50 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
freeze its untrampled surface, and, by the time morning came 
again, there would be a hard crust over all—hard enough to 
bear Molly Cotton’s weight at any rate. 
Now, such grand chases as we would have after her upon 
the crust! Milo’s nose was to find her in the old stubble-field, 
by the little breathing-holes through the top of her palace 
under the snow; then we had all the little dogs from the 
Quarter, who were not much heavier than she, to chase her 
on the crust. ; 
Ah! this was the greatest affair of all!—greater than 
catching her at once in her house, for here we gave Molly a 
fair start, and could see the whole chase to the end. 
Before sunrise, Pomp had assembled from the quarter the 
other young darkies, Dick, Sambo, and the rest, with their 
cur-dogs, fices, terriers, and all other kinds of light dogs, 
each one lead by a tow-string around its neck—for it would 
spoil the fun and interfere with Milo, to have them loose until 
the time came. Such a gabbling and a yelping as they made, 
the darkies and their dogs between them, when Milo and I 
came running out, and took the lead through the deep crack- 
ling snow towards the great field. 
Sometimes the snow would bear us for a moment, and then 
up somebody’s heels would fly, and such a shrieking and 
tumbling about with the laughter as there would be; then the 
eager mongrels, when they saw Milo run ahead with long high 
plunges through the snow, would yell with anger at being 
tied, and leap against their tow-leashes, or darting between 
the holder’s legs, would trip him up, and break away. Then 
there was no catching the little wretch, for he would be cun- 
ning enough not to come when his master called, just to be 
caught again, so I would have to order a halt, and call in my 
dbedient Milo, and then the runaway would be decoyed in 
reach of some one who would snatch the trailing tow-string, 
and make him prisoner once more. 
