’Very well, then,’ said Samuel; ’but you have lost your temper, and I’ll have no more than this round with you.’ The young men were very equally matched. They grappled once more, twisted, doubled, gasped; the ground was torn up under their feet. As the feet twirled and flew, it was hard to say how many were on the ground at once, and whose they were. Samuel suddenly caught his antagonist over the arms, and pushed them to his side. ’He’ll have Larry down! he will, by George!’ shouted several. ’Well done, Samuel! Go it, Samuel Voaden!’ ’Ha!’ shouted Sam, starting back. ’Who goes against rules? You kicked.’ ’You lie! I did not,’ ’You did! you did, Larry,’ shouted three or four of the spectators. It was true; in his excitement Larry had forgotten that he and his opponent were without skillibegs and wrestling in Cornish fashion, and he had kicked; but in good faith he had denied doing it, for he was unconscious of his actions, so blinded and bemuzzed was he with anger, disappointment, and shame. ’I’ll not wrestle any more,’ said Samuel, ’if you don’t wrestle fair. No—I won’t at all. You are in a white fury. So—if it’s unfair in you to kick, it is unfair in me to take advantage of your temper.’ ’It is not done. One or other must go down.’ Then Kate pushed forward. ’Neither of you shall attend me home,’ she said; ’I am going with little Joe only.’ Whether this would have ended the affray is doubtful. Another interruption was more successful. Suddenly a loud blast of a horn, then a yelping as of dogs, then another blast—and through the yard before the barn, breaking the ring, sweeping between the combatants, passed a strange figure—a man wearing a black bull’s hide, with long brown paper ears on his head; the hide was fastened about his waist, and the tail trailed behind. He was followed by a dozen boys barking, baying, yelping, and after them hobbled Tom Crout blowing aorn. ’It’s no good,’ said the lame fellow, halting in the broken ring; ’I can’t follow the hare, Mr. Larry Nanspian; the hunt is waiting for you. On wi’ a green coat, and mount your piebald, and take my horn. I wish I could follow; but it’s un-possible. Whew! you hare! Heigh! Piper, stay, will you, and start fair.’ ’I’ll have nothing to do with it,’ said Hillary, still panting. ’That is right, Larry,’ said Kate in his ear, ’You oughtn’t. Honor said as much, and that she hoped you would keep out of it.’ ’Did she!’ said Hillary, angrily; ’then I’ll go in for it.’ ’Larry, old chap,’ exclaimed Voaden, patting him on the shoulder, ’I wasn’t the better man, nor was you. You slipped on the dockleaf, and that don’t reckon as a fall. We’ll have another bout some other day, if you wish it. Now let us have the lark of the Hare Hunt.’