A COVERT SIDE. 93 



the "Wliissendlne which you see glittering in the bot- 

 tom, and he is bank full after these rains ; that 

 covert on the hill is Billesdon Coplow, and if we have 

 any luck, with the wind as it is, that will be his point 

 to-day." 



"Hist! Beaufort!" 



*' A challenge, by all that's holy !" 



The faint whimper of a hound came up the wind, a 

 sharp, shrill, treble challenge, and then Osbaldiston's 

 scream — " Have at him — Ha-ark to Charity ! Have 

 at him !" 



" Charity, hey ?" said Magher. " All's right, then, 

 for a thousand." 



An instant of breathless silence, again Charity's 

 shrill voice, and then another, and another, and an- 

 other — 



" Ha-ark ! Ha-ark — to Vengeance ! Hark to Blue- 

 bell !" 



Now, now it is one crash of terrible, discordant, 

 furious music — and now one more scream of the 

 Squire, " Hark together !" 



"A sure find — and they are coming to us," said 

 Goodricke. 



Magher gathered up his reins, and moving a little 

 to the left, sat ready facing the fence. Holyoke 

 pulled off his gloves, and Alvanley pulled up his boots. 



The whipper-in at the corner below them, pulled off 

 his cap, and lifted it high in air. " He has broke by 

 him !" cried Dick Musgrave. "Not a word, boys, or 

 we'll have him back." 



"Tallyho! whoop! Tally ho !" burst from the lips 

 of the whipper-in ; and the next moment pug was seen 

 going straight away across the grass-field in a right 

 line for the Coplow, having broken about a hundred 

 yards to the south of the corner, where the wliipper-in 

 was waiting, and perhaps three hundred from the 



