d others now
forgotten, and the three white boys. And the dogs, "Ole Rattler," and
"Ole Nim-rod," who had always been old by their names, and were regarded
with reverence akin to fetich-worship because they were popularly
supposed to be able to trail a hare. It was a de-lusion, I am now
satisfied; for I cannot recall that they ever trailed one certainly
three feet. Then there were the "guard dawgs": "Hector," brindled,
bob-tailed, and ugly, and "Jerry," yellow, long-tailed, and mean; then
there was "Jack," fat, stumpy, and ill-natured; there were the two
pointers, Bruno and Don, the beauties and pride of the family, with a
pedigree like a prince's, who, like us, were taking a holiday hunt, but,
unlike us, without permission; "Rock," Uncle Limpy-Jack's "hyah dawg,"
and then the two terriers "Snip" and "Snap." We beat the banks of the
spring ditch for form's sake, though there was small chance of a hare
there, because it was pasture and the banks were kept clean. Then we
made for the old field beyond, the dogs spreading out and nosing around
lazily, each on his own hook. Whether because of the noise we made
and their seeking safety in flight, or because they were off "taking
holiday"{1} as the negroes claimed, no hares were found, and after a
half-hour our ardor was a little dampened. But we soon set to work
in earnest and began to beat a little bottom lying between two hills,
through which ran a ditch, thickly grown up with bushes and briers. The
dead swamp-grass was very heavy in the narrow little bottom along the
sides, and was matted in tufts. The dogs were scattered, and prowling
around singly or in couples; and only one of the pointers and Snip
were really on the ditch. Snip showed signs of great industry, and went
bobbing backward and forward through a patch of heavy matted grass. In
any other dog this might have excited suspicion, even hope. There are,
however, some dogs that are natural liars. Snip was one of them. Snip's
failing was so well known that no attention was paid to him. He
gave, indeed, a short bark, and bounced up two or three times like a
trap-ball, looking both ways at once; but this action only called down
upon him universal derision.

1 The hares, according to the negroes, used to take holidays
and would not go into traps in this season; so the only way
to get them was by hunting them.

Just then, however, a small boy pointed over to the top of the hill
calling, "Look-a yander,"