TAKING A HINT. 365 



But times are strangely altered since those clays: 

 men's opinions are altered, consequently hounds are 

 altered; horses are equally altered, so far as their 

 breeding^ groes, and condition is altered in more than a 

 corresponding degree ; and I make no doubt even foxes 

 are altered also in a great degree ; for where hounds 

 hunt five and six days a- week in lieu of three (and for- 

 merly with some packs only two), foxes are much more 

 disturbed, and become, like a well-bred man, quickly 

 sensible to a hint. The tongue of a fox-hound, when 

 frequently heard, becomes a very palpable hint to Pug ; 

 who, if he has had a chevy or two with one of our flying 

 packs at his brush, knows it is a hint neither to be 

 misunderstood nor tampered with : such a fox, as we 

 say in coaching phrase of a free horse, " does not 

 want telling twice." Pug has, from experience of 

 the performance that generally follows, contracted 

 a great dislike to an overture of what we call music, 

 for what may be harmony to our ears, he well knows 

 bodes any tiling but harmony to him ; he is about 

 in the situation a Scotchman conceived a Frenchman 

 to be who objected to the pipes. 



An itinerant Highland piper, thinking he could 

 gratify a party of gentlemen at dinner, began playing 

 some of his national martial airs at the window : it, 

 however, happened Sandy had been most unfortunate 

 in his selection of listeners, for one of them, a French- 

 man, rushed to the window, threw it open, and ex- 

 claimed, Allez^ cochon^ otez cette pipe infernale^ " go 

 you away with your dam noise ! " 



" Eh ! " says Sandy, " you might keep a civil tongue 

 in your head, and I'd gang my ways without your 

 fashing yoursel at that gate ; but I just ken the 

 matter at once, perhaps you're one of those who 



