1 16 In Scarlet and Silk 



couple of stiles are negotiated, and again 

 water looms in sight. Five men are pretty 

 close together as we come to this, and the 

 leading horse whips round and refuses, gallop- 

 ing right across the second man, and causing 

 him to pull up sharply to avoid a collision. 



These two men are strangers, so they only 

 glare at each other, and say nothing. Then 

 the same thing exactly happens with the 

 third and fourth horses ; but the respective 

 riders of this last pair being bosom friends, 

 they proceed, forthwith, to slang each other 

 like pickpockets ! Hounds are now stream- 

 ing along a wood-side, packing closely, and 

 running as though they knew the finish was 

 near at hand. Indeed, a couple of the most 

 aged and artful — those two qualifications so 

 often go together, by the way ! — well knowing 

 this particular line, have dodged across a 

 field to the left, thus cutting off a big corner, 

 to where they know a tasty paunch awaits 

 them. But the rest stick to the scent, and 

 we follow in their train. Along the head- 

 lands of a wheat-field we go carefully ; for 



