Tho' felony, yet who would let Another's horse alone, Whose neck is placed in jeopardy By riding on his own? And yet the conduct of the man Seemed honest-like and fair; For he seemed willing, horse and all, To go before the _mare_! So up on Huggins' horse he got, And swiftly rode away, While Hugging mounted on the mare, Done brown upon a bay! And off they set, in double chase, For such was fortune's whim, The farmer rode to hunt the stag, And Huggins hunted him! Alas! with one that rode so well In vain it was to strive; A dab was he, as dabs should be-- All leaping and alive! And here of Nature's kindly care Behold a curious proof, As nags are meant to leap, she puts A frog in every hoof! Whereas the mare, altho' her share She had of hoof and frog, On coming to a gate stopped short As stiff as any log; Whilst Huggins in the stirrup stood With neck like neck of crane, As sings the Scottish song--"to see The _gate_ his _hart_ had gane." And lo! the dim and distant hunt Diminished in a trice: The steeds, like Cinderella's team, Seemed dwindling into mice; And, far remote, each scarlet coat Soon flitted like a spark,-- Tho' still the forest murmured back An echo of the bark! But sad at soul John Huggins turned: No comfort could he find; While thus the "Hunting Chorus" sped, To stay five bars behind. For tho' by dint of spur he got A leap in spite of fate-- Howbeit there was no toll at all, They could not clear the gate. And, like Fitzjames, he cursed the hunt, And sorely cursed the day, And mused a new Gray's elegy On his departed gray! Now many a sign at Woodford town Its Inn-vitation tells: But Huggins, full of ills, of course, Betook him to the Wells, Where Rounding tried to cheer him up With many a merry laugh, But Huggins thought of neighbor Fig, And called for half-and-half. Yet, 'spite of drink, he could not blink Remembrance of his loss; To drown a care like his, required Enough to drown a horse. When thus forlorn, a merry horn Struck up without the door,-- The mounted mob were all returned; The Epping Hunt was o'er! And many a horse was taken out Of saddle, and of shaft; And men, by dint of drink, became The only "_beasts of draught_." For now begun a harder run On wine, and gin, and beer; And overtaken man discussed The overtaken deer. How far he ran, and eke how fast, And how at bay he stood, Deer-like, resolved to sell his life As dearly as he could; And how the hunters stood aloof, Regardful of their lives, And shunned a beast, whose very horns They knew could _handle_ knives! How Huggins stood when he was rubbed By help and ostler kind, And when they cleaned the clay before, How worse "remained behind." And one, how he had found a horse Adrift--a goodly gray! And kindly rode the nag, for fear The nag should go astray.