114 mr. sponge's sporting tour. 



" Hold hard, sir ! For God's sake, hold hard ! " screamed Frosty, 

 who knew by intuition there was a horse behind, as well as he knew 

 there was a man shooting in front, who, in all probability, had headed 

 the fox. 



" Hold hard, sir ! " roared he, as, yawning and boring and sha- 

 king his head, Parvo dashed through the now yelping scattered pack, 

 making straight for a stiff new gate, which he smashed through, just 

 as a circus pony smashes through a paper hoop. 



" Hoo-ray I " shouted Jack Spraggon, on seeing the hounds were 

 safe. " Hoo-ray for the tailor ! " 



" Billy Button himself! " exclaimed his lordship ; adding, " Never 

 saw such a thing in my life ! " 



" Who the deuce is he ? " asked Blossomnose, in the full glow of 

 pulling-fiye-year-old exertion. 



" Don't know," replied Jack : adding, " He's a shaver, whoever 

 he is." 



Meanwhile the frightened hounds were scattered right and left. 



" I'll lay a guinea he's one of those confounded writing chaps," 

 observed Fyle, who had been handled rather roughly by one of the 

 tribe, who had dropped " quite promiscuously upon a field where he 

 was, just as Sponge had done with Lord Scamperdale's. 



" Shouldn't wonder," replied his lordship, eyeing Sponge's vain 

 endeavours to turn the chesnut, and thinking how he would " pitch 

 into him " when he came up. " By Jove," added his lordship, " if 

 the fellow had taken the whole country round, he couldn't have 

 chosen a worse spot for such an exploit ; for there never is any scent 

 over here. See ! not a hound can own it. Old Harmony herself 

 throws up ! " 



The whips again are in their places, turning the astonished pack 

 to Frostyface, who sets off on a casting expedition. The field, as 

 usual, sit looking on ; some blessing Sponge ; some wondering who he 

 was; others looking what o'clock it is; some dismounting and looking 

 at their horse's feet. 



" Thank you, Mr. Brown Boots ! " exclaimed his lordship, as, by 

 dint of bitting and spurring, Sponge at length worked the beast round, 

 and came sneaking back in the face of the whole field. " Thank you, 

 Mister Brown Boots," repeated he, taking off his hat and bowing very 

 low. " Very much obliged to you, Mr. Brown Boots. Most partick- 

 larly obleged to you, Mr. Brown Boots," with another low bow. 



"Hang'd obliged to you, Mr. Brown Boots! D n you, Mr. 



Boots! " continued his lordship, looking at Sponge as if he would eat 

 him. 



" Beg pardon, sir," blurted Sponge ; " my horse " 



" Hang your horse !" screamed his lordship; " it wasn't your 

 horse that headed the fox, was it ? " 



" Beg pardon, couldn't help it ; I " 



