ed from brush-heaps and were run down, or by their speed
and agility escaped us all. The dogs got the frenzy and chased wildly,
sometimes running over them and losing them through a clever double and
dash. The old field rang with the chase until we turned our steps toward
home to get ready for the fun after dark.

We were crossing the pasture on our way home. The winter sunset sky was
glowing like burnished steel; the tops of the great clump of oaks and
hickories in which the house stood were all that we could see over the
far hill; a thin line of bluish smoke went straight up in the quiet air.
The dogs had gone on ahead, even the two or three old watch-dogs ran
after the others, with their noses in air.

The question of concealing Don and his ragged ears came up. It was
necessary to catch him and keep him from the house. We started up the
slope after him. As we climbed the hill we heard them.

"Dee got a ole hyah now; come on," exclaimed one or two of the younger
negroes; but old Limpy-Jack came to a halt, and turning his head to one
side listened.

"Heish! Dat ain' no ole hyah dey 're arter; dey 're arter Marster's
sheep--dat 's what 'tis!"

He started off at a rapid gait. We did the same.

"Yep, yep! Oun, oun, oun! Err, err, err!" came their voices in full cry.

We reached the top of the hill. Sure enough, there they were, the
fat Southdowns, tearing like mad across the field, the sound of their
trampling reaching us, with the entire pack at their heels, the pointers
well in the lead. Such a chase as we had trying to catch that pack
of mischievous dogs! Finally we got them in; but not before the whole
occurrence had been seen at the house.

The shouts that were borne to us, as rescuers began to troop across the
fields, drove our hearts down into our boots.

The return to the house was widely different from the triumph of the
out-going in the morning. It was a dejected cortege that wended its
toilsome way up the hill. Uncle Limpy-Jack basely deserted us after
getting the promise of our gold dollars, declaring that he "told dem
boys dat huntin' ole hyahs warn' no business for chillern!"

We knew that we had to "face the condign." There was no maudlin
sentiment in that region. Solomon was truly believed to have been the
wisest of men, and at least one of his decrees was still acted on in
that pious community.

The black boys were shipped off to their mammies and I fear received
their full share of "the cond