"I suppose you know best," said Tom; and then they were through the
yard, across another road, and down a steep ravine by the side of a
little copse. "He's been through them firs, any way," said Tom. "To
him, Gaylass!" Then up they went the other side of the ravine, and
saw the body of the hounds almost a field before them at the top.

"I say,--that took some of the wind out of a fellow," said Pollock.

"You mustn't mind about wind now," said Burgo, dashing on.

"Wasn't the pace awful, coming up to that farmhouse?" said Calder
Jones, looking round to see if Grindley was shaken off. But Grindley,
with some six or seven others, was still there. And there, also,
always in the next field to the left, was George Vavasor. He had
spoken no word to any one since the hunt commenced, nor had he wished
to speak to any one. He desired to sell his horse,--and he desired
also to succeed in the run for other reasons than that, though I
think he would have found it difficult to define them.

Now they had open grass land for about a mile, but with very heavy
fences,--so that the hounds gained upon them a little, and Pollock's
weight began to tell. The huntsman and Burgo were leading with some
fortunate county gentleman whose good stars had brought him in upon
them at the farmyard gate. It is the injustice of such accidents as
this that breaks the heart of a man who has honestly gone through all
the heat and work of the struggle! And the hounds had veered a little
round to the left, making, after all, for Claydon's. "Darned if the
Squire warn't right," said Tom. Sir William, though a baronet, was
familiarly called the Squire throughout the hunt.

"We ain't going for Claydon's now?" asked Burgo.

"Them's Claydon's beeches we sees over there," said Tom. "'Tain't
often the Squire's wrong."

Here they came to a little double rail and a little quick-set hedge.
A double rail is a nasty fence always if it has been made any way
strong, and one which a man with a wife and a family is justified in
avoiding. They mostly can be avoided, having gates; and this could
have been avoided. But Burgo never avoided anything, and went over it
beautifully. The difficulty is to be discreet when the man before one
has been indiscreet. Tom went for the gate, as did Pollock, who knew
that he could have no chance at the double rails. But Calder Jones
came to infinite grief, striking the top bar of the second rail,
and going head-foremost out of his saddle