for a moment; but a bright thought flashed across his
brain. "Ah," said he, "if I was a young gentleman, I should go down the
north planting hedge, close to the dung-heaps; they do say there is a
sight of snakes there; but in course you young gentlemen won't go, for
as you're afraid of wopses, in course you won't like to go where there's
snakes."

"Who's afraid?" said Harry; "I'm not; come on, boys," and away they
scampered again on their new expedition; while Sam leaned upon his broom
with which he was brushing the velvet green lawn, and chuckled again at
the success of his _ruse_.

The boys armed themselves with stout sticks, and let Dick loose to take
with them; and then away down by the big fence to the north planting
Dick industriously hunting along the hedges and ditches as they went.

"Keep back, Dick!" said Harry, when they reached the manure heaps; "keep
back, sir; quiet; down, dog, down!"

But Dick was not a well-trained dog at all. He did not often come out,
and when he did he seemed to make the most of it; so every command given
by his master Dick answered by a leap, a scamper, and a bark, and doing
everything but what he was told.

"Catch hold of him, Phil; he'll frighten all the snakes away before we
see them."

But Dick would not be caught hold of, but capered about just out of
reach, and lolled his tongue out as though in derision of the efforts
made to secure him, till, growing more bold and impudent, he kept making
charges at his young masters' legs, until by one quick snatch Philip
caught the rascal by one of his ears, and so secured him in a most
ignoble manner, dragging him along with his skin all drawn on one side,
his eyes out of place, and his mouth wearing a most serio-comical
expression.

Poor Dick! he did not mean any harm; but as to being a trained and
obedient dog, he was, as I said before, nothing of the kind, and often
spoiled a great deal of sport by his wild harum-scarum ways. But now,
as he was secured, a handkerchief was tied tightly round his neck, and
another to that by way of a chain or slip, and then the search was
prosecuted.

The manure heaps were very long and large, and lay on a piece of waste
ground beside the park palings, and it was through the rents and gaps in
these pales that the snakes came out of the plantation to lay their eggs
in the warm manure; and, of course, if Master Dick had been left alone,
he would have run barking and scratching all along and ala