299 



11 "Well, hang me if ever I saw such a fellow ! " continued Sponge, 

 thinking he would drive on if he only knew the way. 



" Chop, chop, chop, 11 continued the axe. 



"Mister Jogglebury! Mister Jogglebury Crowdey a-hooi!" 

 roared Sponge, at the top of his voice. 



The axe stopped. " Anybody comin' ? " resounded from the 

 wood. 



" You come, 11 replied Mr. Sponge. 



"Presently," was the answer; and the chop, chop, chopping was 

 resumed. 



" The man's mad," muttered Mr. Sponge, throwing himself back 

 in the seat. 



xVt length Jog appeared brushing and tearing his way out of the 

 wood, with two fine hollies under his arm. He was running down 

 with perspiration, and looked anxiously up and down the road as he 

 blundered through the fence to see if there was any one coming. 



" I really think (puff) this will make a four-in-hander (wheeze)," 

 exclaimed he, as he advanced towards the carriage, holding a holly 

 so as to show its full length — " not that I (puff, wheeze, gasp) do 

 much in that (puff, wheeze) line, but really it is such a (puff, wheeze) 

 beauty that I couldn't (puff, wheeze, gasp) resist it" 



"Well, but I thought we were going to hunt," observed Mr. 

 Sponge, drily. 



" Hunt (puff) ! so we are (wheeze) ; but there are no hounds 

 (gasp). My good (puff) man," continued he, addressing a smock- 

 frocked countryman, who now came up, " have you seen anything of 

 the hounds ? " 



" E-e-s," replied the man. " They be gone to Brookdale Plantin'." 



" Then we'd better (puff) after them," said Jog, running the stick 

 thrpugh the apron-straps, and bundling into the phaeton with the 

 long one in his hand. 



Away they rattled and jingled as before. 



" How far is it ? " asked Mr. Sponge, vexed at the detention. 



" Oh (puff) close by (wheeze)," replied Jog. 



" Close by," as most of our sporting readers well know to their 

 cost, is generally anything but close by. Nor was Jog's close by, 

 close by on this occasion. 



" There," said Jog, after they had got crawled up Trampington 

 Hill; " that's it (puff) to the right, by the (wheeze) water there," 

 pointing to a plantation about a mile off, with a pond shining at the end. 



Just as Mr. Sponge caught view of the water, the twang of a 

 horn was heard, and the hounds came pouring, full cry, out of cover, 

 followed by about twenty variously-clad horsemen, and our friend 

 had the satisfaction of seeing them run clean out of sight, over as 

 fine a country as ever was crossed. Worst of all, he thought he saw 

 Leather pounding away on the chestnut 



