84 HORSES AND HOUNDS. 



suddenly appeared tlie light and airy form of a young animal of 

 this much despised race ; one look at the company sufficed, and 

 away he went down the lane, trotting, capering, and kicking up 

 his heels; the ground being undulating, sometimes his ears only 

 appeared. The attention of the young hounds became excited, 

 and one or two tried to obtain a nearer viewof the retreating 

 object. Sundry objurgations of the whipi)er-in seemed only to 

 increase their curiosity, and when he was in the act of cutting 

 Jumper's head off, or trying to do it, with his heavy whip 

 on one side of the lane, Foreman at the other made a fair 

 bolt of it, and away went the party as if running for the St. 

 Leger. The huntsman hallooing, whippers-in swearing and 

 rating, made the hounds think the game was up in right good 

 earnest, and they of course could not do less than add their 

 voices to the chorus. Donkey, thinking matters becoming 

 serious, no longer carried his head jauntily from side to side, 

 looking over his back, and giving an occasional note on his 

 trumpet, but frightened at the din in his rear, he laid his ears 

 back upon his shoulders, and set off as fast as his legs would 

 carry him, blowing his horn furiously all the way. The \yhipper- 

 in being mounted only on a pony, stuck the spurs in with fury 

 to head them, but as misfortune seldom comes singly, little 

 Mischief happened to get in the way, and down came pony and 

 whipper-in crash together, Jack undermost. "Heres a go," 

 roars the huntsman ; " pick yourself up. Jack, as soon as you 

 can, for there's a roAV and no mistake ; you haven't no bones 

 broken, I hope T " I ha'n t no bones broken that I am aware on 

 just yet," murmurs Jack ; "but somehow or other, 'taint so easy 

 to get up again ;" and no wonder, the pony's fore foot was in 

 Jack's coat-pocket ! Matters were soon adjusted, however, and 

 Jack was up, and off to the rescue, like mad, muttering more 

 anathemas against Jumper and Foreman than all the c;u'dinals 

 put together against Protestant recusants. "If I don't sarve 

 out Mr. Jumper and Foreman for this spree, my name's not 

 Jack ; and that infernal polkering donkey, if them young-uns 

 haven't already settled his business afore I gets up, I'll cut him 

 into shreds." 



Fortunately there was not much mischief done to the donkey 

 (except being pulled down) when the huntsman reached the 

 scene of action, and the hounds, satisfied with their _ freak, 

 seemed quite ashamed of themselves. Jack wreaked his ven- 

 geance upon Jumper and Foreman : and thus, as he thought, 

 the whole affair was ended — the least said about it the better. 

 But it was not so snug as Jack fancied. Upon riding through 

 the village of B- a day or two after, sundry greetings from 



