DEVON AND SOMERSET. 207 



there, because only last week I was here myself, 

 and should have stayed till now, only I could 

 not hnd anything decent to eat, and a fellow 

 must have something tasty to keep up his 

 strength. O ! murder ! Here they come again ; 

 I hear the hounds speaking at the water by 

 Poole Bridge, and there's a horn in the bottom. 

 How fast they come to be sure ! Here goes for 

 Yealscombe I Now down through the ferns, that 

 will scatter them, see if it don't. Here's a 

 beautiful sloping path. Who made all these 

 paths, I wonder, just for tine fellows like me to 

 run along when we feel disposed? I'll jog down 

 here and slip round into a quiet place I know 

 of in Halescombe, for I've got a horrid stitch 

 in my side and I don't like going much further. 

 There ; it's nice and c]uiet here at any rate. I 

 must stop and blow. Not a man about anywhere. 

 This is more like. Oh, you brute ! have you 

 found me already? I won't go a yard, but if 

 you don't hold your noisy tongue, I'll pin you 

 right to the ground. What ! more coming ! 

 And there are men too ! Dozens of them, and 

 there is a whistle blowing. This is bad. What 

 shall I do? I won't be caught! I'll go down 

 and get in the water, and there will be no 

 scent there, at any rate. How they yell ! The 

 woods are alive with men ; every place seems 

 thick with them, or hounds, or both. I can't 

 even stop to drink. Here's a good tree. I'll 



