obston-Green
day, and were as wild as hawks. They were ready to run anything. Furious
and Furrier tackled with a cow. Bountiful ran a black cart-colt, and made
him leap the haw-haw. Sempstress, Singwell, and Saladin (puppies), went
after some crows. Mercury took after the stable cat, while old Thunderer
and Come-by-chance (supposed to be one of Lord Scamperdale's) joined in
pursuit of a cur. Watchorn, however, did not care for these little
ebullitions of spirit, and never having been accustomed to exercise the
Camberwell and Balham Hill Union Harriers, he did not see any occasion for
troubling the fox-hounds. 'They would soon settle,' he said, 'when they got
a scent.'

It was this riotous start that diverted Sixteen-string'd Jack's attention
from our friend, and, looking out of the window, Mr. Sponge saw all the
company preparing to be off. There was the elegant Bugles mounting her
ladyship's white Arab; the brothers Spangles climbing on to their
cream-colours; Mr. This getting on to the postman's pony, and Mr. That on
to the gamekeeper's. Mr. Sponge hurried out to get to the brown ere his
anger arose at being left behind, and provoked a scene. He only just
arrived in time; for the twang of the horn, the cracks of the whips, the
clamorous rates of the servants, the yelping of the hounds, and the general
commotion, had got up his courage, and he launched out in such a way, when
Mr. Sponge mounted, as would have shot a loose rider into the air. As it
was, Mr. Sponge grappled manfully with him, and, letting the Latchfords
into his sides, shoved him in front of the throng, as if nothing had
happened. Mr. Leather then slunk back to the stables, to get out the hack
to have a hunt in the distance.

The hounds, as we said before, were desperately wild; but at length, by
dint of coaxing and cracking, and whooping and hallooing, they got some ten
couples out of the five-and-twenty gathered together, and Mr. Watchorn,
putting himself at their head, trotted briskly on, blowing most lustily, in
the hopes that the rest would follow. So he clattered along the avenue,
formed between rows of sombre-headed firs and sweeping spruce, out of which
whirred clouds of pheasants, and scuttling rabbits, and stupid hares kept
crossing and recrossing, to the derangement of Mr. Watchorn's temper, and
the detriment of the unsteady pack. Squeak, squeak, squeal sounded right
and left, followed sometimes by the heavy retributive hand of Justice on
the