A CHASE WITH MUSICAL ACCOMPANBIENT. 175 



does a footman six feet two without his shoes ; and in 

 point of real utility they are about on a par, expect to 

 be equally pampered, and are both too aristocratic to 

 hurry themselves. 



But speaking of things that really are, or rather 

 were, speedy, among my other speedy possessions 

 (many of them, " heu mihi^'' too speedy in their exit) I 

 had once a speedy donkey, and the way I became pos- 

 sessed of Jack is rather curious. I was ridino-, and 

 on a sudden heard a pattering of feet behind me, ac- 

 companied by, I think, the most discordant all-hor- 

 rible, all-monstrous, all-prodigious, unearthly noise I 

 ever heard. On looking back, I found this concate- 

 nation of sweet sounds proceded from a jackass at 

 full speed, accompanied by that amiable companion 

 for an evening's ramble, a very large bull-dog, also in 

 full career. They passed me. I believe I have seen 

 hunting in all shapes, but this was something new ; so 

 I determined to see the end of the chase. Jack, how- 

 ever, soon left Bully far behind, and I suppose he 

 thought he had also left all his troubles there : but 

 he found (as many a good man has done) that troubles 

 hang most cursedly on a scent ; and, if one actually 

 comes to a fault, some other hits it off, and " at's you 

 again." This was the case with Jack ; for no sooner 

 had he shaken off Bully, than the running was taken 

 up by a young fox-hound at his walk at a farm-house 

 — so much for the good hounds learn at walk, on 

 which I may perhaps at some future time venture a 

 hint or two. However, such was really Jack's powers 

 of going, that he also beat young sorrows-to-come into 

 the bargain, and made good his way to his master's 

 cottage. After a good mile heat at a pace that 

 quite prepared my nag for a sweat on the morrow, 



