A hound is the philosopher among dogs.

These hounds were no doubt in some instances a nondescript lot, as, indeed, are several of the packs hunting the otter to-day, but there was unquestionably a good deal of Otterhound blood in them, and some pure bred hounds were also to be found.

My hound, I trow, is fleet and free, He's welcome to your deer, O; Shoot, shoot you may, He'll gang his way, Your threats we nothing fear, O." He's fetched him in, he's laid him low, Drips his lifeblood red and slow, Darkens his dreary eye, O; "Here is your beast, And now at least My herds in peace shall lie, O." "'In peace!'

The Couteulx hounds were a type bred up into a strain by Comte le Couteulx de Canteleu.

But another thing, which seems to me still more funny about this affair is, that if these Friezland hounds had been "game," we should have no Cartesian philosophy; and how we could have done without that, considering the worlds of books it has produced, I leave to any respectable trunk-maker to declare.

By the bye, I was once told by a coachman that he was sure the Bicester hounds were a first-rate pack, for he had seen in the papers that no less than four lords hunted with them.

His deer-hound was "Maida."

THE SENTINEL HOUNDS The overwhelming impression was the brilliant health and vitality of these men and the quality of their breeding.

Such hounds as Lottery and Lucifer were very typical specimens; but of late years the entries of Otterhounds have not been very numerous at the great exhibitions, and this can well be explained by the fact that they are wanted in greater numbers for active service, there being many more packs than formerlyin all, twenty-one for the United Kingdom.

THE PRINCESS HELENE V. THE BLOOD-HOUNDS ARE FED VI.

A hound that has been of great benefit to the breed in Ireland is Ch.

The hell-hound who kicked you is a Portugee, and LeVere is more nigger than anything else.

[Illustration: A BLACK BEAR TREED] To return, however, to the fact that to ride after hounds on a wild chase is a dangerous and wonderfully exhilarating experience, I will relate a couple of instances, and I will leave it to my readers to judge whether or not it is a cowardly sport.

The hound is Mr. ERNEST HENDRIE (The Man who makes Faces), well-known as The Dog in The Blue Bird.]

Each hound knew that his neighbor hound was a stranger, and, in scrutinizing the singularity of the occurrence, lost all the power of hunting.

But it's an interesting bluff, Jack, don't you think?" "Nelly, he's interesting enough to make you blush; by heaven, the hound is lookin' right at you now, Nelly!" He had pressed her suddenly against the wall

The hounds are millin' round tryin' to straighten out his trail....

19 THE SLEUTH-HOUND For the Doctor Watsons of this world, as opposed to the Sherlock Holmeses, success in the province of detective work must be, to a very large extent, the result of luck.

The Belvoir dog-hound is within very little of 24 inches instead of 23-1/2, the standard of twenty years ago, and this increase has become very general.

These hounds were no doubt in some instances a nondescript lot, as, indeed, are several of the packs hunting the otter to-day, but there was unquestionably a good deal of Otterhound blood in them, and some pure bred hounds were also to be found.

CHAPTER V THE BLOOD-HOUNDS ARE FED

Then they were down in a hard lane, where they had to slacken their pace, and through a farm where a man came shouting excitedly after them; but they had no time to stop and listen to him, for the hounds were on some ploughland, only two fields ahead.

Down the great stairway he led her proudly, through corridor and passage, until they reached the servants' hall, where the clamour of voices and baying hounds was like pandemonium; and at the sound Mistress Penwick drew back with fear.