Howbeit their wailings never moved
The wide Satanic clan,

Who grinned, as once the Devil grinned,
To see the fall of Man.

And hunters good that understood,
Their laughter knew no bounds,
To see the horses "throwing off"
So long before the hounds.

For deer must have due course of law,
Like men the Courts among;
Before those Barristers the dogs
Proceed to "giving tongue."

But now Old Robin's foes were set
That fatal taint to find,
That always is scent after him,
Yet always left behind.

And here observe how dog and man
A different temper shows:
What hound resents that he is sent
To follow his own nose?

Towler and Jowler-howlers all,
No single tongue was mute;
The stag had led a hart, and lo!
The whole pack followed suit.

No spur he lacked; fear stuck a knife
And fork in either haunch;
And every dog he knew had got
An eye-tooth to his paunch!

Away, away! he scudded like
A ship before the gale ;
Now flew to hills we know not of,

Now, nun-like, took the vale,

Another squadron charging now,
Went off at furious pitch ;-
A perfect Tam O'Shanter mob,
Without a single witch.

But who was he with flying skirts,

A hunter did endorse,

And, like a poet, seemed to ride
Upon a winged horse?

A whipper-in? no whipper-in:
A huntsman? no such soul:
A connoisseur, or amateur?
Why, yes--a horse patrol.

A member of police, for whom
The county found a nag,
And, like Acteon in the tale,
He found himself in stag!

Away they went, then, dog and deer.
And hunters all away;

The maddest horses never knew
Mad staggers such as they!

Some gave a shout, some rolled about,
And anticked as they rode;

And butchers whistled on their curs,
And milkmen Tally-ho'd!

About two score there were, or more,

That galloped in the race; The rest, alas! lay on the grass,

As once in Chevy Chase!

But even those that galloped on
Were fewer every minute;
The field kept getting more select,

Each thicket served to thin it.

F

For some pulled up, and left the hunt,
Some fell in miry bogs,

And vainly rose and "ran a muck,"
To overtake the dogs.

And some, in charging hurdle stakes,
Were left bereft of sense;

What else could be premised of blades
That never learned to fence?

But Roundings, Tom and Bob, no gate,
Nor hedge, nor ditch could stay;
O'er all they went, and did the work
Of leap-years in a day!

And by their side see Huggins ride,
As fast as he could speed;
For, like Mazeppa, he was quite
At mercy of his steed.

No means he had, by timely check,

The gallop to remit,

For firm and fast, between his teeth,

The biter held the bit.

Trees raced along, all Essex fled

Beneath him as he sate;

He never saw a county go

At such a county rate!

"Hold hard! hold hard! you'll lame the dogs!"

Quoth Huggins, "so I do ;

I've got the saddle well in hand,

And hold as hard as you!"

Good Lord! to see him ride along,
And throw his arms about,
As if with stitches in the side

That he was drawing out!

And now he bounded up and down,

Now like a jelly shook;

Till bumped and galled-yet not where Gall For bumps did ever look!

And rowing with his legs the while,

As tars are apt to ride;

With every kick he gave a prick

Deep in the horse's side!

But soon the horse was well avenged
For cruel smart of spurs,

For, riding through a moor, he pitched
His master in a furze !

Where, sharper set than hunger is,
He squatted all forlorn;

And, like a bird, was singing out
While sitting on a thorn!

Right glad was he, as well might be,
Such cushion to resign:
"Possession is nine points," but his
Seems more than ninety-nine.

Yet worse than all the prickly points
That entered in his skin,

His nag was running off the while
The thorns were running in!

Now had a Papist seen his sport,
Thus laid upon the shelf,
Although no horse he had to cross,
He might have crossed himself.

Yet surely still the wind is ill
That none can say is fair;

A jolly wight there was, that rode
Upon a sorry mare!

A sorry mare, that surely came
Of pagan blood and bone;
For down upon her knees she went
To many a stock and stone!

Now seeing Huggins' nag adrift,
This farmer, shrewd and sage,
Resolved, by changing horses here,
To hunt another stage!

Though felony, yet who would let
Another's horse alone,
Whose neck is placed in jeopardy
By riding on his own?

And yet the conduct of the man
Seemed honest-like and fair;
For he seemed willing, horse and all,
To go before the mare!

So up on Huggins' horse he got,
And swiftly rode away,

While Huggins mounted on the mare
Done brown upon a bay!

And off they set in double chase,

For such was fortune's whim, The farmer rode to hunt the stag, And Huggins hunted him!

Alas! with one that rode so well
In vain it was to strive;

A dab was he, as dabs should be-
All leaping and alive.

And here of Nature's kindly care
Behold a curious proof,

As nags are meant to leap, she puts
A frog in every hoof!