nd Jack,
sinking exhausted on his saddle, again wiped the foam from his mouth.

His lordship then went at Sponge again.

'Oh, you sanctified, putrified, pestilential, perpendicular,
gingerbread-booted, counter-skippin' snob, you think because I'm a lord,
and can't swear or use coarse language, that you may do what you like; but
I'll let you see the contrary,' said he, brandishing his brother to Jack's
whip. 'Mark you, sir, I'll fight you, sir, any non-huntin' day you like,
sir, 'cept Sunday.'

Just then the clatter and blowing of horses was heard, and Frostyface
emerged from the wood followed by the hounds, who, swinging themselves
'forrard' over the turnips, hit off the scent and went away full cry,
followed by his lordship and Jack, leaving Mr. Sponge transfixed with
astonishment.

'Changed foxes,' at length said Sponge, with a shake of his head; and just
then the cry of hounds on the opposite bank confirmed his conjecture, and
he got to Sir Harry's in time to take up his lordship's fox.

His lordship's hounds ran into Sir Harry's fox about two miles farther on,
but the hounds would not break him up; and, on examining him, he was found
to have been aniseeded; and, worst of all, by the mark on his ear to be one
that they had turned down themselves the season before, being one of a
litter that Sly had stolen from Sir Harry's cover at Seedeygorse--a
beautiful instance of retributive justice.

CHAPTER LI

FARMER PEASTRAW'S DINE-MATINEE

There are pleasanter situations than being left alone with twenty couple of
even the best-mannered fox-hounds; far pleasanter situations than being
left alone with such a tearing, frantic lot as composed Sir Harry
Scattercash's pack. Sportsmen are so used (with some hounds at least) to
see foxes 'in hand' that they never think there is any difficulty in
getting them there; and it is only a single-handed combat with the pack
that shows them that the hound does not bring the fox up in his mouth like
a retriever. A tyro's first _tete-a-tete_ with a half-killed fox, with the
baying pack circling round, must leave as pleasing a souvenir on the
memory as Mr. Gordon Cumming would derive from his first interview with a
lion.

Our friend Mr. Sponge was now engaged with a game of 'pull devil, pull
baker' with the hounds for the fox, the difficulty of his situation being
heightened by having to contend with the impetuous temper of a
high-couraged, dangerous horse. To be sure, the g