e brutes had recovered the trail and
sped on, once more breaking the still air, far and wide, into deep
waves of splendid sound. Close after them, as best they might in yoke,
scuttled the younger pair, dragging each other this way and that, their
broad ears trailing to their feet, and Hardy riding close behind them,
reciting their pedigrees and their distinguishing whims.

Presently we issued from the woods, at the edge of wide fields
surrounding a plantation-house and slave-quarters, and I hoped to find
the trail broken again; but without a pause the chase turned along a
line of fence as if to half encircle the plantation. The master of the
hounds, in nervy yet placid words, explained that a runaway knew better
than to cross open ground by night and set the house-dogs a-barking.
It was only on seeing no workers in the fields that I remembered it was
Sunday, and feared intensely that the pious fugitives might have
shortened their flight.

From the plantation's farther bound we ran down a long, gentle slope of
beautiful open woods. At the bottom of it a clear stream rippled
between steep banks shrouded with strong vines. Here the scent had
failed and it was wonderful to see the docile faith and intelligence
with which the dogs resigned the whole work to their master, and
followed beside him while he sought a crossing-place for his horse.
This took many minutes, but by and by they scrambled over, he bidding
us wait where we were until the dogs should open again; and as he
started down-stream along the farther bank the older hounds, at a
single word, ran circling out before him in the tangle, electrified by
the steel-cold eagerness of his implorings.

But now, to my joy, he found their hungry snufflings as futile as his
own scrutinizings and divinations, and after following the stream until
my companions fretted openly at the delay, he dropped a note from his
horn, rode back with the four dogs, recrossed, and passed down on our
side with them at his heels, frowning at last and scanning the tangled
growth of the opposite bank.

And now again he came back: "You see, this stream runs so nigh the way
they wanted to go that there's no tellin' how fur they waded down it or
whether they was two, three, or four of 'em rej'ined together. They're
shore to 'a' been all together when they left it, but where that was
hell only knows. Come on."

We plunged across after him and followed down the farther bank, and at
the point