A coper's confession. 95 



equipment, g-ot the first offer at it, and worked away with 

 Lis long legs in a desperate energy, that certainly meant 

 mischief on his part ; but this was the full extent of it — 

 there was none in his little mare, who beat to a stand- 

 still, never even made an effort, but tumbled, utterly 

 powerless, into the middle, and was out of sight in an 

 instant ; while just as the gallant Captain came sputtering- 

 and puffing to the top again, / ice?it slap — ^* clean and 

 clever," over Jiis head ! 



" By the powers !" I exclaimed, in an ecstacy, as I 

 rammed in the spurs and ran up to the very sterns of the 

 pack — '- By the powers, friend Peter, but you're »wme, now 



and for ever !^' 



* * * * •* 



How long or hovv- far we had been running were matters 

 on which I could give but a very vague opinion ; my 

 total ignorance of the country preventing any decent 

 estimate of the one^ and the excitement I was labouring^ 

 under, of the other. Whether, again, the fox would 

 ever evince any sig^ns of sinking' appeared equally 

 dubious. But from these considerations my attention was 

 quickly taken in another quarter. To my great astonish- 

 ment, I really began to fancy I was getting a peep at, 

 what Mr. Green would call, ^^the left-hand" side of my 

 horse : he hit an oak-stile I put him at, with ever}^ leg- 

 he had to his body, only just saving himself from further 

 effects in a listless, Devil-me-care way, that spoke infinite 

 danger ; then he followed this up by refusing, three times 

 in succession, so unequivocally and determinedly, that I 

 felt fain to give in to him. And when, thanks to a burn- 

 ing scent, the pack made one of those beautifully sudden 

 and simultaneous turns right across the point I was 

 steering for, and compelled me to pull him into a trot, he 



