CUMMANSHEMENSLAIGE loi 



Friday was spent in kennels, which were visited 

 by several belated sportsmen, one or two of whom 

 let out the fact that the jubilee celebrations were 

 still in progress. 



The puddles were covered with a thin coating of 

 ice as we left the courtyard on Saturday morning, 

 and they crackled sharply under *^ Merrylass' " feet 

 as she stepped briskly away; and where the sun 

 had touched the road, the mud flew in thick flakes 

 from the wheels of the dog-cart ; and all human 

 and horse foot-marks were clear and distinct on 

 the slight peppering of snow that had dusted the 

 country overnight. My companion was a young 

 Australian, just home from the back blocks of 

 Queensland, and much interested in all the signs 

 and symptoms of rural life, and an experienced 

 tracker. 



After leaving the village we came suddenly upon 

 the youth, John Fraser, one of the most hilarious 

 of the revellers ot two nights ago. He was leading 

 a cob without a strap of harness on him by the 

 simple expedient of a muffler round its neck, and 

 was carrying a driving whip. He explained that 

 the cob's forelock had come away in his hand, and 

 he exhibited the tuft in confirmation, but offered 

 no explanation why he happened to be leading it 

 by so frail a medium. He evaded answering all 

 questions as to how he came to be reduced to this 

 pass, merely stating that he was returning to the 

 town. He was grateful to the Australian for show- 

 ing him a way of leading an unwilling horse by 

 a noose of whip-cord passed round the lip and 

 lower jaw under the tongue, and known to bush- 



