130 HOUND AND HORN 



he sailed along with little apparent effort. Once I 

 thought I had lost him ; but he came skating down 

 a steep face, his pony sitting on its haunches with 

 its forefeet pushed out before it, and shouted, 

 ^'They're right on, and we'll have to cross the bog. 

 We'll lose them if we go round. Keep close in to 

 the edge of the haggs between the wet and the 

 dry ; you'll do fine if your mare knows them." And 

 with that he disappeared between two overhanging 

 haggs into what looked like the bed of a stream. 



Old '' Safety " had many opportunities of '^ knowing 

 them" and learning them in the next few minutes, 

 and it was not without several struggles that we 

 emerged on to harder ground. 



Three or four more hill-men were now showing 

 in front, and I rode in their tracks, watching them 

 pointing forward with their whips to where 3^ou 

 could just see the hounds fading away over the 

 farthest ridge. 



Pounding on for another mile or more, I heard 

 loud whoops, and came upon a small knot of ex- 

 cited men, who threw themselves off their horses, 

 leaving them to stand without hobbling or tying 

 up in any way, and rushed down into the hollow 

 where hounds were baying loudly and digging 

 furiously. 



" It's only a water-crack," said Dave Oliver, after 

 we had taken hounds off to some distance. '^ We'll 

 soon bolt him out of there if my brother Sandy's 

 terrier would come up." 



*' Why not try my whulp ? " said Geordie Davidson, 

 producing the said creature from a game bag which 

 he carried. 



