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.