As he trotted over the springy sward, up the gently rising
ground, he rose in his stirrups; and, laying hold of his horse's mane,
turned to survey the long-drawn, lagging field behind.
'You'll have to look sharp, my hearties,' said he to himself, as he ran
them over in his eye, and thought there might be twenty or five-and-twenty
horsemen; 'you'll have to look sharp, my hearties,' said he, 'if you mean
to get away, for Wily Tom has his hat on the ground, which shows he has put
him down, and if he's the sort of gem'man I expect he'll not be long in
cover.'
So saying, he resumed his seat in the saddle, and easing his horse,
endeavoured, by sundry dog noises--such as, 'Yooi doit, Ravager!' 'Gently,
Paragon!' 'Here again. Mercury!'--to restrain the ardour of the leading
hounds, so as to let the rebellious tail ones up and go into cover with
something like a body. This was rather a difficult task to accomplish, for
those with him being light, and consequently anxious to be doing and ready
for riot, were difficult to restrain from dashing forward; while those that
had taken their diversion and refreshment among the game, were easy whether
they did anything more or not.
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