THE FINEST RUN THAT EVER WAS SEEN
[Illustration]
'Hoo-ray, Jack! Hoo-ray!' exclaimed Lord Scamperdale, bursting into his
sanctum where Mr. Spraggon sat in his hunting coat and slippers, spelling
away at a second-hand copy of _Bell's Life_ by the light of a melancholy
mould candle. 'Hooray, Jack! hooray!' repeated he, waving that proud
trophy, a splendid fox's brush, over his grizzly head.
His lordship was the picture of delight. He had had a tremendous run--the
finest run that ever was seen! His hounds had behaved to perfection; his
horse--though he had downed him three times--had carried him well, and his
lordship stood with his crownless flat hat in his hand, and one coat lap in
the pocket of the other--a grinning, exulting, self-satisfied specimen of a
happy Englishman.
'Lor! what a sight you are!' observed Jack, turning the light of the candle
upon his lordship's dirty person. 'Why, I declare you're an inch thick with
mud,' he added, 'mud from head to foot,' he continued, working the light up
and down.
'Never mind the mud, you old badger!' roared his lordship, still waving the
brush over his head: 'never mind the mud, you old badger; the mud'll come
off, or may stay on; but such a run as we've had does not come off every
day.'
'Well, I'm glad you have had a run,' replied Jack. 'I'm glad you have had a
run,' adding, 'I was afraid at one time that your day's sport was spoiled.'
'Well, do you know,' replied his lordship, 'when I saw that unrighteous
snob, I was near sick. If it were possible for a man to faint, I should
have thought I was going to do so. At first I thought of going home, taking
the hounds away too; then I thought of going myself and leaving the hounds;
then I thought if I left the hounds it would only make the sinful
scaramouch more outrageous, and I should be sitting on pins and needles
till they came home, thinking how he was crashing among them. Next I
thought of drawing all the unlikely places in the country, and making a
blank day of it. Then I thought that would only be like cutting off my nose
to spite my face. Then I didn't know what on earth to do. At last, when I
saw the critter's great pecker steadily down in his plate, I thought I
would try and steal a march upon him, and get away with my fox while he was
feeding; and, oh! how thankful I was when I looked back from Bramblebrake
Hill, and saw no signs of him in the distance.'
'It wasn't likely you'd see him,' interrupted Jack, 'for he never got away
from the front door. I twigged what you were after, and kept him up in talk
about his horses and his ridin' till I saw you were fairly away.'
'You did well,' exclaimed Lord Scamperdale, patting Jack on the back; 'you
did well, my old buck-o'-wax; and, by Jove! we'll have a bottle of port--a
bottle of port, as I live,' repeated his lordship, as if he had made up his
mind to do a most magnificent act.
'But what's happened you behind?--what's happened you behind?' asked Jack,
as his lordship turned to the fire, and exhibited his docked tail.
'Oh, hang the coat!--it's neither here nor there,' replied his lordship;
'hat neither,' he added, exhibiting its crushed proportions. 'Old
Blossomnose did the coat; and as to the hat, I did it myself--at least, old
Daddy Longlegs and I did it between us. We got into a grass-field, of
which they had cut a few roods of fence, just enough to tempt a man out of
a very deep lane, and away we sailed, in the enjoyment of fine sound sward,
with the rest of the field plunging and floundering, and holding and
grinning, and thinking what fools they were for not following my
example--when, lo and behold! I got to the bottom of the field, and found
there was no way out--no chance of a bore through the great thick, high
hedge, except at a branchy willow, where there was just enough room to
squeeze a horse through, provided he didn't rise at the ditch on the far
side. At first I was for getting off; indeed, had my right foot out of the
stirrup, when the hounds dashed forrard with such energy--looking like
running--and remembering the tremendous climb I should have to get on to
old Daddy's back again, and seeing some of the nasty jealous chaps in the
lane eyeing me through the fence, thinking how I was floored, I determined
to stay where I was; and gathering the horse together, tried to squeeze
through the hole. Well, he went shuffling and sliding down to it, as though
he were conscious of the difficulty, and poked his head quietly past the
tree, when, getting a sight of the ditch on the far side, he rose, and
banged my head against the branch above, crushing my hat right over my
eyes, and in that position he carried me through blindfold.'
'Indeed!' exclaimed Jack, turning his spectacles full upon his lordship,
and adding, 'it's lucky he didn't crack your crown.'
'It is,' assented his lordship, feeling his head to satisfy himself that he
had not done so.
'And how did you lose your tail?' asked Jack, having got the information
about the hat.
'The tail! ah, the tail!' replied his lordship, feeling behind, where it
wasn't;' I'll tell you how that was: you see we went away like blazes from
Springwheat's gorse--nice gorse it is, and nice woman he has for a
wife--but, however, that's neither here nor there; what I was going to tell
you about was the run, and how I lost my tail. Well, we got away like
winking; no sooner were the hounds in on one side than away went the fox
on the other. Not a soul shouted till he was clean gone; hats in the air
was all that told his departure. The fox thus had time to run matters
through his mind--think whether he should go to Ravenscar Craigs, or make
for the main earths at Painscastle Grove. He chose the latter, doubtless
feeling himself strong and full of running; and if we had chosen his ground
for him he could not have taken us a finer line. He went as straight as an
arrow through Bramblebrake Wood, and then away down the hill over those
great enormous pastures to Haselbury Park, which he skirted, leaving
Evercreech Green on the left, pointing as if for Dormston Dean. Here he was
chased by a cur, and the hounds were brought to a momentary check. Frosty,
however, was well up, and a hat being held up on Hothersell Hill, he
clapped forrard and laid the hounds on beyond. We then viewed the fox
sailing away over Eddlethorp Downs, still pointing for Painscastle Grove,
with the Hamerton Brook lighting up here and there in the distance.
'The field, I should tell you, were fairly taken by surprise. There wasn't
a man ready for a start; my horse had only just come down. Fossick was on
foot, drawing his girths; Fyle was striking a light to smoke a cigar on his
hack; Blossomnose and Capon's grooms were fistling and wisping their
horses; Dribble, as usual, was all behind; and altogether there was such a
scene of hurry and confusion as never was seen.
'As they came to the brook they got somewhat into line, and one saw who was
there. Five or six of us charged it together, and two went under. One was
Springwheat on his bay, who was somewhat pumped out; the other was said to
be Hook. Old Daddy Longlegs skimmed it like a swallow, and, getting his
hind-legs well under him, shot over the pastures beyond, as if he was going
upon turf. The hounds all this time had been running, or rather racing,
nearly mute. They now, however, began to feel for the scent; and, as they
got upon the cold, bleak grounds above Somerton Quarries, they were fairly
brought to their noses. Uncommon glad I was to see them; for ten minutes
more, at the pace they had been going, would have shaken off every man
Jack of us. As it was, it was bellows to mend; and Calcott's roarer roared
as surely roarer never roared before. You could hear him half a mile off.
We had barely time, however, to turn our horses to the wind, and ease them
for a few moments, before the pace began to mend, and from a catching to a
holding scent they again poured across Wallingburn pastures, and away to
Roughacres Court. It was between these places that I got my head duntled
into my hat,' continued his lordship, knocking the crownless hat against
his mud-stained knee. 'However, I didn't care a button, though I'd not worn
it above two years, and it might have lasted me a long time about home; but
misfortunes seldom come singly, and I was soon to have another. The few of
us that were left were all for the lanes, and very accommodating the one
between Newton Bushell and the Forty-foot Bank was, the hounds running
parallel within a hundred yards on the left for nearly a mile. When,
however, we got to the old water-mill in the fields below, the fox made a
bend to the left, as if changing his mind, and making for Newtonbroome
Woods, and we were obliged to try the fortunes of war in the fields. The
first fence we came to looked like nothing, and there was a weak place
right in my line that I rode at, expecting the horse would easily bore
through a few twigs that crossed the upper part of it. These, however,
happened to be twisted, to stop the gap, and not having put on enough
steam, they checked him as he rose, and brought him right down on his head
in the broad ditch, on the far side. Old Blossomnose, who was following
close behind, not making any allowance for falls, was in the air before I
was well down, and his horse came with a forefoot, into my pocket, and tore
the lap clean off by the skirt'; his lordship exhibiting the lap as he
spoke.
'It's your new coat, too,' observed Jack, examining it with concern as he
spoke.
''Deed, is it!' replied his lordship, with a shake of the head. ''Deed, is
it! That's the consequence of having gone out to breakfast. If it had been
to-morrow, for instance, I should have had number two on, or maybe number
three,' his lordship having coats of every shade and grade, from stainless
scarlet down to tattered mulberry colour.
'It'll mend, however,' observed his lordship, taking it back from Jack;
'it'll mend, however,' he said, fitting it round to the skirt as he spoke.
'Oh, nicely!' replied Jack; 'it's come off clean by the skirt. But what
said Old Blossom?' inquired Jack.
'Oh, he was full of apologies and couldn't helps it as usual,' replied his
lordship; 'he was down, too, I should tell you, with his horse on his left
leg; but there wasn't much time for apologies or explanation, for the
hounds were running pretty sharp, considering how long they had been at
work, and there was the chance of others jumping upon us if we didn't get
out of the way, so we both scrambled up as quick as we could and got into
our places again.'
'Which way did you go, then?' asked Jack, who had listened with the
attention of a man who knows every yard of the country.
'Well,' continued his lordship, casting back to where he got his fall, 'the
fox crossed the Coatenburn township, picking all the plough and
bad-scenting ground as he went, but it was of no use, his fate was sealed;
and though he began to run short, and dodge and thread the hedge-rows, they
hunted him yard by yard till he again made an effort for his life, and took
over Mossingburn Moor, pointing for Penrose Tower on the hill. Here
Frosty's horse, Little Jumper, declined, and we left him standing in the
middle of the moor with a stiff neck, kicking and staring and looking
mournfully at his flanks. Daddy Longlegs, too, had begun to sob, and in
vain I looked back in hopes of seeing Jack-a-Dandy coming up. "Well," said
I to myself, "I've got a pair of good strong boots on, and I'll finish the
run on foot but I'll see it"; when, just at the moment, the pack broke from
scent to view and rolled the fox up like a hedgehog amongst them.'
'Well done!' exclaimed Jack, adding, 'that was a run with a vengeance!'
'Wasn't it?' replied his lordship, rubbing his hands and stamping; 'the
finest run that ever was seen--the finest run that ever was seen!'
'Why, it couldn't be less than twelve miles from point to point,' observed
Jack, thinking it over.
'Not a yard,' replied his lordship, 'not a yard, and from fourteen to
fifteen as the hounds ran.'
'It would be all that,' assented Jack. 'How long were you in doing it?' he
asked.
'An hour and forty minutes,' replied his lordship; 'an hour and forty
minutes from the find to the finish'; adding, 'I'll stick the brush and
present it to Mrs. Springwheat.'
'It's to be hoped Springy's out of the brook,' observed Jack.
'To be hoped so,' replied his lordship, thinking, if he wasn't whether he
should marry Mrs. Springwheat or not.
Well now, after all that, we fancy we hear our fair friends exclaim, 'Thank
goodness, there's an end of Lord Scamperdale and his hunting; he has had a
good run, and will rest quiet for a time; we shall now hear something of
Amelia and Emily, and the doings at Jawleyford Court.' Mistaken lady! If
you are lucky enough to marry an out-and-out fox-hunter, you will find that
a good run is only adding fuel to the fire, only making him anxious for
more. Lord Scamperdale's sporting fire was in full blaze. His bumps and his
thumps, his rolls, and his scrambles, only brought out the beauties and
perfections of the thing. He cared nothing for his hat-crown, no; nor for
his coat-lap either. Nay, he wouldn't have cared if it had been made into a
spencer.
'What's to-day? Monday,' said his lordship, answering himself. 'Monday,' he
repeated; 'Monday--bubble-and-squeak, I guess--sooner it's ready the
better, for I'm half-famished--didn't do half-justice to that nice
breakfast at Springy's. That nasty brown-booted buffer completely threw me
off my feed. By the way, what became of the chestnut-booted animal?'
'Went home,' replied Jack; 'fittest place for him.'
'Hope he'll stay there,' rejoined his lordship. 'No fear of his being at
the roads to-morrow, is there?' 'None,' replied Jack. 'I told him it was
quite an impossible distance from him, twenty miles at least.'
'That's grand!' exclaimed his lordship; 'that's grand! Then we'll have a
rare, ding-dong hey--away pop. There'll be no end of those nasty, jealous,
Puffington dogs out; and if we have half such a scent as we had to-day,
we'll sew some of them up, we'll show 'em what hunting is. Now,' he added,
'if you'll go and get the bottle of port, I'll clean myself, and then we'll
have dinner as quick as we can.'