394 mr. sponge's sporting tour. 



" Hoo-ray ! " exclaimed Captains Quod and Cutitfat, who now 

 came panting up. 



" Now, Mr. Watchorn ! " cried Captain Seedeybuck; adding, 

 " you're a huntsman ! " 



M Yooi over, Prosperous ! Yooi over, Buster ! " cheered Watch- 

 horn, still pretending anxiety about his hounds. 



" Let me have a shy," squeaked George Cheek, backing his giraffe, 

 as he had seen Mr. Sponge and Miss Glitters do. 



George took his screw by the head, and, giving him a hearty rib- 

 roasting with his whip, run him full tilt at the palings, and carried 

 away half a rood. 



" Hoo-ray ! " cried the liberated field. 



" I knew how it would be," exclaimed Mr. Watchorn, in well- 

 feigned disgust as he rode through the gap ; adding, u confounded 

 young wagabone ! Deserves to be well chaste-tised for breakin' 

 people's palin's in that way — lettin' in all the rubbishin' tail. 



The scene then changed. In lieu of the green, though hard, 

 sward of the undulating park, our friends now found themselves on 

 large frozen fallows, upon whose uneven surface the heaviest horses 

 made no impression, while the shuffling rats of ponies toiled and 

 floundered about, almost receding in their progress. Mr. Sponge was 

 just topping the fence out of the first one, and Miss Glitters was 

 gathering her horse to ride at it, as Watchorn and Co. emerged from 

 the park. Rounding the turnip hill, beyond, the leading hounds 

 were racing with a breast high scent, followed by the pack in long- 

 drawn file. 



" What a mess ! " said Watchorn to himself, shading the sun 

 from his eyes with, his hand; when, remembering his role, he ex- 

 claimed, " Y-o-o-n-der they go ! " as if in ecstasies at the sight. 

 Seeing a gate at the bottom of the field, he got his horse by the head, 

 and rattled him across the fallow, blowing his horn more in hopes of 

 stopping the pack than with a view of bringing up the tail-hounds. 

 He might have saved his breath, for the music of the pack completely 

 drowned the noise of the horn. " Dash it ! " said he, thumping the 

 broad end against his thigh ; " I wish I was quietly back in my parlour. 

 Hold v.p, horse ! " roared he, as Harkaway nearly came on his haunches 

 in pulling up at the gate. " I know who's not Cardinal Wiseman," 

 continued he, stooping to open it. 



The gate was fast, and he had to alight and lift it off its hinges. 

 Just as he had done so, and had got it sufficiently open for a horse to 

 pass, George Cheek came up from behind, and slipped through before 

 him. 



" Oh, you unrighteous young renegade ! Did ever mortal see 

 sich an uncivilized trick ? " roared Watchorn ; adding, as he climbed 

 on to his horse agaiD, and went spluttering through the frozen turnips 

 after the offender, " You've no Ymaintance with Lord John Manners, 

 I think ! " 



