- 



MORALIZING, 



23» 



What a shock such a sij^ht as this would be to 

 some of those "cracks" who hunt in the "shires." 

 For a moment, I confess, their success I did not hke, 

 but this feeling arose from innate selfishness, want 

 of regard for others, and a desire to show off. Soon 

 after this I was getting well away from my com- 

 petitors, the greater portion of the game between me 

 and the object of my pursuit had turned off to the left 

 or right, and I was commencing to feel that I was 

 getting within measurable distance of becoming 

 assured of a kill, when, to my surprise, I observed 

 the gallant William cutting into the run from an 

 oblique direction. This he had been enabled to do 

 from the chase having deviated from east to north. 

 As usual he was riding as loosely as is the habit of 

 his kindred, but his mount had stamina, for it was 

 well fed ; moreover, it had a hard taskmaster on 

 its back, who did not spare punishment. 



Soon the skirter was in my wake, and, with an 

 amount of consideration that did him unqualified 

 credit, permitted me to show him the way. This 

 did not fail to make me angry, for I can well re- 

 member muttering some reprehensible language to 

 the effect that, if I broke my neck or simply got a 

 spill, he would precious well take care to steer clear 

 of the dangerous place that had caused the accident. 

 After all, now, in reason, v\hat could I have better 

 desired ? If William had raced me for a place, and 

 beaten me in his effort, I would have well anathe- 

 matized him for his impudence and condemned him 

 to perpetual imprisonment in a certain hot region 

 we occasionally read of, and not unfrequently hear 

 preached about. Sportsmen arc pretty generally all 

 tarred over with the same brush — and I am as well 

 daubed over as the others — in our desire to dis- 

 tinguish ourselves, not caring a jot whom we sacrifice 

 to accomplish our purpose. 



By this time I was nearly alongside of a splendid 



