188 MR. sponge's sporting tour. 



" There are the hounds," said his lordship, as they now approached 

 Culverton Dean, and a line of something white was discernible travel- 

 ling the zig-zagging road on the opposite side. 



" Are they, think you ? " replied Jack, staring through his great 

 spectacles ; " are they, think you ? - It looks to me more like a nock 

 of sheep." 



" I believe you're right," said his lordship, staring too ; " indeed 

 I hear the dog. The hounds, however, can't be far ahead." 



They then drew into single file to take the broken horse-track 

 through the steep woody dean. 



" This is the longest sixteen miles I know," observed Jack, as 

 they emerged from it, and overtook the sheep. 



" It is," replied his lordship, spurring his hack, who was now be- 

 ginning to lag : " the fact is, it's eighteen," he continued ; " only if I 

 was to tell Frosty it was eighteen, he would want to lay over-night, 

 and that wouldn't do. Besides the trouble and inconvenience, it 

 would spoil the best part of a five-pund note 5 and five-pund notes 

 don't grow upon gooseberry- bushes — at least not in my garden." 



" Rather scarce in all gardens just now, I think," observed Jack ; 

 " at least I never hear of anybody with one to spare." 



" Money's like snow," said his lordship, " a very meltable article ; 

 and talking of snow," he said, looking up at the heavy clouds, " I wish 

 we mayn't be going to have some — I don't like the look of things 

 overhead." 



" Heavy," replied Jack; " heavy : however, it's due about now." 



" Due or not due," said his lordship, " it's a thing one never wishes 

 to come; anybody may have my share of snow that likes — frost 

 too." 



The road, or rather track, now passed over Blobbington Moor, 

 and our friends had enough to do to keep their horses out of peat 

 holes and bogs, without indulging in conversation. At length they 

 cleared the moor, and, pulling out a gap at the corner of the inclo- 

 sures, cut across a few fields, and got on to the Stumptington turn- 

 pike. 



" The hounds are here," said Jack, after studying the muddy road 

 for some time. 



" They'll not be there long," replied his lordship, " for Grabtintoll 

 Gate isn't far a-head, and we don't waste our substance on pike3." 



His lordship was right. The imprints soon diverged up a muddy 

 lane on the right, and our sportsmen now got into a road so deep and 

 bottomless as to put the idea of stones quite out of the question. 



" Hang the road ! " exclaimed his lordship, as his hack nearly 

 came on his nose, "hang the road! " repeated he, adding, " if Puff 

 wasn't such an ass, I really think I'd give him up the cross-road 

 country." 



1 " It's bad to get at from us," observed Jack, who didn't like such 

 trashing distances. 



