80 A COVERT SIDE. 



"Lay in a good stock, Fairfax; no luncheon to- 

 day, recollect ; and as likely as not, a late dinner to 

 boot." 



" How far off is the meet — uck — uckle — what the 

 devil do you call it ? It is as bad as some of our Vir- 

 ginian names, which stuck so fearfully in poor Tommy 

 Moore's jaws.' 



''Uckleby Gorse. Why yes, it is almost as great a 

 jaw-breaker as ' Rappahannock,' ' Occoquan.' Oh ! 

 not more than eight miles off. We can do it in half 

 an hour easy. If we get off by eleven, or a quarter 

 before, it will be lots of time. What horse do you 

 ride first, Fairfax?" 



" 'White Moonbeam ' for my first ; and * Thunder- 

 bolt,' brother or half brother, or whatever he is, to 

 'Slasher,' for my second." 



"No one better mounted in the whole field than 

 you will be. Only mind you don't discredit them. 

 Give me a wing of that cold partridge, will you ; and, 

 Antoine, a glass of the white Maraschino. Now, par- 

 don my giving you a word or two of advice mon chere, 

 as I am an old hand here, and you a novice ; not that 

 I doubt you can sit and manage a horse as well at 

 least, very likely better than I can myself; but there 

 are two or three things that it will be just as well you 

 are put up to. In the first place, nothing is so desi- 

 rable for a man, who wants to take his own line and 

 go well to the hounds, as to get a good start, for then 

 you are out of the crowd in a twinkling, and can get 

 away with them handsomely without being either 

 crossed at your fences, or ridden over, if you chance 

 to get a fall." 



" I see — I see ; but the how — show us the how, 

 count." 



" Why, as soon as the fox is holloaed away, get re- 

 solutely forward at once ; let nothing stop you ; bet- 

 tor take two or three big ugly fences in cold blood at 



