A DILEMMA. 189 



listened for further news. Hounds of some sort 

 seemed running from the report of the gun towards 

 me, but in vain I listened for the foxhounds whose 

 voices were known to me ; so, resolving to clear the 

 matter up, I sped for a better wind. Oh, how angry 

 I was when I found that the entire cry left in the 

 thick copse proceeded from the rogues and cripples ! 

 and when I reached that end of the cover wherein I 

 had hit off the boar, not a soul was to be seen — all, all 

 were away, and, worse than away, still down-wind of 

 me ; and not a note of the now wrongfully silent 

 French horn reached my ear to give me information. 

 I saw, however, the footsteps of M. d'Anchald's horse, 

 evidently going fast, and on those I followed the 

 thick over- lapping boughs of the old copse, under 

 which my splendid horse ducked his head, leaving me 

 to take care of them above, rattling on the hard front 

 of my hunting-hat like hail, the occasionally larger 

 ones making raps like distant fire-arms, and leaving 

 me for the moment in doubt if I did not really hear 

 more than one shot. 



Nothing would induce Coco to let a grower catch 

 his reins or meet his throat ; he would, at half 

 speed or at full trot, stoop so low to avoid it, that at 

 first it seemed as if he was falling on his head. He 

 was the best and quickest horse I ever rode through 



