Part 2 (1/2)

The daring Hugh,been accustomed, whenever he could find time, and often indeed when he could not, to follow the fox hounds, and hunt with his landlord, the Squire hiht one of the Squire's brood , that had been sold because she had twice cast her foal On the eve of ay huo out to-et up and go with me?' My heart bounded at the proposal 'Yes,' said I

'Lord, husband,' exclaimed my mother, 'would you break the child's neck?' 'There is no fear,' retorted I 'Well said, Hugh', continued ; you are but a feather, she will carry you with ease, and will not run aith you' 'Never fear that,'

replied I, stoutly My hed, and I coaxed, intreated, and teazed, till she complied; for this was by no means the first scene of the kind

I went to bed with an overjoyed heart, and a head so full of the morrow that I was up dressed and ready the first in the house The horses were brought out, my father and I mounted, we soon came up with the sportsmen, and aent in quest of a fox

We were at first unlucky, and it was late in the day before Reynard was found; but about noon the hounds opened, he started in view, and the sport began

The chace happened to be long, heavy, and continued for er sportsman He valued himself both upon his hunter and his horsemanshi+p; and who should be first in at the death was an honour that he would contend with the keenest sportsh it were the Squire hi to lag He looked behind, called after me to push on, and I obeyed, and laid on her hip and heel, as lustily as I could My father, anxious to keep sight of me yet not lose the hounds, pulled in a little, and the hunted ani prevented fro the corner, the hindh the wood

Keeping my eye ona wrong direction, was presently entangled a the trees and brambles, and entirely at a loss I afterward learned that ht ofI should co forward in a contrary line

After s, I at last h the wood, and cah at a great distance, were still in hearing, and Bay Meg, accustomed to the sport, erected her ears and listened after theer she obeyed the whip, and increased her gallop, evidently with a desire to co they were out of hearing, she grew sulky, slackened her pace, tired, and at last fairly stood still I had been so acity to turn her head hoh with a sullen and sluggish pace

On looking round however, and considering, an I was in thecreature, house, or object in sight, except here and there a scattered shrub and a few sheep It inter, and the day was far advanced: add to this the wind had risen, and when I turned about, was in an to fall full in my eyes, half blinded me and the mare, and offended her nostrils so much that she once more wheeled about, and refused to proceed either one way or the other

Not yet quite daunted, while I was ust of wind blew offwas tall and I short, and that there was neither gate nordown, to get up again was impossible;sky, the approach of darkness, and the utter desert in which I found th conjured up the full distress of the scene, which seized upon ination, and I burst into tears

I continued sobbing, crying, and tugging at Bay Meg, till night had fairly overtaken us At last I found , which was the boundary of a race course within the distance This at first seereat difficulty I coaxed Bay Meg up to it, cli, and hoped once more to mount

But in vain; the perverse anie I was master of prevail on her to approach sideways; and if I lifted my whip, she did but run backward and pull , till quite hopeless I gave it up, and again proceeded to lead her, not knohere or in what direction I was going After a time the moon appeared, and a very indifferent afternoon was succeeded by a fine night I continued sobbing, but still proceeded, as fast as I could prevail on Bay Meg to follow ht me to a road, where the wheels had cut deep ruts, and the tread of horses had left the ridges high Here I once again essayed to mount, and by the help of the stirrup succeeded!

Still I knew not where I was, nor what to do; except that o on

I had not proceeded far before the traces of road began to diminish, and I struck into another path that seeradually disappeared, and I soon foundfor ht, hoping again to recover the track I had lost; instead of which, after riding on I know not how far, I found the heath begin to grow ain I turned, but so unfortunately that every step the , till at last she could not drag herself out My danger was extrely, better than it would me and the mare: I therefore jumped off, kept hold of the bridle, which I threw over her head, and by shi+ftingvery deep, while I continued e, and I, turning her head in a different direction as er: though I was obliged to proceed every step with the utmost precaution

Once , I had no resource but to wander I knew not whither, or lie down perishi+ng with cold on a da in Great as e to sink under it, and I went on, giving some relief to my affliction by sobs and tears

These various circuan to be far advanced; but after two or three hours of round, by the help of which with great efforts I once more contrived to ht I saw a light at a distance, which solimmer and as often disappeared Toward this however I deter it till I could catch sight of it noin the same direction for soued, and ready as I was to drop from the saddle, I entered it as joyfully as a shi+pwrecked sailor climbs a barren rock

I scarcely could disreat difficulty I could unbuckle and take off the bridle of Bay Meg: but my hands were so frost bitten and my perseverance so exhausted, that the saddle was beyond my ability I therefore shut the door, and left her to feed on what she could find; while I went and laidsome trusses of straw, that were heaped on one side

The pain of o to sleep, and, just as it was beginning to decrease and I to sluain alar tih the door, and said--'Mary! Art thou there?'--To which she replied with a sob--'Yea, Tuain afloatin the grief of the woman, and particularly in the voice of the itation I could see distinctly, for the moon shone full in at the door He entered the barn, they sat down together, and after soue

'And so, Mary, thou say'st thou beest with child?'

'Yea, Tummas, that I too surely be; the more is my hard hap'

'And what dost thou mean to do?'

'Nay, Tummas, what doon you mean to do?'