Mil. sponge's SPORTING TOUR. 247 



was" observed Jack ; adding, " I sold Puff him, he was one of old 

 Sugarlip's," meaning Lord Scamperdale's. 



" Sure to be a good 'un then," replied Sponge, with a wink; add- 

 ing, " I wonder if he'd like to buy any more." 



" We'll talk about that after," replied Jack, " at present let us 

 get on with our run." 



" Well," said Sponge, " Ive got it : ' Mr. Bragg, who had ridden 

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



somewhat past mark of mouth ■ ' " 



" ' Was well up with his hounds,' " continued Jack, " ' and with 

 a gently E antipole ! and a single wave of his arm, proceeded to make 

 one of those scientific casts for which this eminent huntsman is so 

 justly celebrated.' Justly celebrated!" repeated Jack, spitting on 

 the carpet with a hawk of disgust; "the conceited self-sufficient 

 bantam-cock never made a cast worth a copper, or rode a yard but 

 when he thought somebody was looking at him." 



" I've got it," said Sponge, who had plied his pen to good pur- 

 pose. 



" Justly celebrated," repeated Jack, with a snort. " Well, then, 

 say, ' Hitting off the scent like a workman,' — big H, you know, for a 

 fresh sentence, — ' they went away again at score, and passing by 

 Moorlinch farm-buildings, and threading the strip of plantation by 

 Bexley Burn, he crossed Silverbury Green, leaving Longford Hutch 

 to the right, and passing straight on by the gibbet at Harpen.' 

 Those are all bits of places," observed Jack, " that none but the 

 country folks know ; indeed, I shouldn't have known them but for 

 shootin' over them when old Bloss lived at the Green. Well now, 

 have you got all that ? " asked he. 



" ' Gibbet at Harpen,' " read Sponge, as he wrote it. 

 " ' Here, then, the gallant pack, breaking from scent to view,' " 

 continued Jack, speaking slowly, " ' run into their fox in the open 

 close upon Mountnessing Wood, evidently his point from the first, 

 and into which a few more strides would have carried him. It was 

 as fine a run as ever was seen, and the hunting of the hounds was the 

 admiration of all who saw it. The distance couldn't have been less 



than ' — than what shall we say ? " asked Jack. 



" Ten, twelve miles, as the crow flies," suggested Sponge. 

 " No," said Jack, "that would be too much. Say ten ; " adding, 

 " that will be four more than it was." 



" Never mind," said Sponge, as he wrote it; "folks like good 

 measure with runs as well as ribbons." 



" Now we must butter Old Puff," observed Spraggon. 

 " What can we say for him ? " asked Sponge ; " that he never 

 went off the road ? " 



" No, by Jove ! " said Jack ; " you'll spoil all if you do that : 

 better leave it alone altogether than do that, Say, ' the justly popu- 



