298 PIELD AND FERN. 



legs nice and short, his tail long and curiously curled, 

 his thighs very long, his ribs remarkably good, 

 his hocks turned in a little, and he was made like 

 Cerito about the loins. He was not only very great 

 on plough, but a wonder to climb a hill, which 

 helped him not a little when he beat Gracchus at 

 Ashdown. Killing was his weak point; he would 

 get possession of his hare, and put in some beautiful 

 wrenches, but beyond that he was not clever with 

 his teeth. Cacciattore once just beat him in a 

 trapping course, and he was thrown out at Waterloo 

 by a very bad little hare, which came short back 

 when he reached it half a dozen lengths first, instead 

 of jumping the ditch, and met the other dog in the 

 face. He was in form then, as he won the .€100." 

 Such is Mr. Nightingale's " winter tale'^ of him. 



Before calling at Mr. Borron's we walked four 

 miles by the shore almost to Tarbert Gorse, in search 

 of Picton and Cardinal York. Mr. Richmond was 

 pursuing his daily labour, and six or seven of his 

 charges were playing in the meadow near the mill. 

 Duchess, by Ptarmigan from Di Vernon, was good 

 to know from the burn on her blue skin, and had 

 made np for her Waterloo defeat by winning the 

 Douglas Cup. Marshal Forward and Silver Rays were 

 there ; and '' York ! York I" brought the yellow- 

 and-white sire of Calabaroono out of a mysterious 

 straw hut behind a door, and soon three v»^hite-and- 

 yellow daughters were grouped round liim. He and 

 Picton, Di Vernon, and Trip the Daisy made up the 



