iMG mr. sponge's sporting tuur. 



there,' " continued he, " ' he made a bit of a bend, as if inclining for 

 the plantations at Winstead, bnt, chaDging his mind, he faced the 

 rising ground, and crossing over nearly the highest part of Shilling- 

 ton Hill, made direct for the little village of Berriugton Roothings 

 below : ' " 



" Stop ! " exclaimed Sponge, " I haven't got half that ; I've only 

 got to ' the plantations at Winstead.' " Sponge made play with his 

 pen, and presently held it up in token of being done. 



" Well," pondered Jack, " there was a check there. Say," con- 

 tinued he, addressing himself to Sponge, " ' Here the hounds came to 

 a check.' " 



" Here the hounds came to a check," wrote Sponge. " Shall we 

 say anything about distance ? " asked he. 



" P'raps we may as well," replied Jack. " We shall have to 

 stretch it though a bit." 



" Let's see," continued he ; " from the cover to Berrington Roo- 

 things over by Shillington Hill and Fleecyhaugh Water Meadows 

 will be — say, two miles and a half or three miles at the most, — call 

 it four, well four miles, — say four miles in twelve minutes, twenty 

 miles an hour, — too quick, four miles in fifteen minutes, sixteen miles 

 an hour ; no — I think p'raps it'll be safer to lump the distance at the 

 end, and put in a place or two that nobody knows the name of, for 

 the convenience of those who were not out." 



" But those who were out will blab, won't they ?" asked Sponge. 



" Only to each other," replied Jack. " They'll all stand up for 

 the truth of it as against strangers. You need never be afraid of 

 over-eggin' the puddin' for those that were out." 



" Well, then," observed Sponge, looking at his paper to report 

 progress, " we've got the hounds to a check. * Here the hounds 

 came to a check,' " read he. 



" Ah ! now, then," said Jack, in a tone of disgust, " we must say 

 summut handsome of Bragg ; and of all conceited animals under the 

 sun, he certainly is the most conceited. I never saw such a man ! 

 How that unfortunate, infatuated master of his keeps him, I can't 

 for the life of me imagine. Master! faith, Bragg's the master" 

 continued Jack, who now began to foam at the mouth. " He laughs 

 at old Puff to his face ; yet it's wonderful the influence Bragg has 

 over him. I really believe he has talked Puff into believing that 

 there's not such another huntsman under the sun, and really he's as 

 great a muff as ever walked. He can just dress the character, and 

 that's all." So saying, Jack wiped his moutli on the sleeve of his 

 red coat preparatory to displaying Mr. Bragg upon paper. 



" Well, now we are at fault," said Jack, motioning Sponge to 

 resume ; "we are at fault; now say, 'but Mr. Bragg, who had ridden 

 gallantly on his favourite bay, as fine an animal as ever went, though 

 somewhat past mark of moutli ' He is a good horse, at least 



