60 MELTON AND HOMESPUN 



" Whisht," said Pat Lynch, " we've hunted before 

 gossoons like ye iver saw the light, an' here's ould Tim 

 O'Leary has raised (found) hares on land where larks 

 looked big as turkeys, and where ye could have hunted 

 an earwig from one march ditch to the other, for all the 

 cover there was." 



The Squire was advised of the change of ground, and, 

 acting up to his promise of the preceding week, he put 

 in an appearance at the meet, which was at Hogan's 

 Cross Roads, and that day the inhabitants of Longbally 

 heard the music of hounds within sound of their own 

 doors. 



Anxious to learn the craft of hare-hunting, young Egan 

 stuck close to old Timothy, who had the reputation of 

 knowing all that was to be learned in that particular 

 branch of the chase. 



Some likely-looking ground-cover on a scrubby hill-side 

 was first tried, but this proved blank, and during the 

 working of the hounds the young Squire was introduced 

 to some astonishing facts relative to the haunts and 

 habits of Lepus hibernicus, which it would be difficult 

 to find in any work on natural history or sport. 



A good hour was spent in drawing grassland, plough, 

 roots, stubble, and rush-covered bottoms, all of which 

 proved as blank as the hill-side. At length hounds were 

 put into a large field of turnips, and they had not been 

 at work many minutes when Pat Lynch, who, by some 

 extraordinary means, had detached himself from the 

 rest of the field, gave a " view-halloa ! " from a far corner 

 of the turnip-field. The pack, piloted by old " Doctor," 

 flew to the halloa, and no sooner were they on the line 



