for their first courses. Neither 

 had run in public before (although it was February), 

 and consequently their chances did not seem })romis- 

 ing. It happened, however, that these puppies were 

 really as smart as we had judged them to be, and both 

 won ' all ends up,' to quote the familiar coursing say- 

 ing. The gamekeeper, who had been singularly silent 

 all the forenoon, having lost his tongue in what he 

 called ' foreign parts,' became both vociferous and 

 noisy after the double win, and when we found him 

 was holding forth to a little crowd, extolling the merits 

 of his charges, and loudly proclaiming that they were 

 the best dogs in England. When he saw us he 

 quickly subsided ; but there was an excitement about 

 him that did not augur well, and as they were onl}- 

 going once through the stakes that day, and conse- 

 cjucntly our dogs were not wanted until the morrow, 

 \\(i told him to take his dogs back to their temporary 

 c|uarters at once, saying that we would call on our way 

 to the railway station. 



Now it happened lliat at that time some very bad 

 characters (whose career was eventually cut short in 

 connection with the much- deplored Netherby murder), 

 were going the round of the coursing meetings and 

 we, being aware of this fact, decided to take both 



