246 MR. SPONGE'S SPORTING TOUR. 



If Puff had proposed Hollyburn Hanger, Bragg would have said 

 Rabbitborough Gorse. 



The move of the hounds caused a rush of gentlemen to their 

 horses, and there was the usual scramblings up, and fidgetings, and 

 funkings, and who-o-h&ymgs and drawing of girths, and taking up 

 of curbs, and lengthening and shortening of stirrups. 



Captain Guano couldn't get his stirrups to his liking anyhow. 

 " 'Ord hang these leathers," roared he, clutching up a stirrup-iron ; 

 " who the devil would ever have sent one out a huntin' with a pair 

 of new stirrup-leathers ? " 



" Hang you and the stirrup-leathers," growled the groom, as his 

 master rode away ; " you're always wantin' sumfin to find fault 

 with. I'm blowed if it arn't a disgrace to an oss to carry such a 

 man," added he, eyeing the chestnut fidgeting and wincing as the 

 captain worked away at the stirrups. 



Mr. Bragg trotted briskly on with the hounds, preceded by Joe 

 Banks the first whip, and having Jack Swipes the second, and 

 Tom Stot, riding together behind him, to keep off the crowd. 



Thus the cavalcade swept down the avenue, crossed the Swilling- 

 ford turnpike, and took through a well-kept field road, which 

 speedily brought them to the cover— -rough, broomy, brushwood- 

 covered banks, of about three acres in extent, lying on either side 

 of the little Hollyburn Brook, one of the tiny streams that in 

 angry times helped to swell the Swill into a river. 



" Dim all these foot people ! " exclaimed Mr. Bragg, in well- 

 feigned disgust, as he came in view, and found all the Swillingford 

 snobs, all the tinkers, and tailors, and cobblers, and poachers, and 

 sheep-stealers, all the scowling, rotten-fustianed, baggy-pocketed 

 scamps of the country ranged round the cover, some with dogs, 

 some with guns, some with snares, and all with sticks or staffs. 



" Well, I'm dimmed if ever I seed sich a " The rest of the 



speech being lost amidst the exclamations of — " A ! the hunds ! 

 the hunds ! hoop ! tally-o the hunds ! " and a general rush of the 

 ruffians to meet them. 



Captain Guano, who had now come up, joined in the denuncia- 

 tion, inwardly congratulating himself on the probability that the 

 first cover, at least, would be drawn blank. 



Tom Washball, who was riding a very troublesome tail-foremost 

 grey, also censured the proceeding. 



And Mr. Puffington, still an " amaazin' instance of a pop'lar 

 man," exclaimed, as he rode among them, " Ah ! my good fellows, 

 I'd rather you'd come up and had some ale than disturbed the 

 cover ; " a hint that the wily ones immediately took, rushing up to 

 the house, and availing themselves of the absence of the butler, who 

 had followed the hounds, to take a couple of dozen of his best 

 fiddle-handled forks while the footman was drawing them the ale. 



