402 FIELD AND FERN. 



hounds, and Mr. Johnstone to find a shepherd to 

 give Jack a line to follow Joe. The distance gone 

 over was not less than twenty-six miles. All the 

 people in the fields shouted as they passed, " Go on ; 

 the fox is no a hundred yards aheedP Well might 

 Joe vow, when he parted with Mr. Johnstone, ^^ I 

 never want to see another fox like thisP But for a 

 little whisky which he begged at a shepherd^s hut, 

 Joe would never have got to Thornhill at all, but he 

 reached it in his boots with a few tail hounds, while 

 the rest went on with their fox to a strong breeding 

 place, near Dame's Deer, and cast up again in 

 twenty-four hours. There was another grand run 

 last season from Brovv^n Moor to Wester Hall, where 

 they killed, 



'When old Jolly Boy and all the Cumberland 

 hounds were worked out, the Atherstone, Ruiford, 

 Durham County, and Rhug drafts came in. Monitor, 

 with his serious features, and Matchless, his sister, 

 are the pick of the pack, and of the Ehug sort, a 

 great many of which come white like Marshal, and 

 old MalakhofF, whose low. scented qualities convinced 

 Joe that he would be '^ quite a waterman^^ for Dr. 

 Grant, when he grew too slow for the Castle Milk 

 business. Talisman and Touchstone are the only 

 ones left by him. There are also one or two 

 black and tans throwing back, like Mr. Baker's, to 

 the bloodhound. Myrtle and Triumph have always 

 a good word from Joe ; " little Rally is as good a one 

 as ever ran before a stern — the best I ever bred in 



