34 MEMORIES OF MEN AND HORSES 



hugely delighted at the impending discomfiture of a field 

 who had thought their line better than his. 



There was nothing for it but blind confidence, so I 

 followed along a bridle-path in a direction quite opposite 

 to what seemed the right one, and suddenly we came to 

 a railway, just where there was a level crossing. 



"See that?" said Jack, pointing out the line, ex- 

 tending far into the distance, and taking the form of 

 an embankment all the way, with high, stiff rails at 

 the bottom on either side. " Them chaps'll have to 

 loup yon railroad, Ar reckon, or else coom back 

 here." 



Of course I now realised the position and pushed on 

 after Jack over the crossing, never thinking, however, 

 that we had not gone far out of our way, no matter 

 how necessarily, and expecting we should have a long 

 and fruitless ride of discovery in search of hounds. 



Jack, however, set his horse going at best pace 

 along the road, and I followed at a judicious interval, to 

 keep clear of the stones which the great chestnut sent 

 whizzing back. 



We had not gone three-quarters of a mile in this way 

 when Jack pulled up and to my amazement, admiration 

 and delight beckoned me on with one hand, while he 

 pointed forward with the other, and yelled in boisterous 

 joy : " Yonder they gan I " 



Yes, sure enough, they were even now about to cross 

 the road three hundred yards in front of us, running at 

 best pace and all by themselves. 



It then became apparent how valuable was the know- 

 ledge of the country old Jack possessed, which enabled 

 him to nick in with his hounds in this excellent manner. 

 I was overjoyed at my own luck in having chosen the 



