Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 720 pages of information about Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour.

Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 720 pages of information about Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour.

‘Hem!—­hem!—­hem!’ coughed Mr. Puffington.  ’In the way of a huntsman do you mean?’ afraid to talk of servitude to so fine a gentleman.

‘Just so,’ said Mr. Bragg, with a chuck of his head, ’just so.  The fact is, though I’m used to the grass countries, sir, and could go to the Marquis of Maneylies, sir, to-morrow, sir, I should prefer a quiet place in a somewhat inferior country, sir, to a five-days-a-week one in the best.  Five and six days a week, sir, is a terrible tax, sir, on the constitution, sir; and though, sir, I’m thankful to say, sir, I’ve pretty good ’ealth, sir, yet, sir, you know, sir, it don’t do, sir, to take too great liberties with oneself, sir’; Mr. Bragg sawing away at his hat as he spoke, measuring off a touch, as it were, to each ‘sir,’ the action becoming quick towards the end.

‘Why, to tell you the truth,’ said Puff, looking rather sheepish, ’to tell you the truth—­I intended—­I thought at least of—­of—­of—­hunting them myself.’

‘Ah! that’s another pair of shoes altogether, as we say in France,’ replied Bragg, with a low bow and a copious round of the hand to the hat.  ’That’s another pair of shoes altogether,’ repeated he, tapping his boot with his whip.

‘Why, I thought of it,’ rejoined Puff, not feeling quite sure whether he could or not.

‘Well,’ said Mr. Bragg, drawing on his dogskin glove as if to be off.

‘My friend Swellcove does it,’ observed Puff.

‘True,’ replied Bragg, ’true; but my Lord Swellcove is one of a thousand.  See how many have failed for one that has succeeded.  Why, even my Lord Scamperdale was ’bliged to give it up, and no man rides harder than my Lord Scamperdale—­always goes as if he had a spare neck in his pocket.  But he couldn’t ’unt a pack of ’ounds.  Your gen’l’men ’untsmen are all very well on fine scentin’ days when everything goes smoothly and well, and the ’ounds are tied to their fox, as it were; but see them in difficulties—­a failing scent, ’ounds pressed upon by the field, fox chased by a dog, storm in the air, big brook to get over to make a cast.  Oh, sir, sir, it makes even me, with all my acknowledged science and experience, shudder to think of the ordeal one undergoes!’

‘Indeed,’ exclaimed Mr. Puffington, staring, and beginning to think it mightn’t be quite so easy as it looked.

‘I don’t wish, sir, to dissuade you, sir, from the attempt, sir,’ continued Mr. Bragg; ’far from it, sir—­for he, sir, who never makes an effort, sir, never risks a failure, sir, and in great attempts, sir, ’tis glorious to fail, sir’; Mr. Bragg sawing away at his hat as he spoke, and then sticking the fox-head handle of his whip under his chin.

Puff stood mute for some seconds.

‘My Lord Scamperdale,’ continued Mr. Bragg, scrutinizing our friend attentively, ’was as likely a man, sir, as ever I see’d, sir, to make an ‘untsman, for he had a deal of ret (rat) ketchin’ cunnin’ about him, and, as I said before, didn’t care one dim for his neck, but a more signal disastrous failure was never recognized.  It was quite lamentable to witness his proceeding.’

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Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.