nging his horse alongside of Mr.
Bragg's.

'Not so sure o' _that_,' replied Mr. Bragg, with a sneer, for he had a
great contempt for the captain. 'Not so sure o' that,' replied he, eyeing
Thunderer and Galloper feathering up the brook.

'Hang these stirrups!' exclaimed the captain, again attempting to adjust
them; adding, 'I declare I have no seat whatever in this saddle.'

'Nor in any other,' muttered Bragg. 'Yo-icks, Galloper! Yo-icks, Thunderer!
Ge-e-ntly, Warrior!' continued he, cracking his whip, as Warrior pounced at
a bunny.

The hounds were evidently on a scent, hardly strong enough to own, but
sufficiently indicated by their feathering, and the rush of their comrades
to the spot.

'A fox for a thousand!' exclaimed Mr. Bragg, eyeing them, and looking at
his watch.

'Oh, d--mn me! I've got one stirrup longer than another now!' roared
Captain Guano, trying the fresh adjustment. 'I've got one stirrup longer
than another!' added he in a terrible pucker.

[Illustration]

A low snatch of a whimper now proceeded from Galloper, and Bragg cheered
him to the echo. In another second a great banging brown fox burst from
among the broom, and dashed down the little dean. What noises, what
exclamations rent the air! 'Talli-ho! talliho! talliho!' screamed a host of
voices, in every variety of intonation, from the half-frantic yell of a
party seeing him, down to the shout of a mere partaker of the epidemic.
Shouting is very contagious. The horsemen gathered up their reins, pressed
down their hats, and threw away their cigar-ends.

''Ord hang it!' roared Captain Guano, still fumbling at the leathers, 'I
shall never be able to ride with stirrups in this state.'

'Hang your stirrups!' exclaimed Charley Slapp, shooting past him; adding,
'It was your _saddle_ last time.'

Bragg's queer tootle of his horn, for he was full of strange blows, now
sounded at the low end of the cover; and, having a pet line of gaps and
other conveniences that he knew how to turn to on the minute, he soon shot
so far ahead as to give him the appearance (to the slow 'uns) of having
flown. Brick and Swipes quickly had all the hounds after him, and Stot,
dropping his elbows, made for the road, to ride the second horse gently on
the line. The field, as usual, divided into two parts, the soft riders and
the hard ones--the soft riders going by the fields, the hard riders by the
road. Messrs. Spraggon, Sponge, Slapp, Quilter, Rasper, Crasher, Smasher,