132 HOUND AND HORN 



'* Whist, Geordie ; if ye mak as much noise, nae 

 fox will bolt." 



A few minutes of expectation, and then I saw 

 Geordie staring as if his eyeballs would burst, and 

 thought I caught sight of a black object slinking 

 down the bed of a small watercourse. 



*' Ta-a-a-aly-ho ! " screamed Geordie, unable to con- 

 tain himself any longer, and hounds poured away like 

 a cataract. 



*' Bi ghor, that's a ghrand tarrierh ! " said the shep- 

 herd ; " look yhonderh, he's oot close ahint him ! " 



What sliding and skating ; some going straight 

 down, some at a slant ; but all arriving at the 

 bottom somehow. 



Old " Safety " sprawled into an innocent-looking 

 green spot ; I flung myself off to ease her, and landing 

 half-way up to the knee, left my boot stuck fast in 

 the ground, clean sucked off. The amusement of 

 several of the boys was undisguised, though I did 

 not altogether appreciate the chaff to which I had to 

 submit. 



"Using Todshawhope as a boot-jack, Master?" 

 " Suffering from hot feet, sir ? " '^ Boots too tight ? " 

 and such-like poor witticisms. 



But they were sufficiently Samaritan to catch the 

 old mare, and I pulled the boot out and worked the 

 foot into it, and continued the chase, grudging very 

 much the lost minutes. 



I was not above being guided by Sandy Oliver 

 again, who to my surprise turned back towards us 

 with a set expression on his face : " We can't get 

 through the Red Cleugh ; we're far better on this 

 side of the hill." 



