you--no pain, I assure--over before you know it." "Come away, hounds!
come away!" was heard, and presently the huntsman, with some of the pack
at his horse's heels, issued from the wood playing _Rule, Britannia!_
on a key-bugle, while the cracks of heavy-thonged whips warned the
stragglers and loiterers to follow. "Music hath charms to soothe the
savage beast," observed Jorrocks, as he tucked the laps of his frock
over his thighs, "and I hope we shall find before long, else that
quarter of house-lamb will be utterly ruined. Oh, dear, they are going
below hill I do believe! why we shall never get home to-day, and I told
Mrs. Jorrocks half-past five to a minute, and I invited old Fleecy, who
is a most punctual man."

Jorrocks was right in his surmise. They arrived on the summit of a
range of steep hills commanding an extensive view over the neighbouring
country--almost, he said, as far as the sea-coast. The huntsman and
hounds went down, but many of the field held a council of war on the
top. "Well! who's going down?" said one. "I shall wait for the next
turn," said Jorrocks, "for my horse does not like collar work." "I shall
go this time," said another, "and the rest next." "And so will I,"
said a third, "for mayhap there will be no second turn." "Ay," added a
fourth, "and he may go the other way, and then where-shall we all be?"
"Poh!" said Jorrocks, "did you ever know a Surrey fox not take to the
hills?--If he does not, I'll eat him without mint sauce," again harping
on the quarter of lamb. Facilis descensus Averni--two-thirds of the
field went down, leaving Jorrocks, two horse-dealers in scarlet, three
chicken-butchers, half a dozen swells in leathers, a whip, and the
Yorkshireman on the summit. "Why don't you go with the hounds?" inquired
the latter of the whip. "Oh, I wait here, sir," said he, "to meet Tom
Hills as he comes up, and to give him a fresh horse." "And who is Tom
Hills?" inquired the Yorkshireman. "Oh, he's our huntsman," replied he;