Now, observe, shooting cats is one thing, and hunting them is another--and shooting and hunting, though they may be united, are here treated separately; so, in the present case, the cat makes her escape. But get her watching birds--young larks, perhaps, walking on the lea--or young linnets hanging on the broom--down-by yonder in the holm lands, where there are no trees, except indeed that one glorious single tree, the Golden Oak, and he is guarded by Glowrer, and then what a most capital chase! Stretching herself up with crooked back, as if taking a yawn--off she jumps, with tremendous spangs, and tail, thickened with fear and anger, perpendicular. Youf--youf--youf--go the terriers--head-over-heels perhaps in their fury--and are not long in turning her--and bringing her to bay at the hedge-root, all ablaze and abristle. A she-devil incarnate! Hark--all at once now strikes up a trio--Catalani caterwauling the treble--Glowrer taking the bass, and Tearer the tenor--a cruel concert cut short by a squalling throttler. Away--away along the holm--and over the knowe--and into the wood--for lo! the gudewife, brandishing a besom, comes flying demented without her mutch, down to the murder of her Tabby--her son, a stout stripling, is seen skirting the potato-field to intercept our flight--and, most formidable of all foes, the Man of the House himself, in his shirt sleeves and flail in his hand, bolts from the barn, down the croft, across the burn, and up the brae, to cut us off from the Manse. The hunt's up--and 'tis a capital steeple-chase. Disperse--disperse! Down the hill, Jack--up the hill, Gill--dive the dell, Kit--thread the wood, Pat--a hundred yards' start is a great matter--a stern chase is always a long chase--schoolboys are generally in prime wind--the old man begins to puff, and blow, and snort, and put his paws to his paunch--the son is thrown out by a double of dainty Davy's--and the "sair begrutten mither" is gathering up the torn and tattered remains of Tortoise-shell Tabby, and invoking the vengeance of heaven and earth on her pitiless murderers. Some slight relief to her bursting and breaking heart to vow that she will make the minister hear of it on the deafest side of his head--ay, even if she have to break in upon him sitting on Saturday night, getting aff by rote his fushionless sermon, in his ain study.