SOME SMOKING-ROOM YARNS 173 



the ' line/ and went belling and yowling on without 

 checking or faltering for a moment even. 



" At length we came across one o' Jim Territ's men 

 a-ploughin' in forty acres. 



" ' How far ahead are hounds ? ' yells the Master, 

 pullin' up his mount on the headland. 



' Han't seed no 'ounds, sir, but the hare ran past I 

 'bout ten minutes ago, and t' owd rough dawg yonder 

 be clean on her scent right enough,' said the man, pointing 

 toward Tiger, who was trundling along a dry water 

 furrow at about six miles an hour. 



" ' Hare, you fool ! Don't you know the difference 

 between a hare and a fox ? ' shouts the Master, as ugly- 

 tempered as a bag o' weasels. 



" ' If it wor a vox as passed me, danged if it worn't 

 the longest eared- 'un and shortest tailed- 'un as ever I 

 set eyes on ! ' replied the man, as he set his team a-goin' 

 again. 



' The Master didn't w r ait to argey the point, and off he 

 galloped again, a-squeaking his horn and a-cheerin' Tiger 

 like mad. 



" It was pretty clear to me by this time that Tiger had 

 been runnin' on the line of a hare right a way from covert, 

 and as I wasn't out for ' currant jelly ' with half a couple 

 o' hounds, I cut away sharp, left-handed, and half-an- 

 hour or so later fell in with Bill Saunders, the second 

 whip, who had been sent by the hunt secretary to look 

 for the Master. 



' Seen anythin' o' the governor ? ' asks Bill, ridin' up 

 to me. 



' Yes, left him on Territ's forty acres hare-huntin' 

 with old Tiger.' 



