MR. SPONGE'S SPORTING TOUR. 113 



those who ride hard when there is nothing to stop them. Such time 

 as these sportsmen could now spare from looking out ahead was devo- 

 ted to Sponge, whom they eyed with the utmost astonishment, as if 

 he had dropped from the clouds. 



A stranger — a real out-and-out stranger — had not visited their 

 remote regions since the days of poor Nimrod. " Who could it be?" 

 But " the pace," as Nimrod used to say, " was too good to inquire." 

 A little further on, and Sponge drew upon the great guns of the hunt — 

 the men who ride to hounds, and not after them ; the same who had 

 criticised him through the fence — Mr. Wake, Mr. Fossick, Parson 

 Blossomnose, Mr. Fyle, Lord Scamperdale, Jack himself, and others. 

 Great was their astonishment at the apparition, and incoherent the 

 observations they dropped as they galloped on. 



" It isn't Wash, after all," whispered Fyle into Blossomnose's ear, 

 as they rode through a gate together. 



" No-o-o," replied the nose, eyeing Sponge intently. 



" What a coat ! " whispered one. 



" Jacket," replied the other. 



" Lost his brush," observed a third, winking at Sponge's docked 

 tail. 



" He's going to ride over us all," snapped Mr. Fossick, whom 

 Sponge passed at a hand-canter, as the former was blobbing and floun- 

 dering about the deep ruts leading out of a turnip-field. 



" He'll catch it just now," said Mr. Wake, eyeing Sponge drawing 

 upon his lordship and Jack, as they led the field as usual. Jack be- 

 ing at a respectful distance behind his great patron, espied Sponge first ; 

 and having taken a good stare at him through his formidable specta- 

 cles; to satisfy himself that it was nobody he knew — a stare that 

 Sponge returned as well as a man without spectacles can return the 

 stare of one with — Jack spurred his horse up to his lordship, and, ri- 

 sing in his stirrups, shot into his ear — 



" Why, here's the man on the cow ! " adding, " It isn't Washey." 



" Who the deuce is it, then ? " asked his lordship, looking over 

 his left shoulder, as he kept galloping on in the wake of his hunts- 

 man. 



" Don't know," replied Jack; " never saw him before." 



" Nor I," said his lordship, with an air, as much as to say, " It 

 makes no matter." 



His lordship, though well mounted, was not exactly on the sort 

 of horse for the country they were in ; while Mr. Sponge, in addition 

 to being on the very animal for it, had the advantage of the horse lav- 

 ing gone the first part of the run without a rider : soMultum in Par- 

 vo, whether Mr. Sponge wished it or not, insisted on bcirg as far for- 

 ward as he could ge . The more Sponge pulled and hauled, the more 

 determined the horse was; till, having thrown both Jack and his 

 lordship in the rear, he made for old Frostyface, the huntsman, who 

 was riding well up to the still-flying pack. 



