rode up, and asked me not to crack my whip, or the hounds would leave the fox and go to their huntsman. I needed nothing more than that request to tell me that there was something "rotten in the state." A foxhound ought to be so bold, when in the right, as to persist, even where differed with in opinion by the huntsman, I, once, in the deer park, in Yardley Chase, saw a hound of mine, of the oldest blood, called Duncan, hold the line of a fox through the deer. He had got through the park pales by himself, while the pack were at fault in the outer cover, and a whipper-in thought he was playing the rogue, He rode at the hound two or three times, to stop him; but so convinced was the honest animal that he was right, and the whipper-in wrong, that he lay down upon the line of scent and let the horse pass over him, rather than be driven from his purpose. I comprehended the circumstance at once, rated the man in his turn, believed the gallant hound, backed his better knowledge with the assistance of the pack, carried the line through all the foil, and killed the fox in the woods beyond. If a pack of foxhounds do not usually kill the animal they chase, you may always rely upon it there is a fault somewhere. In a recently-formed pack, over-cried by an immense quantity of young and uncertain hounds, it may so be accounted for; but if in an old establishment, the fault rests with the huntsman. There is not one man in a thousand, as elsewhere observed, who is a sufficiently good naturalist, or possessed of enough quick observation to make him a good huntsman, and able, mentally, to trace the fox when the scent serves not the nose of his hound. Fast heels, a hard head, and unflinching nerves are admirable adjuncts and aids to the success of the huntsman; but unless the brain be amply disposed to comprehend a wide field of quickly passing events and circumstances, applicable to pursuer and pursued, and completely rules the spur and hand, foxes may be frightened, but not killed; and hounds drawn over the face of a country without sport. I saw an instance, in one of our best countries, of quick heels and a slow head, which lost a fox to the body of hounds, though a few of the tail hounds killed him. The fox was dead beat, and the hounds were flinging at him in a narrow quarter of a new plantation, between me and their huntsman; we were in separate rides, and had a view each way, so that it was impossible for the fox to break without our knowledge. The huntsman and myself could see each other; and, at the moment of which I am speaking, we had viewed the fox between us; the fox lay down, the leading hounds flashed over him, and into the hill; a bird-keeping boy, in a bean-field, half a mile off, holloaed in his vocation; "Too, too, too!" went the horn; and, to my horror, off set the huntsman after the rooks, with a scream of gone away!" The fox, who always has his head about him, the moment he thought that fortune favoured him, and that all his pursuers had passed, jumped up to return over the foiled ground the way he had come; two or three tail hounds viewed and killed him, and I sat by and saw them partly break him up. Having called them away, I then joined the field, who, with the huntsman, were all set in the bean-field, damning the bird-keeper for not having seen a phantom fox, and staring at each other. Why did you run away from your victory?" I asked, "The fox is killed!" This being received with incredulous looks, of course, by those who had committed the fault, I continued— 66 Look at the faces of the three old hounds I have brought up, and if you think they are bloody from hare, get off and smell their heads." This request not being complied with, and as I could not have an assertion of mine a moment doubted, I returned to the plantation and produced the brush, the quarters, and the head of the vanquished fox, which settled the question. September 18th, 1840. (To be continued.) CHARACTERISTICS OF IRISH STEEPLE-CHASING. BY SHAMROCK. (Continued from page 182.) "WELL, Tom," said the man with the glass, "but what becomes of a man's honour in the meantime ?" "Ye kno," said Tom, "your honner, ye kno, is just the foolishest thing that ever was heerd of, ye kno; when I took to the saddle first, ye see, I used to go down in the morn and say my prayers, as I was taught, ye know, like all northern-bred ones, ye kno; and I used to think of my old mother, and the old Family Bible, and the old Prayer Book that I used to read out in the morning, ye see, before breakfast, ye kno; an I'd mind my old father's words of God bless ye, Tom, and make a good man of ye;' an ye kno, just then, I thout there was honner in the world; but, just the second race I was agoing to ride, ye see, in the southern country, one of yon earls, ye kno (he'd just as much work, ye kno, and stuff upon his carriage, with cornits, and yon other things, as would do for a sign for repeal of the Union); well, he comes to me, and sis he, Tom, my lad,' sis he, are ye going to win the day?' Well, my Lord,' sis I, 'I'd'no.' 'Well,' sis he, ye kno, yer just beg'ning to do something for yourself; and, ye know, ye can just make as much upon this race as will get yon ground for your father, and send your brothers to England, ye kno.' Well,' sis I, 'my Lord, just you shew me how, ye kno.' Well,' sis he, I'll just bet yon fool of a Lord, that ye're going to ride for, a couple of thousand on the race, and ye can stand the half of it; and ye can baulk the horse at the second fence, and I'll take care to have him and the crowd away.' Well, ye see, I thout, at first, he was trying it on with me, and sis I, 'Bit, my Lord, ye see, yon Lord has been just a father to me, and took me up, ye kno, and just put all I have in my pocket; and if I was to sell him, ye kno, my Lord, I'd just go to hright out right, ye see.' 'Bah!' sis he to me; ་ ye kno, if we don't ruin him, somebody else will; and as to going to h- for throwing a man over, why, it is what all the world are doing with one another; and, as to gratitude, it's a plant that's only made use of to plant others.' 'Well, my Lord,' sis I, 'I'll just tell you what ye kno. I'd see you and all the rest of the Lords in h- before I'd throw over yon Lord, ye know.' 'Well,' sis he, 'ye're just a fool now,' sis he; but you'll learn yet,' sis he; and now I'll go and bribe yon other jock,' sis he. 6 'Before ye go, my Lord,' sis I, 'I must just say that I'll just tell my employer.' Do,' sis he; and nobody will believe ye.' Well, ye kno, 'twas just the truth for him, ye kno; for, when I went up to my employer, and just told him the business, ye see; 'Tom,' sis he, 'ye're all right; I heard it,' sis he, 'from my Lord himself; and he says ye are tried now, and that ye are just an honest man.' 'But,' sis I, 'my Lord, I think yon other Lord was right in airnist.' O! no,' sis he, he's too honourable a man.' "Well, we went off for the race: it was four miles, twelve stone each, for £500, p. p.; and, just as I was coming along the third mile, ye see, I found yon other chap could win when he liked; so I just eased my nag, ye see, to take chance for a fall. Well, just when we were coming to the second last fence, ye see (it was just a five foot-anda-half coped and dashed wall, and no mistake), he had me beaten the whole of a long field, ye see, and I just watched him going at the wall, ye kno; and whenever his nag seen it, ye kno, he just pricked his ears and went at it like a good un. 'Well,' sis I, if I get over yon wall without goose I'm mistaken; for, ye see, my nag was just the weight of a ton on me, and I couldn't rouse him, ye see, no more than ye could a prime-minister on a quarter-day.' Well, just as his nag got within half a dozen strides of it, ye see, he just changed his hand on him, ye kno, and just right round he went, ye kno; and before ever I came up, he took him right over a large wall on the left, ye see. Well, when I seen that, ye kno, I just took up my nag's head and crammed into him, and I hustled him at the wall. Well, he just tipped his fore-legs on it, ye see, and he went out, ye kno, and just broke one of my ribs and my collar-bone, ye kno; and I got up, ye see, and took him in the other hand, ye kno, and I got him along to the last wall; and when I got there I found the country people throwing it down for me (yon country people were all tenants of yon other Lord, ye see). Well, I got him over yon, and got to scale, and while my nag was weaving (he was so tired, ye see, he couldn't stand still), yon other chap comes up with his nag, as fresh as paint, ye see, and sis he to me, 'But for yon baulk,' sis he, 'I had yon counted out,' sis he. 'I'll tell ye, my Lord,' sis I, 'what was worse than yon baulk,' sis I. 'What?' sis he. Keeping honourable company,' sis I." After the laugh which followed this declaration, Tom, looking round at a jock who was with him, and who, in form and features, could scarcely be distinguished from the snob's light jock; and, perceiving that he had not a smile upon his face, but was looking around him with a very careless air, he said, "Here's one of my own breeding, ye kno; he never thinks of nothing, ye see, but the pace; there isn't a finer bred lad in all Munster. When he was at schule, ye see, he was just what he ought to be; he just learned the English reading enough to read the Racing Calendar,' and then, ye see, he turned himself to public works, and shod cats, cobbed ushers, and ran away with the schoolmaster's daughter. There isn't a better lad in all Ireland, ye see, but, for yon pipe; it is just no food at all, ye see. I once seen a man, ye kno, so bothered with the smoke, ye see, that he didn't kno the waite for age-weights, ye see; an he asked me, ye see, what was meant by p. p., ye kno; there never was such a fool, ye see, all from the smoke, ye see." At this moment I was much astonished by the snob's entrance, attended by the old gentleman from the short grass, who, after his declaration, I thought had been erecting a private chapelof-ease on the Curragh. He came into the room with the snob, in a soft, cat-like way, which I disliked; and, after having bowed to several, established himself close to the gentleman jock, who had agreed to join the snob in the 100 to 50 against his nag. He was introduced by the snob to the youngster: the snob retired, and the old and worthy veteran commenced:-" Aum verry glaud to see ye, my deere and val-u-ed young friend," said he, "your father and I, my deere, were the greatest friends, and aum proud to see his son; there never was a better man than your father for koindness, and hospitality, and all the vartues that adorn a sportsman; an I was at his weddin, my deere, an was at your christening, my love; an if ye'll be said by me, ye'll get the betthir of those Lords who are weeting and prowling about, seeking whom they may devour; and ye'll do well, and live an honest man, and die beloved and lamented by all the good and the grate; and there's no happiness like that, my deere; for when all the world is fading from us, an all the reaces, an the horses, an the hounds, an the womin (the deevil's luck to them), are shut out, there's the comfort of saying, though death has the pull on me, now, yet I can win at the finish, and beat death; and yon old jostler, an crosser, an everything that's unsportsmanlike and baud-Old Nick, in a caumoun caunthur, ye see.'" The youngster agreed to this, and appeared very much edified by the remarks; and the old man, looking cautiously around him, continued: "Aund, my deere choild,—for ye are one, I may say, -ye must teake care aund avoid all yon jocks, for they are only just imps of the devil, ye see, and they'll be faund of ye, and koind to you, and they'll cawl ye the most elegant and onloitined gentleman, as long as they can rob ye; but, if ye can win from them, then they'll sweere crauses and jaustles again ye, and the whole of them will unite again ye, and they'll take the book for one another, my deere, as regular as a mimber of the tail bibles up for Dan; for they're desperate, my deere, and would go to the devil himself for subsistence, my deere, as the sword-fish remarked when he stuck into the shark's back for a luncheon." Whilst the operative mathematician was thus weaving his web round the youngster, the snob re-appeared, and said, "Hallo, old governor! by the bye, are not you betting all round for some friend upon tomorrow's race?" 66 Well, my deere," said the old man, "I'm just awbleedged to do so, for, just as I was going off to the short grauss, I was about to leave all the reece-horses and other foolish amusements, and to teake to my releegeon and the sheep, and to give up the cutting-whip and the greyhounds for the collie dog and the crook, and to sell awl my Reecing Caulindirs and other follies, I gaught a letthir from an auld friend, and as he auskid me, for the laust time, just to make a book for him, I stopped to do so, and to geeve evury mon, my deere, his just and honist chaunce, me deere." "Well, and what odds will you bet me against my young friend's nag here?" "Whoi, my deere, ye see he's the most perilous naug in the reace, my deere, for he'll be ridden by his owner here, and koind fawther for him to ride well; and the naug is a good naug, aund well bred as Eclipse, my deere, and has awl the speed of the Drones, with the stoutness and the leaping of the Amethysts, 66 66 which is the best in awl Ireland, my deere; and so I'd rathir not to bet against him at all, my deere." Come, by the aymancipashin, I'll take your £100 to 40." "Couldn't, my deere, for I should git on to a large amount to meake him up in my book, my choild; bit I'll tell you what, Charley, I'll bet you £200 to 100 again him, naut that I wish him to lose, bit that I may do awl right and square for my friend at the short grauss." At the mention of the increased amount of odds, the snob took the youngster aside, and said to him, "Look now, by the book, we have the old man done brown; my horse is dead amiss, your cousin's horse you can beat easy, there is nothing else in the race, join me, and we will take the £200 to 100." "No," said the youngster, "not until I speak to the old gentleman myself." Sir," said he, addressing himself to the octogenarian, "I should be sorry to take you in, or any gentleman of your age and respectable appearance; especially as an old friend of my poor father's: I think it but right to tell you that this gentleman's horse is amiss, and that I have had a private trial with my cousin's horse, which I beat; and as there is nothing else good in the race, I consider it wrong to accept your offer of the £200 to 100." "My deere child," said the veteran in reply, "ye are an honest son of your father's, and, loike him, an uproight, good man, and I honor ye, bit it is all the seame to me, for awm betting all round for my friend, and I'll give you the bet; and that you may win it, and that the luck may follow you all over the world, prays old Jem of the short grauss.' "Well, sir, then-done!" "Done! my deere." The youngster booked the bet, and walked off; and the snob, looking at the octogenarian, said, "Here is the ten I offered you for the job; it was well done." Never say well done, my deere," quoth the old sinner, pocketing the cash, "until the steak is on the table; I've only done my duty by you, my child; aus to his fauther I never either saw or heard of him before, but ye see, I saw, at once, he was a promising tulip, and may all such show flowers never want an experienced hand to plant them.' (To be continued.) A BLESSED SPOT: FROM AN EPIGRAM OF ABULFADHIL RECORDED IN D'HERBELOT. (An unpublished translation, by Percy Bysshe Shelley.) HAMADAN is my native place, It merits, for its ugly face, Its children equal its old men, In vices and avidity ; And they reflect the babes again, |