176 MR. sponge's sporting tour 



among the gourmands assembled at the door — they looked blank 

 indeed. 



" What a sell ! " exclaimed Sponge, in disgust, who, with Jack, 

 saw the hopelessness of the case. 



" Yonder he goes ! " exclaimed a lad, who had run up from the 

 cover to see the hunt from the rising ground. 



" Where ? " exclaimed Sponge, straining his eye-balls. 



11 There ! " said the lad, pointing due south. " D'ye see Tommy 

 Claychop's pasture ? Now he's through the hedge, and into Mrs. 

 Starv eland's turnip-field, making right for Bramblebrake Wood on 

 the hill." 



" So he is," said Sponge, who now caught sight of the fox emerg- 

 ing from the turnips on to a grass-field beyond. 



Jack stood staring through his great spectacles, without deigning 

 a word. 



" What shall we do ? " asked Sponge. 



" Do ? " replied Jack, with his chin still up ; " go home, I should 

 think." 



" There's a man down ! " exclaimed a groom, who formed one of 

 the group, as a dark-coated rider and horse measured their length on 

 a pasture. 



"It's Mr. Sparks," said another; adding, "he's always rolling 

 about." 



" Lor, look at the parson ! " exclaimed a third, as Blossomnose 

 was seen gathering his horse and setting up his shoulders preparatory 

 to riding at a gate. 



" Well done, old 'un ! " roared a fourth, as the horse flew over it, 

 apparently without an effort. 



" Now for Tom ! " cried several, as the second whip went gallop- 

 ing up on the line of the gate. 



" Ah ! he won't have it ! " was the cry, as the horse suddenly 

 stopped short, nearly shooting Tom over his head. " Try him again 

 — try him again — take a good run — that's him — there, he's over ! " 

 was the cry, as Tom flourished his arm in the air on landing. 



" Look ! there's old Tommy Baker, the rat-ketcher ! " cried 

 another, as a man went working his arms and legs on an old white 

 pony across a fallow. 



" Ah, Tommy! Tommy! you'd better shut up," observed another: 

 " a pig could go as fast as that." 



And so they criticised the laggers. 



" How did my lord get his horse?" asked Spraggon of the groom 

 who had brought them on, who now joined the eye-straining group at 

 the door. 



" It was taken down to him at the cover," replied the man. " My 

 lord went in on foot, and the horse went round the back way. The 

 horse wasn't there half a minute before he was wanted ; for no sooner 



