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A. BAY WITH TUB CJBBI.OJTC;
uouniiH.
DKAnl3Ki.r., — At daylight ou Tuesday mo-ning, n
friend tooled me off in hia buBgy, aud n doliuhtlul rldo
it was throngli tho rich nnd cultivated dislrici of tho
Barrabool Hills. IIa.lt way, at Mra. TIioiuhs'b much
talkcd-of coul mines, we stopped to breakfask, and then,
considerably invigorated, howled merrily along, and
reached Shank Hill an hour sooner than wo need
havo done. Ac first it loomed as if wo should
hrre a puny muster, and I folt inclined to bo
disappointed, for although the day was most lovely, and
me scenery around most pleasing, tho immediate coun
try hardly looked like hunting, and not a horseman was
to bb seen except tho half dozen that had just arrived.
Dear mo! what dissatisfied wretches we mortals are, and
what bad prophets we mako in tnundano affairs 1 At nino
o'clock, as if springing out of tho oarth liko the fabled
warriors, from broad-cast teeth, neatly appointed
'pinks' were seen approaching from all directions, and
in a few minutes a field of forty two will- mounted fel
lows were assembled. Too-oooo-oo I sounded tho cheery
horn, and soon tho eager pack carno round to the front
of tho Pub., under tho guidance of their new huntsman,
Mr. Harry Howell. Away we went to Monnglmn's pad
dock, not two miles dUtant, aud ko sooner were tho
hounds hled-In to cover, thnn they feathered amongst tho
ferns. It was at onco evident that kangaroos had boen
afoot, yet tho scent was so stale tUat
not a whisper was given, and wo drow about for
somo time, until He-well deemed it impossible, there could
bo any game in the largo onclosurc. Accordingly, cross
ing the road, we went into Sinclair's, and for an- hour
soarched about without any show of sport, except a bit
of jumping. Knowing that only about ft couplo of kan
garo»s were in tho neighbourhood, it was judged best to
ro-try Monaghan's, and fortuno mvourcd tho second at
tempt, for one of the members, who always scorns to be
tho ' right man in the right place,' tallyhoed a couplo
of long-tailed 'unj, and tho instant tho pack wero laid
on thoy burst into a swell of music as loud aud tunoful
as tho great Haadcm organ, nnd tho bat thoy dashed
off at ovor the grass was truo Loicoslerahiro going. A
snorting three- railcr put a stopper to most of tho caval
cado keeping at thoir storns, and thoy were lucky to
remain oven in hearing ; but two or threo ? er us
kept pretty straight, and after a glorious cliory
over a delightful bit of country, tho quarry stuck up
against a tree, and was pulled down by the frantic and
8creamini? hounds. In less thnn a minute Iho huntsman
and all the field camo up, and whilst tho ' hrcaking-up'
was being conducted, mutual congrntulations and anec
dotes wero handed and bandied abou» on ' hair- breadth
scapes ' and ' wondrous feat3.' One gentleman of tho
wcltcr-woight division bud a nasty fall ovor the last
jump, a heavy log fence, his horso rolling partly on to
him through having cniioned against und upjot ano
ther who was leaping tile same placo.
Having slackened girths, taken a gentle pull at our
pocket-pistols, and HKlitcd our dudeens, two portions of
tho partv wcro marshalled off to rcceivo tho attentions
of neighbouring ssttlera. In right good spirits wo
reached Geelo.12 before dark, plana being settled on tho
way to got all the hound3 together for Saturday, and go
down .to Captain Longden'a after a dingo that has been
destroying several calves. NIMliOD'S GHOST
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