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diff --git a/40301.txt b/40301.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 662a5ac..0000000 --- a/40301.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,8090 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Sporting Society, Vol. I (of 2), by Various - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Sporting Society, Vol. I (of 2) - or, Sporting Chat and Sporting Memories - -Author: Various - -Editor: Fox Russell - -Illustrator: Randolph Caldecott - -Release Date: July 23, 2012 [EBook #40301] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SPORTING SOCIETY, VOL. I (OF 2) *** - - - - -Produced by Suzanne Shell and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - - - - - -BOOKS FOR SPORTSMEN - -PUBLISHED BY - -BELLAIRS & CO., - -9 HART STREET, BLOOMSBURY. - - -IN SCARLET AND SILK. Recollections of Hunting and Steeplechase riding. -By FOX RUSSELL. With two drawings in colour by FINCH MASON. 5s. net. - -NEW SPORTING STORIES. By G. G. 3s. 6d. net. - - _The Times_ says:--"New Sporting Stories are written by a man who - evidently knows what he is writing about.... The sketches are - short, racy and to the point." - -TRAVEL AND BIG GAME. By PERCY SELOUS and H. A. BRYDEN. With -Illustrations. [_In the Press._ - -THE CHASE: a Poem. By WILLIAM SOMERVILLE. Illustrated by HUGH THOMSON. -5s. net. - - In this fine old poem now ably illustrated by Mr Hugh Thomson are - the original lines, quoted by the immortal Jorrocks-- - - "My hoarse-sounding horn - Invites thee to the chace, the sport of kings, - Image of war, without its guilt." - -GREAT SCOT THE CHASER, and other Sporting Stories. By G. G. 3s. 6d. -net. - - _The Daily Telegraph_ says:--"G. G. is a benefactor to his - species." - -CURIOSITIES OF BIRD LIFE. By CHARLES DIXON, Author of "The Migration of -Birds." [_In the Press._ - -ANIMAL EPISODES AND STUDIES IN SENSATION. By GEORGE H. POWELL. 3s. 6d. -net. - -TALES OF THE CINDER PATH. By an Amateur Athlete [W. LINDSEY]. 2s. 6d. -net. - -REMINISCENCES OF A YORKSHIRE NATURALIST. By the late W. CRAWFORD -WILLIAMSON, LL.D., F.R.S. Edited by his wife. 5s. net. - - - - -ENTERTAINING BOOKS - -PUBLISHED BY - -BELLAIRS & CO., - -9 HART STREET, BLOOMSBURY. - - -A MAN AND A WOMAN. Faithfully presented by STANLEY WATERLOO. 3s. 6d. -net. - -BEYOND ATONEMENT. A Story of London Life. By A. ST JOHN ADCOCK. 4s. 6d. -net. - -A HUSBAND'S ORDEAL; or, the Confessions of Gerald Brownson, late of -Coora Coora, Queensland. By PERCY RUSSELL. 3s. 6d. net. - -A BRIDE'S EXPERIMENT. A Story of Australian Bush Life. By CHARLES J. -MANSFORD. 3s. 6d. net. - -EIGHTY YEARS AGO; or, the Recollections of an Old Army Doctor, his -adventures on the fields of Quatre Bras and Waterloo, and during the -occupation of Paris, 1815. By the late Dr GIBNEY of Cheltenham. Edited -by his son, MAJOR GIBNEY. 5s. net. - -THE SOLDIER IN BATTLE; or, Life in the Ranks of the Army of the -Potomac. By FRANK WILKESON, a Survivor of Grant's last campaign. 2s. -6d. net. - -NEPHELE. The Story of a Sonata for violin and piano. By F. W. -BOURDILLON. 2s. 6d. net. - -A DARN ON A BLUE STOCKING. A Story of To-day. By G. G. CHATTERTON. 2s. -6d. net. - -THE MYSTERY OF THE CORDILLERA. A Tale of Adventure in the Andes. By A. -MASON BOURNE. Illustrated. 3s. 6d. net. - -THE LURE OF FAME. By CLIVE HOLLAND, Author of "My Japanese Wife." 3s. -6d. net. - -THE OLD ECSTASIES. A Modern Romance. By GASPARD TOURNIER. 4s. 6d. net. - -THE TANTALUS TOUR. A Theatrical Venture. By WALTER PARKE, joint-author -of "Les Manteaux Noirs," and other comic operas. Illustrated. 2s. 6d. -net. - - - - -SPORTING SOCIETY - - -[Illustration: GOING TO COVER. By R. CALDECOTT.] - - - - -SPORTING SOCIETY - -OR - -_SPORTING CHAT AND SPORTING MEMORIES_ - -STORIES HUMOROUS AND CURIOUS; WRINKLES OF THE FIELD -AND THE RACE-COURSE; ANECDOTES OF THE STABLE AND -THE KENNEL; WITH NUMEROUS PRACTICAL -NOTES ON SHOOTING AND FISHING - -FROM THE PEN OF - -VARIOUS SPORTING CELEBRITIES AND -WELL-KNOWN WRITERS ON THE TURF AND THE CHASE - -EDITED BY -FOX RUSSELL - -Illustrations by Randolph Caldecott. - -_IN TWO VOLUMES--VOL. I._ - -LONDON -BELLAIRS & CO. -1897 - - - - -CONTENTS - - - - PAGE - -THE INFLUENCE OF FIELD SPORTS ON CHARACTER 1 - By Sir COURTENAY BOYLE - -OLD-FASHIONED ANGLING 21 - By Captain R. BIRD THOMPSON - -PARTRIDGE DAY AS IT WAS AND AS IT IS 36 - By "AN ELDERLY SPORTSMAN" - -SIMPSON'S SNIPE 53 - By TERENCE LE SMITHE - -PODGERS' POINTER 80 - By BEN B. BROWN - -THE DEAD HEAT 101 - By "OLD CALABAR" - -ONLY THE MARE 134 - By ALFRED E. T. WATSON - -HUNTING IN THE MIDLANDS 155 - By T. H. S. ESCOTT - -A MILITARY STEEPLECHASE 171 - By Captain R. BIRD THOMPSON - -HOW I WON MY HANDICAP 181 - Told by the Winner - -THE FIRST DAY OF THE SEASON AND ITS RESULTS 193 - By "SABRETACHE" - -A DAY WITH THE DRAG 210 - By the EDITOR - -STAG-HUNTING ON EXMOOR 221 - By Captain REDWAY - -SPORT AMONGST THE MOUNTAINS 237 - By "SARCELLE" - -A BIRMINGHAM DOG SHOW 251 - By "OLD CALABAR" - -HUNTINGCROP HALL 268 - By ALFRED E. T. WATSON - -A DOG HUNT ON THE BERWYNS 286 - By G. CHRISTOPHER DAVIES - -SOME ODD WAYS OF FISHING 298 - By G. CHRISTOPHER DAVIES - -SHOOTING 306 - By Captain R. BIRD THOMPSON - -[Symbol: asterism] "THE DEAD HEAT," by "OLD CALABAR," was originally -contributed by the veteran sportsman to the pages of "BAILY'S -Magazine," and is here reproduced by the permission of the Proprietors. - - - - -THE INFLUENCE OF FIELD SPORTS ON CHARACTER - - -Field sports have been generally considered solely in the light of a -relaxation from the graver business of life, and have been justified by -writers on economics on the ground that some sort of release is -required from the imprisoned existence of the man of business, the -lawyer, or the politician. Apollo does not always bend his bow, it is -said, and timely dissipation is commendable even in the wise; therefore -by all means, let the sports which we English love be pursued within -legitimate bounds, and up to an extent not forbidden by weightier -considerations. - -But there seems to be somewhat more in field sports than is contained -in this criticism. The influence _of_ character on the manner in which -sports are pursued is endless, and reciprocally the influence of field -sports _on_ character seems to deserve some attention. The best -narrator of schoolboy life of the present day has said that, varied as -are the characters of boys, so varied are their ways of facing or not -facing a "hilly," at football; and one of the greatest observers of -character in England has written a most instructive and amusing account -of the way in which men enjoy fox-hunting. If, therefore, a man's -character and his occupations and tastes exercise a mutual influence -upon each other, it follows that while men of different dispositions -pursue sports in different ways, the sports also which they do pursue -will tell considerably in the development of their natural character. - -Now, the field sport which is perhaps pursued by a greater number of -Englishmen than any other, and which is most zealously admired by its -devotees, is fox-hunting. It is essentially English in its nature. - - "A fox-hunt to a foreigner is strange, - 'Tis likewise subject to the double danger - Of falling first, and having in exchange - Some pleasant laughter at the awkward stranger." - -And it is this very falling which adds in some degree to its popularity; -_suave mari magno_, it is pleasant to know that your neighbour A.'s -horse, which he admires so much, has given him a fall at that very double -over which your little animal has carried you so safely; and it is -pleasant to feel yourself secure from the difficulties entailed on B, by -his desire to teach his four-year-old how to jump according to his -tastes. But apart from this delight--uncharitable if you like to call -it--which is felt at the hazards and failures of another, there is in -fox-hunting the keenest possible desire to overcome satisfactorily these -difficulties yourself. Not merely for the sake of explaining to an -after-dinner audience how you jumped that big place by the church or led -the field safely over the brook, though that element does enter in; but -from the strong delight which an Englishman seems by birthright to have -in surmounting any obstacles which are placed in his way. Put a man then -on a horse, and send him out hunting, and when he has had some experience -ask him what he has discovered of the requirements of his new pursuit, -and what is the lesson or influence of it. He will probably give you some -such answer as the following. - -The first thing that is wanted by, and therefore encouraged by, -fox-hunting, is decision. He who hesitates is lost. No "craner" can get -well over a country. Directly the hounds begin to run, he who would -follow them must decide upon his course. Will he go through that gate, -or attempt that big fence, which has proved a stopper to the crowd? -there is no time to lose. The fence may necessitate a fall, the gate -must cause a loss of time, which shall it be? Or again, the hounds have -come to a check, the master and huntsmen are not up (in some countries -a very possible event), and it devolves upon the only man who is with -them to give them a cast. Where is it to be? here or there? There is no -time for thought, prompt and decided action alone succeeds. Or else the -loss of shoe or an unexpected fall has thrown you out, and you must -decide quickly in which direction you think the hounds are most likely -to have run. Experience, of course, tells considerably here as -everywhere; but quick decision and promptitude in adopting the course -decided on will be the surest means of attaining the wished for result -of finding yourself again in company with the hounds. - -Further, fox-hunting teaches immensely self-dependence; every one is -far too much occupied with his own ideas and his own difficulties to be -able to give more than the most momentary attention to those of his -neighbour. If you seek advice or aid you will not get much from the -really zealous sportsman; you must trust to yourself, you must depend -on your own resources. "Go on, sir, or else let me come," is the sort -of encouragement which you are likely to get, if in doubt whether a -fence is practicable or a turn correct. - -Thirdly, fox-hunting necessitates a combination of judgment and courage -removed from timidity on the one side and foolhardiness on the other. -The man who takes his horse continually over big places, for the sake -of doing that in which he hopes no one else will successfully imitate -him, is sure in the end to kill his horse or lose his chance of seeing -the run; and on the other hand, he who, when the hounds are running, -shirks an awkward fence or leaves his straight course to look for a -gate, is tolerably certain to find himself several fields behind at the -finish. "What sort of a man to hounds is Lord A----?" we once heard it -asked of a good judge. "Oh, a capital sportsman and rider," was the -answer; "never larks, but will go at a haystack if the hounds are -running." - -It is partly from the necessity of self-dependence which the fox-hunter -feels, that his sport is open to the accusation that it tends to -selfishness. The true fox-hunter is alone in the midst of the crowd; he -has his own interests solely at heart--each for himself, is his motto, -and the pace is often too good for him to stop and help a neighbour in -a ditch, or catch a friend's runaway horse. He has no partner, he plays -no one's hand except his own. This of course only applies to the man -who goes out hunting, eager to have a run and keen to be in at the -death. If a man rides to the meet with a pretty cousin, and pilots her -for the first part of a run, he probably pays more attention to his -charge than to his own instincts of the chase; but he is not on this -occasion purely fox-hunting; and, if a true Nimrod, his passion for -sport will overcome his gallantry, and he will probably not be sorry -when his charge has left his protection, and he is free to ride where -his individual wishes and the exigencies of the hunt may lead him. - -What a knowledge of country fox-hunting teaches! A man who hunts will, -at an emergency, be far better able than one who does not to choose a -course, and select a line, which will lead him right. Generals hold -that the topographical instinct of the fox-hunter is of considerable -advantage in the battle-field; and it is undoubtedly easy to imagine -circumstances in which a man accustomed to find his way to or from -hounds, in spite of every opposition and difficulty, will make use of -the power which he has acquired and be superior to the man who has not -had similar advantages. - -Finally, fox-hunting encourages energy and "go." The sluggard or lazy -man never succeeds as a fox-hunter, and he who adopts the chase as an -amusement soon finds that he must lay aside all listlessness and -inertness if he would enjoy to the full the pleasures which he seeks. A -man who thinks a long ride to cover, or a jog home in a chill, dank -evening in November, a bore, will not do as a fox-hunter. The activity -which considers no distance too great, no day too bad for hunting, will -contribute first to the success of the sportsman, and ultimately to the -formation of the character of the man. - -Fishing teaches perseverance. The man in _Punch_, who on Friday did not -know whether he had had good sport, because he only began on Wednesday -morning, is a caricature; but, like all caricatures, has an element of -truth in it. To succeed as an angler, whether of the kingly salmon, or -the diminutive gudgeon, an ardour is necessary which is not damped by -repeated want of success; and he who is hopeless because he has no -sport at first will never fully appreciate fishing. So too the tyro, -who catches his line in a rock, or twists it in an apparently -inexplicable manner in a tree, soon finds that steady patience will set -him free far sooner than impetuous vigour or ruthless strength. The -skilled angler does not abuse the weather or the water in impotent -despair, but makes the most of the resources which he has, and -patiently hopes an improvement therein. - -Delicacy and gentleness are also taught by fishing. It is here -especially that-- - - "Vis consili expers mole ruit sua, - Vim temperatam di quoque provehunt in majus." - -Look at the thin link of gut and the slight rod with which the huge -trout or "never ending monster of a salmon" is to be caught. No brute -force will do there, every struggle of the prey must be met by -judicious yielding on the part of the captor, who watches carefully -every motion, and treats its weight by giving line, knowing at the same -time--none better--when the full force of the butt is to be -unflinchingly applied. Does not this sort of training have an effect on -character? Will not a man educated in fly-fishing find developed in him -the tendency to be patient, to be persevering, and to know how to adapt -himself to circumstances. Whatever be the fish he is playing, whatever -be his line, will he not know when to yield and when to hold fast? - -But fishing like hunting is solitary. The zealot among fishermen will -generally prefer his own company to the society of lookers-on, whose -advice may worry him, and whose presence may spoil his sport. The -salmon-fisher does not make much of a companion of the gillie who goes -with him, and the trouter does best when absolutely alone; and nothing -is so apt to prove a tyrant, and an evil one, as the love of solitude. - -On the other hand, the angler is always under the influence, and able -to admire the beauties of nature. Whether he be upon the crag-bound -loch or by the sides of the laughing burn of highland countries, or -prefer the green banks of southern rivers, he can enjoy to the full the -many pleasures which existence alone presents to those who admire -nature. And all this exercises a softening influence on his character. -Read the works of those who write on fishing--Scrope, Walton, Davy, as -instances. Is there not a very gentle spirit breathing through them? -What is there rude or coarse or harsh in the true fisherman? Is he not -light and delicate, and do not his words and actions fall as softly as -his flies? - -Shooting is of two kinds, which, without incorrectness, may be termed -wild and tame. Of tame shooting the tamest, in every sense of the word, -is pigeon-shooting; but as this is admittedly not sport, and as its -principal feature is that it is a medium for gambling, or, at least, -for the winning of money prizes or silver cups, it may be passed over -in a few words. It undoubtedly requires skill, and encourages rapidity -of eye and quickness of action; but its influence on character depends -solely on its essential selfishness, and the taint which it bears from -the "filthy" effect of "lucre." - -Other tame shooting is battue shooting, where luxuriously clad men, who -have breakfasted at any hour between ten and twelve, and have been -driven to their coverts in a comfortable conveyance, stand in a -sheltered corner with cigarettes in their mouths, and shoot tame -pheasants and timid hares for about three hours and a half, varying the -entertainment by a hot lunch, and a short walk from beat to beat. Two -men stand behind each sportsman with breech-loaders of the quickest -action, and the only drawback to the gunner's satisfaction is that he -is obliged to waste a certain time between his shots in cocking the gun -which he has taken from his loader. This cannot but be enervating in -its influence. Everything, except the merest action of pointing the -piece and pulling the trigger, is done for you. You are conveyed -probably to the very place where you are to stand; the game is driven -right up to you; what you shoot is picked up for you; your gun itself -is loaded by other hands; you have no difficulty in finding your prey; -you have no satisfaction in outwitting the wiliness of bird or beast; -you have nothing whatever except the pleasure--minimised by constant -repetition--of bringing down a "rocketter," or stopping a rabbit going -full speed across a ride. - -The moral of this is that it is not necessary to do anything for -yourself, that some one will do everything for you, probably better -than you would, and that all you have to do is to leave everything to -some person whom you trust. Or, again, it is, get the greatest amount -of effect with the least possible personal exertion. Stand still, and -opportunities will come to you like pheasants--all you have to do is to -knock them over. - -But it is not so with wild-shooting. Not so with the man, who, with the -greatest difficulty, and after studying every available means of -approach, has got within range of the lordly stag, and hears the dull -thud which tells him his bullet has not missed its mark. Nor with him, -who, after a hurried breakfast, climbs hill after hill in pursuit of -the russet grouse, or mounts to the top of a craggy ridge in search of -the snowy ptarmigan. Not so either with him, who traverses every bit of -marshy ground along a low bottom, and is thoroughly gratified, if, at -the end of a long day, he has bagged a few snipe; nor with him, who, -despite cold and gloom and wet, has at last drawn his punt within -distance of a flock of wild duck. In each of these, endurance and -energy is taught in its fullest degree. It is no slight strain on the -muscles and lungs to follow Ronald in his varied course, in which he -emulates alternately the movements of the hare, the crab, and the -snake; and it is no slight trial of patience to find, after all your -care, all your wearisome stalk, that some unobserved hind, or unlucky -grouse, has frightened your prey and rendered your toil vain. But, -_en avant_, do not despair, try again, walk your long walk, crawl -your difficult crawl once more, and then, your perseverance rewarded by -a royal head, agree that deer-stalking is calculated to develop a -character which overcomes all difficulties, and goes on in spite of -many failures. - -The same obstinate determination which is found in this, the _beau -ideal_ of all shooting, is found similarly in shooting of other -kinds; and it is a question whether to the endurance inculcated by this -pursuit may not be attributed that part of an Englishman's character -which made the Peninsular heroes "never know when they were licked." - -It is objected by foreigners to many of our national sports that they -involve great disregard for animal life. "Let us go out and kill -something," they say, is the exhortation of an Englishman to his friend -when they wish to amuse themselves. Sport consists, they hold, in -slaughter; sport therefore is cruel, and teaches contempt for the -feelings of creatures lower than ourselves in the scale of existence. I -do not wish to enter into this question, which has been a source of -considerable controversy; but I would say three things in reference to -it. First, that it is difficult to answer the question, Why should man -be an exception to the rule of instinct--undoubtedly prevalent -throughout the world--which leads every animal to prey upon its -inferior? Secondly, that every possible arrangement is made by man for -the comfort and safety of his prey--salmon, foxes, pheasants or -stags--until the actual moment of capture, and that every fair chance -of escape is given to it; and thirdly, that whatever the premises may -be, the conclusion remains, that there is no race so far removed from -carelessness of animal life and happiness as the English. - -There are, however, other field sports which do not involve any -destruction of life, and which, from the general way in which they are -pursued, may fairly be called national. Foremost amongst these is -racing. - -Were racing freed from any influence, other than that which -distinguished the races of past epochs, the desire of success; were the -prize a crown of parsley or of laurel, and the laudable desire of -victory the only inducement to contention, the effect on the men who -are devoted to it could not be otherwise than for good. In modern -racing, however, the element of pecuniary gain comes in so strongly, -that the worst points of the human character are stimulated by it -instead of the best, and the improvement of horseflesh and the breed of -horses is sacrificed to the temporary advantage of owners of horses. To -say, now, that a man is going on the turf, is to say, that he had -almost be better under it; and though a few exceptional cases are -found, in which men persistently keeping race horses have maintained -their independence and strict integrity in spite of the many -temptations with which they are assailed, yet, even they, have probably -done so at the sacrifice of openness of confidence and perhaps of -friendship. Trust no one is the motto of turfites. Keep the key of your -saddle-room yourself; let no one, not even your trainer, see your -weights. Pay your jockey the salary of a judge, and then have no -security that he will not deceive you. The state of the turf is like -the state of Corcyraea of old. Every man thinks, that unless he is -actually plotting against somebody, he is in danger of being plotted -against himself, and that the only safety he has lies in taking the -initiative in deceit. The sole object is to win-- - - "Rem - Si possis recte, si non quocunque modo rem." - -Take care you are not cheated yourself, and make the most of any -knowledge of which you believe yourself to be the sole possessor. - -What is the result of such a pursuit? what its moral? The destruction -of all generosity, all trust in others, all large-mindedness: and the -encouragement instead, of selfishness, of extravagance, and of -suspicion. - -The man whose friendship was warm and generous, who would help his -friend to the limit of his powers, goes on the turf and becomes warped -and narrow, labouring, apparently, always under the suspicion, that -those whom he meets are trying, or wish to try, to get the better of -him, or share, in some way, the advantages which he hopes his cunning -has acquired for himself. - -A thorough disregard for truth, too, is taught by horse-racing; not, -perhaps, instanced always by the affirmation of falsehood, but -negatively by the concealment or distortion of fact. An owner seldom -allows even his best friend to know the result of his secret trials, -and in some notable cases such results are kept habitually locked in -the breast of one man, who fears to have a confidant, and doubts the -integrity of everyone. Whether this is a state of things which can be -altered, either by diminishing the number of race-meetings in England, -or by discouraging or even putting down betting, I have no wish to -consider; but that the present condition of horse-racing and its -surroundings is very far removed from being a credit to the country, I -venture to affirm. - -Cricket is another field sport, the popularity of which has rapidly -increased; partly from the entire harmlessness which characterises it, -and leads to the encouragement of it by schoolmasters and clergymen, -and partly from the fact that it is played in the open air, in fine -weather, and in the society of a number of companions. I do not propose -to inquire whether there is benefit in the general spreading of cricket -through the country, or whether it may not be said that it occupies too -much time and takes men away from other more advantageous occupations, -or whether the combination of amateur and professional skill which is -found in great matches is a good thing; but I wish, briefly, to point -out one or two points in human nature which seem to me to be developed -by cricket. - -The first of these is hero-worship. The best player in a village club, -and the captain of a school eleven, if not for other reasons unusually -unpopular, is surrounded by a halo of glory which falls to the -successful in no other sport. Great things are expected of him, he is -looked upon with admiring eyes, and is indeed a great man. "Ah, it is -all very well," you hear, "but wait till Brown goes in, Smith and -Robinson are out, but wait till Brown appears, then you will see how we -shall beat you, bowl him out if you can." His right hand will atone for -the shortcomings of many smaller men, his prowess make up the -deficiency of his side. Or look at a match between All England and -twenty-two of Clodshire, watch the clodsmen between the innings, how -they throng wonderingly round the chiefs of the eleven. That's him, -that's Abel, wait till he takes the bat, then you'll "see summut like -play." Or go to the "Bat and Ball" after the match, when the eleven are -there, and see how their words are dwelt on by an admiring audience, -and their very looks and demeanour made much of as the deliberate -expressions of men great in their generation. Again, see the reception -at Kennington Oval of a "Surrey pet" or a popular amateur, or the way -in which "W. G." Grace is treated by the undemonstrative aristocracy of -"Lord's," and agree with me that cricket teaches hero-worship in its -full. What power the captain of the Eton or the Winchester eleven has, -what an influence over his fellows, not merely in the summer when his -deeds are before the public, but always from a memory of his prowess -with bat or ball. There is one awkward point about this; there are many -cricket clubs, and therefore many captains, and when two of these meet -a certain amount of difficulty arises in choosing which is the hero to -be worshipped. In a match where the best players of a district are -collected, and two or more good men, known in their own circle and -esteemed highly, there play together, who is to say which is the best; -who is to crown the real king of Brentford? Each considers himself -superior to the other, each remembers the plaudits of his own admirers, -forgets that it is possible that they may be prejudiced, and ignores -the reputation of his neighbour. The result is a jealousy among the -chieftains which is difficult to be overcome, and which shows itself -even in the best matches. - -On the other hand, the effect of this hero-worship which I have -described, is to produce a harmony and unity of action consequent on -confidence in a leader which is peculiar to cricket. Watch a good -eleven, a good university or public school team, and see how thoroughly -they work together, how the whole eleven is like one machine, "point" -trusting "coverpoint," "short slip" knowing that if he cannot reach a -ball, "long slip" can, and the bowler feeling sure that his "head" -balls, if hit up, will be caught, if hit along the ground, will be -fielded. Or see two good men batting, when every run is of importance, -how they trust one another's judgment as to the possibility of running, -how thoroughly they act in unison. Such training as this teaches -greatly a combination of purpose and of action, and a confidence in the -judgment of one's colleagues which must be advantageous. - -The good cricketer is obedient to his captain, does what he is told, -and does not grumble if he thinks his skill underrated: the tyro, proud -of his own prowess, will indeed be cross if he is not made enough of, -or is sent in last; but the good player, who really knows the game, -sees that one leader is enough, and obeys his orders accordingly. - -There are other lessons taught by cricket, such as caution by batting, -patience and care by bowling, and energy by fielding; but I have no -space to dwell on these, as I wish to examine very briefly one more -sport, which, though hardly national, is yet much loved by the -considerable number who do pursue it. Boating is seen in its glory at -the universities or in some of the suburbs of London which are situated -on the Thames. It is also practised in some of the northern towns, -especially Newcastle, where the Tynesiders have long enjoyed a great -reputation. - -By boating, I do not mean going out in a large tub, and sitting under -an awning, being pulled by a couple of paid men or drawn by an -unfortunate horse, but boat-racing, for prizes or for honour. The -Oxford and Cambridge race has done more than anything to make this -sport popular, and the thousands who applaud the conquerors, reward -sufficiently the exertions which have been necessary to make the -victory possible. - -The chief lesson which rowing teaches is self denial. The university -oar, or the member of the champion crew at Henley, has to give up many -pleasures, and deny himself many luxuries, before he is in a fit state -to row with honour to himself and his club; and though in the -dramatist's excited imagination the stroke-oar of an Oxford eight may -spend days and nights immediately before the race, in the society of a -Formosa, such is not the case in real life. There must be no pleasant -chats over a social pipe for the rowing man, no dinners at the Mitre or -the Bull, no _recherche_ breakfasts with his friends; the routine -of training must be strictly observed, and everything must give way to -the paramount necessity of putting on muscle. In the race itself, too, -what a desperate strain there is on the powers! How many times has some -sobbing oarsman felt that nature must succumb to the tremendous demand -made on her, that he can go no further; and then has come the thought -that others are concerned besides himself, that the honour of his -university or his club are at stake, which has lent a new stimulus and -made possible that final spurt which results in victory. - -The habits taught by rowing, whether during training or after the race -has commenced, lead to regularity of life, to abstemiousness, and to -the avoidance of unwholesome tastes, and their effect is seen long -after the desire for aquatic glory have passed away. - -Such are some of the most prominent influences of English field sports, -and as long as amusements requiring such energy, such physical or -mental activity, and such endurance as fox-hunting, stalking, and -cricket, are popular, there is little fear of the manly character of -the English nation deteriorating, or its indomitable determination -being weakened. - - - - -OLD-FASHIONED ANGLING - - -Angling is, I think, one of the most popular of British field sports; -certainly, for one book written about any other kind, there must be -half-a-dozen on the subject of fishing. I met lately with a most -amusing old book on the "Art of Angling," published in 1801; and -illustrated with very quaint old wood engravings of both fresh and sea -water fish. It commences with a long anatomical and physiological -description of fish, giving an account of their habits, method of -feeding, &c. For this last the author draws considerably on his own -imagination. For instance, he declares that mussels and oysters open -their shells for the purpose of catching crabs, closing them when one -creeps in, and thus securing their prey. The oyster also is declared to -change sides with each tide, lying with the flat shell uppermost one -time, and the convex the next. After this the author goes regularly -through the alphabet, treating everything connected with fresh-water -angling under its respective initial letter. - -I suppose that at this time there were few, if any tackle shops, for -most elaborate directions are given for making lines. These were to be -of horse hair, and twisted in a "twisting instrument," whatever that -was. The hair was to be with the top of one to the tail of the other, -so that every part might be equally strong, and turned slowly, so as to -allow it "to bed" properly; the different lengths were to be tied -together either "by a water knot, or Dutch knot, or a weaver's." The -line was to taper, beginning with three hairs down to a single one, -where the hook was whipped on. - -The rod, as a matter of the greatest importance, is duly treated. The -wood was to be procured between the middle of November and Christmas -Day; the stock or butt to be made of ground hazel, ground ash, or -ground willow, not more than two or three feet long. The wood chosen to -be that which shot directly from the ground--not from any stump--and -every joint beyond was to taper to a top made preferably of hazel, -though yew, crab, or blackthorn might be used. If it had any knots or -excrescences, which were to be avoided if possible, they must be -removed with a sharp knife. Five or six inches of the top were to be -cut off, and a small piece of round, smooth, taper whalebone spliced on -with silk and cobbler's wax, and the whole finished with a strong noose -of hair to fasten the line to. This was for an ordinary rod; the best -sort was made as follows:--A white deal or fir board, thick, free from -knots, and seven to eight feet long, was to be procured, and a -dexterous joiner was to divide this with his saw into several breadths; -then with a plane to shoot them round, smooth, and rush-grown or taper. -One of these would form the bottom of the rod, seven or eight feet long -in the piece. To this was fastened a hazel six or seven feet long, -proportioned to the fir; this also rush-grown, and it might consist of -two or three pieces, to the top of which a piece of yew was to be fixed -about two feet long--round, smooth, and taper; and, finally, a piece of -round whalebone, five or six inches long. Some rings or eyes were to be -placed on the rod in such a manner that when you laid your eye to one, -you could see through all the rest. A wheel or winch must be fixed on, -about a foot from the end of the rod, and, as a finish, a feather -dipped in _aqua fortis_ was passed over it, so as to make it a pure -cinnamon colour. "This," the author adds, "will be a curious rod if -artificially worked!" - -The subject of fly-making, and how and when to use flies, is treated -most exhaustively--no less than twenty-four pages being devoted to the -subject. The materials named for fly-dressing are very good indeed, and -very much the same as used now; but when the author tries to explain -the _actual_ method of using them he utterly fails. Anyone who -attempted to tie flies in the way explained would produce most -extraordinary specimens. - -The author has taken very great pains, not only in naming the flies to -be used each month, but the actual time of day for them, and the hours -between which they must be used. Worms for bait are described and named -with great exactness, and the best way to catch and keep them, also how -best to scour them previous to use. I think, however, the method -recommended for scouring one kind would be too much for any but a -_very_ enthusiastic angler--namely, to put them in a woollen bag, and -keep them in your waistcoat pocket. Few persons could stand that, I -think. - -Many recipes for different sorts of pastes are given, but it is hard to -believe that any fish would take them--"bean flour, the tenderest part -of a kitten's leg, wax and suet beaten together in a mortar," scarcely -sounds alluring; neither does a mixture of "fat old cheese (the -strongest rennet), suet, and turmeric," appear to be very nice. To any -of these pastes you may add "assafoetida, oil of polypody of the oak, -oil of ivy, or oil of Peter." Well, I do not suppose that they would -make much difference. - -A great number of recipes for unguents, to smear over the worms used so -as to make them more attractive, are given; and most extraordinary they -are:--assafoetida, three drachms; camphire, one drachm; Venice -turpentine, one drachm; beaten up with oils of lavender and camomile, -is one recipe. Another is, "mulberry juice, hedgehog's fat, oil of -water-lilies and oil of pennyroyal," mixed together; but the most -elaborate one is as follows:--"Take the oils of camomile, lavender, and -aniseed, of each a quarter of an ounce; heron's grease and the best of -assafoetida, each two drachms; two scruples of cummin seed finely -beaten to powder; Venice turpentine, camphire, and galbanum, of each a -drachm; add two grains of civet and make into an unguent. This must be -kept close in a glazed earthenware pot, or it loses much of its virtue; -anoint your line with it and your expectation will be abundantly -answered. Some anglers, however, place more confidence in a judicious -choice of baits and a proper management of them, than in the most -celebrated unguents." I think the concluding paragraph is delightful. I -suppose it did at length dawn on the author's mind that people might -object to carrying about such hideously stinking compositions. - -The angler is told that "his apparel must not be of a light or shining -colour, but of a dark brown, fitting closely to the body, so as not to -fright the fish away." The impediments to our anglers' recreation are -named. "The fault may be occasioned by his tackle, as when his lines or -hooks are too large, when his bait is dead or decaying. If he angles at -a wrong time of day, when the fish are not in the humour of taking his -bait. If the fish have been frightened by him or with his shadow. If -the weather be too cold. If the weather be too hot. If it rains much or -fast. If it hails or snows. If it be tempestuous. If the wind blows -high or be in the east or north. Want of patience and the want of a -proper assortment of baits." Anglers are also warned "never to fish in -any water that is not common without leave of the owner, which is -seldom denied to any but those that do not deserve it." Another -direction is given that would greatly horrify any Blue Ribbon army man -who might see it, namely, "if at any time, you happen to be over-heated -with walking or other exercise, you must avoid small liquors as you -would poison, and rather take a glass of brandy, the instantaneous -effects of which in cooling the body and quenching drought are -amazing." - -The laws as to angling and fishing generally are quoted at considerable -length and seem most of them to be aimed at preventing immature fish -being taken and preserves damaged. The penalties did not err on the -side of clemency. By 5th Elizabeth, destroying any dam of any pond, -moat or stew, &c., with intent to take the fish, was punished with -three months' imprisonment and to be bound to good behaviour for seven -years after; also by 21st Elizabeth, "no servant shall be questioned -for killing a trespasser within his master's liberty who will not -yield; if not done out of former malice. Yet if the trespasser kills -any such servant it is murder." - -I fancy the following, if carried out now, would rather astonish many -fish dealers in the city of London:--"Those that sell, offer, or expose -to sale or exchange for any other goods, bret or turbot under sixteen -inches long; brill or pearl under fourteen; codlin twelve; whiting six; -bass and mullet twelve; sole, plaice, and dab eight; and flounder -seven, from their eyes to the utmost extent of the tail; are liable to -forfeit twenty shillings, by distress, or to be sent to hard labour for -not less than six or more than fourteen days, and to be _whipped_." I -suppose most, if not all, of these enactments are now repealed, but if -not, and they were enforced, a considerable sensation would be created -by them. - -One paragraph is very remarkable, as showing that over ninety years -ago, the same views were promulgated, relating to the profit that might -be obtained from fish in ponds, as have been brought forward in the -_Times_ and other papers during recent years. Our author says: "It -is surprising that, considering the benefit which may accrue from -making ponds and keeping of fish, it is not more generally put in -practice. For, besides furnishing the table and raising money, the land -would be vastly improved and be worth forty shillings an acre; four -acres converted into a pond will return every year a thousand fed carp -from the least size to fourteen or fifteen inches long, besides pike, -perch, tench, and other fish. The carp alone may be reckoned to bring -one with another, sixpence, ninepence, or perhaps twelvepence apiece, -amounting at the lowest rate to twenty-five pounds, and at the highest -to fifty, which would be a very considerable as well as useful -improvement." Exactly; this has been written and pointed out in the -papers year after year. - -There are wood-cuts of every fish and full directions how to angle for -them. For pike, trolling, live baiting, fishing with frogs, are all -lengthily described; and also a curious sort of spinning, the motion -being caused by cutting off one of the fins close to the gills and -another behind the vent on the contrary side. I am sorry to say the -author winds up by full directions for snaring and snatching. - -It seems curious to be told that good places for roach fishing are by -Blackfriars, Westminster and Chelsea Bridges, or by the piles at London -Bridge; but that the best way by far was to go below the bridges and -fasten your boat to the "stern of any collier or other vessel whose -bottom was dirty with weeds," to angle there, as "you would not fail to -catch many roach, and those very fine ones." The sailors on board -colliers must have been a very different set in those days from what -they are now. I fancy anyone trying to tie his boat to the stern of a -collier, whether for fishing or any other purpose, would have a pretty -hot time of it. The Thames, of course, is mentioned as one of the -rivers where salmon were caught, though the localities are not named. -Exact particulars are given for fishing for eels, but in those days -they must have been a very amiable sort of fish, not at all like the -obstinate and perverse creatures they are now, if they allowed -themselves to be caught by sniggling in the way mentioned. You were to -"get a strong line of silk and a small hook bated with a lob worm; next -get a short stick with a cleft in it, and put the line into it near the -bait; then thrust it into such holes as you suppose him to lurk in. If -he is there, it is great odds that he will take it." The stick was then -to be detached from the line and the eel allowed to gorge the bait. You -were not to try and draw him out hastily, but to give him time to tire -himself out by pulling. All I can say is, that if anyone ever managed -to get an eel out in this way he must have had an uncommon share of -luck. My own experience shows me that when an eel gorges your bait and -gets into his hole, it is quite hopeless to attempt to get him out, and -the only plan is to pull until something gives way, and that is never -the eel, but usually your hook, and sometimes the line. - -Our author having given every kind of advice and direction about -angling, adds the following admonition:--"Remember that the wit and -invention of mankind were bestowed for other purposes than to deceive -silly fish, and that, however delightful angling may be, it ceases to -be innocent when used otherwise than as a mere recreation"; and he -winds up all he has to say about fresh-water angling thus:--"The editor -having gone through the English alphabet, takes the liberty to tell -gentlemen that the best way to secure fish is to transport poachers." A -very wise piece of advice, no doubt much acted on in those days. - -In the second part of the book, devoted to sea fish, no directions are -given for fishing, but merely descriptions of them, and very curious -some of these are. We are told of dolphins, that "they sleep with their -snouts out of water," and that "some have affirmed that they have heard -them snore; they will live three days out of water, during which time -they sigh in so mournful a manner as to affect those with concern, who -are not used to hear them." - -Another fish, the "sea-wolf, taken off Heligoland, is a very voracious -animal, and well furnished with dreadful teeth. They are so hard that -if he bites the fluke of an anchor you may hear the sound and see the -impression of his teeth." Certainly the engraving of it makes it an -awful-looking thing, with a body like a codfish and an enormous head, -with a huge mouth full of teeth like spikes. When the herring fishery -is mentioned, it is curious that the author gives a full account of the -Dutch fishery but passes over the English with a very brief notice. The -account of the former is remarkable. Their vessels were a kind of -barque called a buss, from forty-five to sixty tons burden, carrying -two or three small cannon; none were allowed to steer out of port -without a convoy unless they carried twenty pieces of cannon amongst -them all. What can have been the use of this regulation I cannot -imagine. A pirate would never attack a fishing-boat, and against a -vessel of war they would have been useless. The regulations for fishing -were very distinct. No man was to cast his net within 100 fathoms of -another's boat; whilst the nets were cast, a light was to be left in -the stern; if a boat was by any accident obliged to leave off fishing, -the light was to be thrown into the sea, and when the greater part of -the fleet left off fishing and cast anchor, the rest were to do the -same. - -Of the English fishery, the date of its commencement, the size of the -nets and the names of the different sorts of herrings are merely given; -these names are very curious, I wonder whether they are known on the -coast now. Six sorts are given,--the Fat Herring, the largest and best; -the Meat Herring, large, but not so thick as the first; the Night -Herring, a middle-sized one; the Pluck, which has been hurt in the net; -the Shotten Herring, which has lost its spawn; and the Copshen, which -by some accident or other has been deprived of its head. When the whale -fishery is mentioned, here too the description given relates entirely -to the Dutch. As to the English it only says that in 1728 the South Sea -Company began to work it with pretty good success at first, but that it -dwindled away until 1740, when Parliament thought fit to give greater -encouragement to it. The discipline in the Dutch whale fleet seems to -have been very good; the following are some of the standing -regulations:--In case a vessel was wrecked and the crew saved, the -first vessel they met with was to take them in and the second half of -those from the first, but were not obliged to take in any of the cargo; -but if any goods taken out of such vessel are absolutely relinquished -and another ship finds and takes them, the captain was to be -accountable to the owner of the wrecked ship for one-half clear of all -expenses. If the crew deserted any wrecked vessel, they would have no -claim to any of the effects saved, but the whole would go to the -proprietor. However, if present when the effects were saved and they -assisted therein, they would have one-fourth. That if a person piked a -fish on the ice, it was his own so long as he left anyone with it, but -the minute he left it, the fish became the property of the first -captain that came along. If it was fastened to the shore by an anchor -or rope, though left alone it belonged to its first captor. If any man -was maimed or wounded in the Service, the Commissioners of the Fishery -were to procure him reasonable satisfaction, to which the whole fleet -were to contribute. They likewise agreed to attend prayers morning and -evening, on pain of a forfeit at the discretion of the captain; not to -get drunk or draw their knives on forfeiture of half their wages, nor -fight on forfeiture of the whole. They were not to lay wagers on the -good or ill-success of the fishing, nor buy or sell with the condition -of taking one or more fish on the penalty of twenty-five florins. They -were likewise to rest satisfied with the provisions allowed them and -never to light candle, fire, or match, without the captain's leave on -the like penalty. These regulations were read out before the voyage -commenced and the crew were then called over to receive the customary -gratuity before setting out and were promised another on return in -proportion to the success of the voyage. The vessels went north leaving -Iceland on the left, to parallel 75 deg., but some, the author says, -ventured as far as 80 deg. or 82 deg. I fancy he had rather vague ideas on the -subject of North latitude, as it was not until 1827 that Sir E. Parry -reached 82 deg., the farthest point north ever attained up to that time. - -Amongst other fish "stock fish" is mentioned, which is described as -"cod fish caught in the North of Norway by fishermen who cut holes in -the ice for the purpose. On hooking one, as soon as they pulled it out, -it was opened, cleaned, and then thrown on the rocks where it froze and -became as hard as a deal board, and never to be dissolved. This the -sailors beat to pieces, often calling it fresh fish, though it may have -been kept seven years and worms have eaten holes in it." But if the -letter-press is curious, the engravings with which the book is -illustrated are still quainter. The fish, whether minnows or salmon, -reach the same length; the only difference being made in their breadth, -even the whale is merely represented as rather thicker and with two -little men with axes in their hands walking on it. The author -undoubtedly took great pains in compiling his work, and in spite of all -eccentricities there are many hints and suggestions that are useful -even nowadays. - - - - -PARTRIDGE DAY AS IT WAS AND AS IT IS - -BY AN ELDERLY SPORTSMAN - - -The world advances--good. Having accepted which tenet, it would be -unreasonable to deny that the pleasures and indulgences of the world -advance also. Luxury is one of the pleasures and indulgences of the -world. Therefore luxury advances. The syllogism is complete and sound; -there is fault in neither major nor minor premiss; and we have -therefore arrived at the ultimate conclusion that luxury is on the -move--that is, has increased. I have seldom come across a more perfect -illustration of my argument than in the early days of this month of -September. I am not an old fogey; I do not set up pretensions to a -claim for talking, with a kind of accompanying sigh, of the days "when -I was a boy," when "we managed things so much better," &c., &c. Yet -perhaps I am not exactly middle-aged either, and can at all events look -sufficiently far back to note a material change in the manner in which -old September is ushered in now as compared with its reception some -years ago. There are probably few, who, if lacking experience of its -pleasures, can duly appreciate the ardour with which a sportsman looks -forward to the "glorious first." But let the appreciative observer note -how manifestly that ardour has of late years abated. It has been my -frequent custom ere autumn has made her final curtsey, to take up my -quarters at the country house of a certain relative, and witness the -unprovoked assault on, and reckless massacre of divers unoffending -partridges in the ensuing month. The relative referred to is an elderly -gentleman, and, in addition to the possession of lands of his own, and -liberties to shoot over those of other people, is also the happy father -of three stalwart sons, not to mention the complementary portion of the -family with whom at present I have nothing to do. These three stalwart -sons, beknown to me as mere brats, I have watched grow up with some -interest, and that not only as regards their moral and intellectual -training, but also as regards the physical culture of their frames, and -the sporting bent of their mind. The youngsters were always fond of me. -I have always been their _fidus Achates_, in their adventures by land -and water, from teaching them to swim and row, down to setting night -lines for eels, or traps for rats. Well do I recollect arriving, on the -evening of the 31st of August, some years ago, at the old place in -Lincolnshire, and finding all three in a state of wild exuberance of -spirits in anticipation of the morrow's sport; Jack, the eldest, just -then promoted to a gun of his own, of which he was enormously proud, -and the other two contenting themselves with the exciting prospect of -plodding after us the whole day in the hopes of being allowed to let -off our charges at its conclusion. Everybody was eager enough then, -and the Squire after an evening spent--much to the disgust of the -ladies--in discussing the all-engrossing topic of "the birds," sends -us off early to bed, that we may all be up betimes in the morning. - -We wake at seven, or rather are awoke, for the boys have been up since -five, "chumming" (I know no word so appropriate) with the keepers; and -even the Squire himself overhead I have heard stamping across his room -to look out at the weather several times since four o'clock. We are -awoke, then, at seven, and ere we have had time to take that fatal -turn, the sure forerunner of a second sleep, a knock, or rather a -thunderclap, is heard on the outer panels of the door, and Uncle Sam -(they always call me Uncle Sam, though I am not their uncle, and my -name is not Samuel) is summoned to "look sharp, and dress." Too -cognizant of the fact that Uncle Sam's only chance of peace is to obey, -we splash into our tub forthwith, encase our person in an old velveteen -and gaiters, and having gulped our coffee and hastily devoured our -toast, find ourself at nine o'clock standing on the hall steps, and -comparing guns with Jack, previous to a start for the arable. Two -keepers, a brace of perfect pointers, and a retriever, are awaiting, -even at that hour, impatiently, our departure for the scene of action. - -Two miles' walk in the soft September air serves to brace our nerves -for the work before us; and the head keeper and the Squire having -conferred together like two generals, on our arrival at the seat of -war, we at length find ourselves placed--I should perhaps rather say -marshalled--in the turnips and ready for the fray. What a picture it -is! how truly English! each sportsman's eye glistening with excitement -and pleasure, as he poises his gun, each in his own readiest manner and -favourite position, the Squire casting his eye along the line with the -careful scrutiny of a field-marshal examining his forces previous to a -final and decisive struggle; the two pointers, too well disciplined to -show their ardour in gestures, standing mute behind the keeper; Jack -with his gun full-cocked and ready to fire almost before the quarry is -started; and his two brothers bursting with excitement, talking in -hurried and ceaseless whispers behind the back of Uncle Sam, bearing no -distant resemblance, as far as their half-checked ardour is concerned, -to the brace of pointers behind the keeper. But there is no time for -indulging in reverie as to the scene; a low "Hold up, then!" is heard -from the head-keeper, the two graceful dogs bound forward, the line -advances, and the action has commenced. A rabbit starts from under -Jack's feet: Bang!--and the shot enters a turnip, a yard behind the -little white stern hopping and popping to his burrow, despite the -reiterated assurances of Master Jack that he is hit, and who forgets to -reload accordingly. "Hold up!" to the crouching pointers, and away we -move again, watching the graceful movements of the dogs as they work -the field before us. Rake, a young dog in his first season, is breaking -a little too much ahead; but ere the keeper's "Gently, boy!" had -reached him, he has suddenly pulled up, and, with tail stiff and leg -up, is standing, motionless as a statue, over a covey. We advance, in -the highest excitement:--whirr! goes bird after bird almost singly; and -our first covey of the season leaves two brace and a half on the field. -One o'clock comes; we have steadily beaten turnips and stubble, clover -and mustard, and we spy a man with a donkey and panniers on the brow of -the hill in front of us. We beat up to him, bagging a hare and a single -bird on our way, and during the half-hour that is allowed us for our -bread and cheese and one glass of sherry, we enjoy to our heart's -content the large delights of loosing our tongues, after several hours' -rigid silence. But "time is up," and we are again on the move till six; -we are tired, but we don't know it; we are hungry and thirsty, but we -feel not their pangs, till, with our five-and-twenty brace behind us in -the bags, we strike across the park on our homeward journey. Uncle -Sam's gun is yielded up to Master Tom to let off the charge with the -shot drawn; but he manages surreptitiously to obtain our shot-flask, -and joins us on the hall steps with a dead rabbit, somewhat mauled, -however, from the young rascal's having fired at it at ten paces. We -sit down to dinner in high good-humour:--who is not, after a good day? -We defend our sport before the ladies from the charge of cruelty, and -retire to roost so tired that we take the precaution to lock our door, -to prevent the too early and too sure incursion of the young Visigoths -in the morning. Alas! for the days that are no more. Seven or eight -years have passed since that pleasant day, and Downcharge Hall again -welcomes Uncle Sam on the evening of the 31st, under its hospitable -roof; I find the boys all grown into young men; Jack is a captain of -Hussars, Tom is a subaltern in the Engineers, and Dick has just left -Christ Church. They are still as fond as ever of Uncle Sam, though they -occasionally venture so far nowadays, as to offer an opinion adverse to -his on sporting matters, in which his word was formerly supreme. As I -descend to dinner, I pass Jack's room. Hailed by its tenant, of course. -I enter, and find him occupied, with care above his years, in the -adjustment of his spotless white necktie, two of which articles, -crumpled too much in the operation, are at present adorning the floor. -"Think of shooting to-morrow, Sam?" (The title of "uncle" has been -dropped since Jack first stroked his downy upper lip as a second -lieutenant). I stand aghast. Here is a young man, full of health and -vigour, on the evening of the 31st August, questioning a fellow-man, -who has just travelled some hundred miles and more to Downcharge Hall, -with his arm round his gun-case, as to his intention of shooting on the -1st of September. Entertaining a faint hope that, in the exuberance of -his youthful spirits, he may be chaffing his old relative, I gasp out -an affirmative, and, obeying the summons of the dinner-bell, descend -the stairs. There is a large party of guests, but dinner proceeds with -but one allusion to the morrow and that is from Dick, who exclaims, as -he fingers the delicate stem of his champagne glass, "By-the-by, -to-morrow will be the 1st." The piece of fowl I was that moment in the -act of swallowing stuck in my throat; my appetite was destroyed, and I -silently, but sorrowfully, resolved that for the future no prodigy -could have power to amaze me. Our guests stayed late, and at half-past -eleven o'clock, mindful of my early rising the next day, I began to -grow fidgetty. By twelve o'clock, however, they had all gone; and -having despatched the ladies of the house to bed, my hand was already -grasping my bed-candle, when Tom arrested my intention, bidding me, in -a voice of manifest astonishment at what he was pleased to call my -"early roost," to come and do a pipe or two first in Dick's room. -Labouring under the delusion that a quarter of an hour was about to be -devoted to arranging our sporting plans, I obeyed, and after two hours -in Dick's room, spent almost entirely in discussing the relative merits -and demerits of certain ladies and horses, found myself between the -sheets at last. Awaking with a start, in the morning, to discover it is -eight o'clock, I dress with all possible speed, haunted the while with -terrible pictures of impatient sportsmen below anathematizing my -tardiness as they wait breakfast for me. I hurry down stairs,--the -breakfast room is tenantless. My first impression is that they have -been unable to curb their sporting ardour, and have started without me. -Hearing a footstep on the gravel sweep without, I step through the open -casement, and confront a pretty dairymaid bringing in the milk and -cream for breakfast. - -"Fine mornin', sir." - -"Yes. Which way have they gone--can you tell me?" - -"Same gait as ever, sir. Joe have druv 'em down agin the fenny pasture, -arter milkin' up hinder." - -"Ah! but the gentlemen, not the cows." - -"The gentlemen, is it? Maybe if ye look in their beds ye'll see 'em -this time o' day." - -Heaving a mighty sigh, I leave the dairymaid, and stroll up and down -the garden, listening with increasing impatience to the distant call of -the partridges in the park. Nature at Downcharge Hall that morning was -at all events beautifully still; there was a slight mist, too, -gradually clearing off from the distance, which betokened very surely a -broiling day, and made me long the more to get our seven or eight brace -before the mid-day heat should come upon us. My longings and -reflections, however, were suddenly cut short by a pitying butler, who -had brought me out the _Times_, with the remark that "Master and the -young gentlemen seldom has their breakfasts before ten." This was -cheerful; however, I consoled myself with the paper, and just as I had -finished discovering who was born, married, or dead, and had commenced -reading the entreaties to return to afflicted initial letters, &c., -&c., Dick's terrier entered the room, the forerunner of his master, -who, remarking on my actually being an earlier bird than himself, was -followed, in the course of about twenty minutes, by the others. - -"I suppose we shoot to-day: where shall we begin?" asks Tom. - -"Oh! we will shoot up from Brinkhill," answers the Squire. - -"Brinkhill--two miles;--must have a trap," says Jack. - -The two-mile walk used to be part of the order of the day; it gave us a -little time for conversation, prohibited from its conclusion till -lunch; it braced one up, and made one, in sporting phraseology, "fit"; -but nowadays a carriage is necessary, and the young Nimrod is unequal -to any fatigue beyond that which he must necessarily undergo in pursuit -of his game. However, we are late, so I can't object to it; and, -burning my throat in my hasty disposal of my second cup of coffee, I -rush upstairs to get ready my trusty Westley Richards, which, by the -way, is a muzzle-loader, yet does not take so long to load as to -require a man behind me with a second gun. Five minutes, and fully -equipped I re-enter the breakfast-room, where I am astonished to find -my "get-up" creates unfeigned amazement. - -"What! ready now!" says Tom; "what's the use of being in such a -hurry?--let's do a pipe and a game of billiards first." - -"Ah, by-the-by," adds Dick, "what time shall we start? Better have the -trap at twelve--quite early enough, eh?" - -So Jack betakes himself to the newspaper; I am dragged off in disgust -to the billiard-room; and the Squire goes off to show old Jones, who is -staying here, all about the gardens, &c. - -How I loathe the gardens from that moment!--how every shrub became a -bugbear, every flower a poisonous weed, to my jaundiced eye, as I -mentally abused my host for not turning out everybody sooner, and doing -things smarter! My temper is rapidly vanishing; I have been beaten in -two games by Tom, to whom I used formerly to allow fifteen out of -fifty; I am smoking a cigar of Dick's (a bad one I think it, of -course), when suddenly the sound of wheels breaks on my ear, and -rushing madly to my room again, I don my shot-belt, I pocket wads, -powder, and caps, shoulder my gun, and in two minutes am seated in the -elegant little double dog-cart, waiting in a broiling sun for these -tardy sportsmen. I have sat for full a quarter of an hour, when Jack -strolls out, and, in a voice as though nothing had or was about to -happen, exclaims-- - -"Hallo, Sam! are you ready? I must go and dress." And this to a man who -has been gaitered since half-past eight. At half-past twelve he -reappeared, dressed in magnificent apparel, the result of Poole's and -Anderson's united efforts, and examining, to the increase of my -impatience, the elaborate locks of a brand new breech-loader. Formerly, -we used to take care of that sort of thing the night before at the -latest. However, our horses are good ones, and Dick, who knows very -well how to handle them--about the only thing I can say for him--puts -them along in very neat form at a brisk pace to Brinkhill. This is all -very pleasant; and as we near the ground my spirits begin to rise -again. It takes us, however, at least twenty minutes to discuss which -is the most advantageous beat--a matter which used to be settled as we -came along; but I am at last on the move, and begin to forget the past -grievances, only hoping they won't strike work too early. It is the -same old field in which I so well remember Jack making his _debut_ -and missing the rabbit; but I miss the eager faces of those days sadly; -it doesn't seem the same thing to me; half the pleasure of a thing, -after all, is in enjoying it in company; but that half is sadly marred -if the said company are cool in their enjoyment. The dogs, too, are -disgustingly wild now. Old Rake breaks fence and flushes our first -covey long out of gunshot, my disgust at which is further augmented by -one of the keepers, as wild as the dog, breaking line and starting a -hare, as remote as the partridges, by his loud imprecations after the -miscreant, who is utterly deaf alike to whistle, threats, and -entreaties. There is fault enough here; but it doesn't lie entirely -with the keeper; it is too evident there is an absence of the eye of -the master. If the Squire grows indifferent to their proceedings, he -can scarcely expect his dogs and keepers to be what they were; the -keeper gets lazy or dishonest, the dogs' training is neglected, and -by-and-by they become useless or worse than useless, and their services -are discarded. Now if there is one thing more than another which -enhances the pleasure of a day's partridge-shooting, it is to watch a -brace of well-trained pointers work a field. Why is it then--for -obviously it is so--that the use of dogs, and especially of setters and -pointers in the field, is gradually being discarded? - -But to proceed. As soon as order is tolerably restored, we advance -again, and pretty steadily beat two or three fields, bagging, with an -unheard-of amount of missing, about two brace of birds. We are just -entering the next field, when the Brinkhill tenant rides up and asks us -all in to lunch. Ye gods, what a feast! Some years ago some bread and -cheese, and perhaps a couple of glasses of sherry under a hedge was -considered ample on these occasions. Now, however, I have before me an -elegant repast of ham and tongue, of fowls and lamb, of pies and fruit, -of beer and sherry, port and claret, such as would have shamed the -epicurean deities of heathen mythology quaffing ambrosial nectar on the -heights of Olympus. With a hopeless shudder I deposit my gun in a -corner of the room and take my seat. We breakfasted at ten, but the -"unwonted" exercise (alas! it should be so) has given the youngsters an -appetite, and their tongues are tied for ten minutes, before worthy Mr -Shorthorn, the tenant, produces a bottle of "that very fine old port" -he so wishes the Squire to taste. I am not exaggerating when I state -that lunch lasted a good hour. Then his pigs are inspected, and what -with the wine and the waiting, I can well foresee what will happen to -our sport: tongues will be loosed; misses will, if possible, increase; -and I feel convinced that the partridges will have little to fear from -us for this afternoon, at all events. However, we do manage at last to -get away by about half-past three or four o'clock, and commence beating -a very promising piece of stubble. I have just bagged a hare, and the -dogs have been reduced, by dint of much rating, into a state of -downcharge whilst I load, when something is heard galloping behind us, -and Dick, who had stayed behind, as we thought, to fill his -powder-flask, appears in the field trying the paces of the tenant's -young one. Although he is well behind the beat, the galloping horse -forms a disturbing element to the guns. Dick rides over the low fence -at the end, round the next field, and finally returns right in the way -of a shot I might have had at a landrail. I don't swear, because I -don't approve thereof, and, moreover, am moderate in my temper; but -this is indeed trying, and, to make matters worse, the fellow doesn't -appear in the least bit ashamed of himself, but quietly dismounts, -feels the legs of the colt carefully down, and, refusing to take his -gun from the keepers, remarks that he is tired of missing, and (to my -joy) shall go home. A prudent resolve, as he had fired at least twenty -or thirty shots without touching a feather, as it seemed to my heated -imagination; but the keeper, with a presence the late Duc de Morny -might have envied, urges him "not to give over yet; he might 'ave a -haccident and hit summut." Laughter is irresistible, but Dick's ardour -is not equal to trusting to this remote contingency, so he wends his -way homewards, for a wonder, on his own legs. The rest of us proceed -again, but the shooting is, if possible, worse than before lunch; and -as we enter the park again I ask, in a dejected tone of the head -keeper, "What is the bag?" "Seven brace, three hares, and one rabbit." -I turn away with a sigh, and mentally resolve to remove from my head, -in the solitude of my chamber, on my return, the hairs--the many -hairs--that must have turned grey during that terrible day; and I join -the rest to reseek the hall, a sadder and a sulkier man. We enter the -billiard-room at six, to find Dick engaged in a game of billiards with -his pretty cousin, Lucy Hazard--the dog! but feeling that he deserves -nothing at our hands, we break the _tete-a-tete_ and summon the other -ladies for a pool. Lucy has been chaffing Master Dick about "being such -a muff as to return so soon." Quite right--an uncommonly nice girl is -Miss Lucy, and with L50,000 of her own, too, they say. If I were ten -years younger, I think I would marry her (I am far too vain to doubt -her consent), and get some shooting of my own,--some shooting, sir, -conducted on my own principles: I don't care much for the Downcharge -Hall style of doing business. "C'est magnifique, mais ce n'est pas la -guerre," remarked a French general, as he levelled his glass at our -light squadrons charging through the bloody vale of Balaklava. "C'est -luxurieux, mais ce n'est pas le sport," remarks the writer of this -grumble, as he levels his pen at the sportsmen of Downcharge Hall and -all who may resemble them. - - - - -SIMPSON'S SNIPE - - -"Who is Mr Simpson?" asked my wife, tossing a letter across the -breakfast-table. This same little lady opens my correspondence with the -_sang-froid_ of a private secretary. - -"Who is Mr Simpson?" she repeated. "If he is as big as his monogram, we -shall have to widen all the doors, and raise the ceilings, in order to -let him in." - -The monogram referred to resembled a pyrotechnic device. It blazed in -all the colours of the rainbow, and twisted itself like the coloured -worsted in a young lady's first sampler. - -"Simpson," I replied, in, I must confess, a tremulous sort of way, "is -a very nice fellow, and a capital shot." - -"I perceive that you have asked him to shoot." - -"Only for a day and a night, my dear." - -"Only for a day and a night! And where is Willie to sleep, and where is -Blossie to sleep? You know the dear children are in the strangers' -rooms for change of air, and really I _must_ say it is very thoughtless -of you;" and my wife's _nez retrousse_ went up at a very acute angle, -whilst a general hardness of expression settled itself upon her -countenance, like a plaster cast. - -I had a bad case. I had been dining with a friend, my friend Captain de -Britska. I had taken sherry with my soup, hock with my fish, champagne -with my entree, and a nip of brandy before my claret. What I imbibed -after the Lafitte I scarcely remember. Mr Simpson was of the party, and -sat next to me. He forced a succession of cigars into my mouth, and -subsequently a mixture of tobacco, a special thing. (What smoker, by -the way, hasn't a special thing in the shape of a mixture? what -_gourmet_ has no special tip as regards salad-dressing?) We spoke of -shooting. He asked me if I had any. I replied in the affirmative, -expressing a hope that he would at some time or other practically -discuss that fact. Somehow I was led into a direct invitation, and this -was the outcome. I had committed myself beneath my friend's mahogany, -and under the influence of my friend's generous wine. I was in a -corner; and now, ye gods! I had to face Mrs Smithe. There are moments -when a man's wife is simply awful. Snugly entrenched behind the -unassailable line of defence, duty, and with such "Woolwich Infants" as -her children to hurl against you, which she does in a persistent -remorseless way, she is a terror. No man, be he as brave as Leonidas or -as cool as Sir Charles Coldstream, is proof against the partner of his -bosom when she is on the rampage; and, as I have already observed, Mrs -S. was "end on." - -"Another change will do the children good, Maria," I observed. - -"Yes, I suppose so. It will do Willie's cold good to sleep in your -dressing-room without a fire, won't it? and Blossie can have a bed made -up in the bath. Is this Mr Simpson married or single?" - -_Hinc illae lachrymae._ I couldn't say. I never asked him. - -"What does it matter?" I commenced, with a view to diplomatising. - -"Yes, but it does," she interposed. "If he is a respectable married -man, which I very much doubt, he must have dear Willie's room." - -"I am very sorry that I asked him at all, Maria; but as he has been -asked, and as I must drive over to meet him in a few minutes, for -Heaven's sake make the best of it." - -"Oh, of course; I receive my instructions, and am to carry them out. -All the trouble falls upon me, while you drive off to the station -smoking a shilling cigar, when you know that every penny will be wanted -to send Willie to Eton." - -I got out of it somehow. Not that Mrs S. was entirely pacified. She -still preserved an armed neutrality; yet even this concession was very -much to be coveted. She's a dear good little creature, but she has -fiery moods occasionally; and I ask you, my dear sir, is she one whit -the worse for it? How often does your good lady fly at _you_ during the -twenty-four hours? How often! The theme is painful. _Passons._ - -My stained-wood trap was brought round by my man-of-all-work, Billy -Doyle. Billy is a tight little "boy," over whose unusually large skull -some fifty summers' suns have passed, scorching away his shock hair, -and leaving only a few streaks, which he carefully plasters across his -bald pate till they resemble so many cracks upon the bottom of an -inverted china bowl. Billy is my factotum. He looks after my horse, -dogs, gun, rod, pipes, and clothes, with a view to the reversion of the -latter. He was reared, "man an' boy," on the estate, and is upon the -most familiar yet respectful terms with the whole family. Billy -continually lectures me, imparting his opinions upon all matters -appertaining to my affairs, as though he were some rich uncle whose -will in my favour was safely deposited with the family solicitor. - -"We've twenty minutes to meet the train, Billy," I observed, giving the -reins a jerk. - -"Is it for to ketch the tin-o'clock thrain from Dublin?" he asked. - -"Yes." - -"Begorra, ye've an hour! She's like yourself--she's always late." - -"There's a gentleman coming down to spend the day and shoot," I said, -without noticing Billy's sarcasm. - -"Shoot! Arrah, shoot what?" - -"Why, snipe, plover--anything that may turn up." - -"Be jabers, he'll have for to poach, thin." - -"What do you mean, Billy?" - -"Divvle resave the feather there is betune this an' Ballybann; they're -dhruv out av the cunthry." - -"Nonsense, man. We'll get a snipe in Booker's fields." - -"Ye will, av ye sind to Dublin for it." - -I felt rather down in the mouth, for I had during the season given -unlimited permission to my surrounding neighbours to blaze away--a -privilege which had been used, if not abused, to the utmost limits. -Scarce a day passed that we were not under fire, and on several -occasions were in a state of siege, in consequence of a succession of -raids upon the rookeries adjoining the house. - -"We can try Mr Pringle's woods, Billy." - -"Yez had betther lave _thim_ alone, or the coroner 'ill be afther -havin' a job. Pringle wud shoot his father sooner nor he'd let a bird -be touched." - -"This is very awkward," I muttered. - -"Awkward! sorra a shurer shake in Chrisendom. It's crukkeder nor what -happened to ould Major Moriarty beyant at Sievenaculliagh, that me -father--may the heavens be his bed this day!--lived wud, man an' boy." - -Billy was full of anecdote, and being anxious to pull my thoughts -together, I mechanically requested him to let me hear all about the -dilemma in which the gallant Major had found himself. - -"Well, sir, th' ould Major was as dacent an ould gintleman as ever -swallied a glass o' sperrits, an' there was always lashins an' lavins -beyant at the house. If ye wor hungry it was yerself that was for -to blame, and if ye wor dhry, it wasn't be raisin av wantin' a -_golliogue_. Th' ould leddy herself was aiqual to the Major, an' a -hospitabler ould cupple didn't live the Shannon side o' Connaught. -Well, sir, wan mornin' a letther cums, sayin' that some frind was -comin' for to billet on thim. - -"'Och, I'm bet!' says the Mrs Moriarty. - -"'What's that yer sayin' at all at all?' says th' ould Major; 'who bet -ye?' says he. - -"'Shure, here's Sir Timothy Blake, and Misther Bodkin Bushe, an' three -more comin',' says she, 'an' this is only Wednesday.' - -"'Arrah, what the dickens has that for to say to it?' says the Major. - -"'There's not as much fresh mate in the house as wud give a brequest to -a blackbird,' says she; 'an' they all ate fish av a Friday, an' how are -we for to get it at all at all? An' they'll be wantin' fish an' game.' - -"Ye see, sir," said Billy, "there was little or no roads in thim ould -times, an' the carriers only crassed that way wanst a week." - -"'We're hobbled, sure enough,' says the Major, 'we're hobbled, mam,' -says he, 'an' I wish they'd had manners to wait to be axed afore they'd -come into a man's house,' he says. - -"'Couldn't ye shoot somethin'?' says Mrs Moriarty. - -"'Shoot a haystack flyin', mam,' says the Major, for he was riz, an' -when he was riz the divvle cudn't hould him; 'what is there for to -shoot, barrin' a saygull? an' ye might as well be aitin' saw-dust.' - -"'I seen three wild duck below on the pond,' she says. - -"'Ye did on Tib's Eve!' says the Major. - -"'Och, begorra, it's thruth I'm tellin' ye', says she; 'I seen thim -this very mornin', when I was comin' from mass--an' be the same token,' -says she, lukkin' out av the windy, 'there they are, rosy an' well.' - -"'Thin upon my conscience, mam,' roared the Major, 'if I don't hit thim -I'll make them lave that!' - -"So he ups an' loads an ould blundherbuss wud all soarts av -combusticles, an' down he creeps to the edge av the wather, and hides -hisself in some long grass, for the ducks was heddin' for him. Up they -cum; an' the minnit they wor within a cupple av perch he pulls the -thrigger as bould as a ram, whin by the hokey smut it hot him a welt in -the stummick that levelled him, an' med him feel as if tundher was -inside av him rumblin'. He roared millia murdher, for he thought he was -kilt; but howsomever he fell soft an' aisy, an' he put out his hand for -to see if he was knocked to bits behind, whin, begorra, he felt -somethin' soft an' warm. 'Arrah, what the puck is this?' sez he; an' -turnin' round, what was he sittin' on but an illigant Jack hare. 'Yer -cotch, _ma bouchal_,' sez he; 'an' yer as welkim as the flowers o' -May.' - -"Wasn't that a twist o' luck, sir?" asked Billy pausing to take breath. - -"Not a doubt of it. But what became of the ducks?" - -"Troth, thin, ye'll hear. The Major dhropped two av thim wud the -combusticles in the blundherbuss, but th' ould mallard kep' floatin' on -the wather in a quare soart av a way, an' yellin' murdher. When the -Major kem nigh him, he seen that he was fastened like to somethin' -undher the wather; an' whin he cotch him, what do you think he found? -It's truth I'm tellin' ye, an' no lie: he found the ramrod, that he -neglected for to take out o' the gun, run right through th' ould -mallard. Half av it was in the mallard, an' be the hole in me coat, th' -other half was stuck in a lovely lump av a salmon; and the bould Major -cotch thim both. 'Now,' says he, 'come on, Sir Tim an the whole creel -of yez, who's afeard?' An' I'm just thinkin' sir," added Billy, as we -dashed into the railway yard, "that if ye don't get a slice av luck -like Major Moriarty's, yer frind might as well be on the Hill o' -Howth." - -The force of Billy's remark riveted itself in my mind, and the idea of -asking a man so long a distance to shoot nothing was very little short -of insult. Mr Simpson arrived as we drove in, arrayed in an ulster just -imported from Inverness. His hat was new; his boots were new; his -gloves awfully new, yellow and stiff, and forcing his fingers very far -apart, as though his hands were wooden stretchers. His portmanteau, -solid leather, was brand new; the very purse from which he extracted a -new sixpence to tip the porter was of the same virgin type. He was -mistaken for a bridegroom, and the fair bride was eagerly sought for by -the expectant porter whilst removing a new rug from the compartment in -which Mr Simpson had been seated. To crown all this newness, his -gun-case, solid leather, had never seen the open air till this day, and -the iron which impressed upon it Mr Rigby's brand could scarcely have -had time to grow cold. - -"Begorra, it's in the waxworks he ought for to be," muttered Billy -Doyle, grimly surveying him from head to foot. - -Mr Simpson's thick moustache possessed a queer sort of curl, his nose -too, followed this pattern, so that his face somewhat resembled those -three legs which are impressed upon a Manx coin. His eyes were long -slits, with narrow lids, not unlike a cut in a kid glove: one of these -eyes he kept open by means of an eyeglass. This eyeglass was -perpetually dropping into his bosom and disappearing, never coming to -the surface when required, and only coming up to breathe after a -succession of prolonged and abortive dives. - -"It's very cold," he exclaimed, grasping my hand, or rather -endeavouring to grasp it, for the new gloves would admit of no loving -contact. - -"There's likker over beyant at the rifrishmint-bar," observed Billy, -whose invariable habit it was to cut into the conversation with such -comments or observations as suggested themselves to him at the moment. - -Perceiving an inclination on the part of my guest to profit by the -hint, I interposed by informing him that the refreshment was of the -meanest possible character, in addition to its possessing a very -inflammatory tendency. - -"Thrue for ye, sir. The sperrits is that sthrong that it wud desthroy -warts, or burn the paint off av a hall dure." - -"That will do, Billy," I said, as Simpson's face bore silent tokens of -wonder at the garrulity of my retainer. "We don't require your opinion -at present." - -"Och, that's hapes, as Missis Dooley remarked whin she swallird the -crab," said Billy very sulkily, as he mounted behind. - -"How is our friend De Britska?" I asked. - -"Oh, very well indeed. He quite envied me my trip. He says your -shooting is about the best thing in this part of the world." - -"Oh, it's not bad," I replied, assuming an indifference that I was far -from participating in; "but there are times when I assure--ha, ha! it -may appear incredulous, that we cannot stir a single feather." - -"Have you much snipe, Mr Smithe?" - -"Sorra a wan," replied Billy. - -"Your gamekeeper?" asked Simpson, jerking his head in the direction of -my retainer. - -"My _factotum_. He is one of the family. A regular character, and I -trust you will make allowances for him." - -"I love characters. Depend upon it we shall not fall out." - -Simpson chatted very agreeably, and very small. He had read the _Irish -Times_ during the rail journey, and was master of the situation. Some -men take five shillings-worth out of a penny paper. This was one of -them. He had sucked it all in, and the day's news was coming out -through the pores of his skin. As a rule, such men are to be avoided. -The individual who persistently asks you "What news?" or "Is there -anything new to-day?" is a wooden-headed gossiping bore, who cannot -start an idea, and oils the machinery inside his skull with the -twopenny-halfpenny daily currency. Simpson spoke a great deal of the -army, quoted the various changes mentioned in that day's _Gazette_ -with a vigour of memory that was perfectly astounding. Although -personally unknown to the countrymen around me, he seemed thoroughly -acquainted with their respective pedigrees, their intermarriages, their -rent-rolls, and in fact with their most private concerns; so that -before we reached our destination I knew considerably more of my -neighbours than I, or my father before me, had ever known. - -His shooting experiences were of the most extensive and daring -character. He had tumbled tigers, stuck pigs, iced white bears, and -ostracised ostriches. He had been in the tiger's mouth, on the boar's -tusks, and in the arms of the bear. His detailed information on the -subject of firearms was worthy of a gunmaker's pet 'prentice. - -"I've shot with Greener's patent central-fire choke-bore, and I -pronounce it a handy tool. Westley Richards has made some good -instruments, and Purdy's performances are crack. I've taken down one of -Rigby's with me, as I have some idea of experimentalising; Rigby is a -very safe maker. I expect to do some damage to-day, friend Smithe." - -What a laughing-stock I should be, when this man unfolded the tale of -his being decoyed into the country by a fellow who bragged about his -preserves, upon which there wasn't a feather! Would I make a clean -breast of it? would I say that-- - -While this struggle was waging beneath my waistcoat, we arrived, and -there was nothing for it but to trust to luck and Billy Doyle. - -When we alighted, I asked Simpson into the drawing-room, as his -bed-chamber had not yet been allotted to him. My wife was still sulky -and did not appear, so I had to discover her whereabouts. - -"Simpson has arrived, my dear." - -"I suppose so," very curtly. - -"He is a very agreeable entertaining fellow." - -"I suppose so," she snapped. - -"Where have you decided on putting him?" - -"In your dressing-room." - -"My dressing-room?" - -"Yes, your dressing-room. I wouldn't disturb the children for the -Prince of Wales." - -Now this was very shabby of my wife. My dressing-room was my _sanctum -sanctorum_. There were my papers, letters, pipes, boots, knick-knacks, -all laid out with a bachelor's care, and each in its own particular -place. To erect a bedstead meant an utter disturbance of my effects, -which weeks could not repair, especially as regards my papers. I -expostulated. - -"There is no use in talking," said my wife; "the bed is put up." - -Tableau. - -Whilst my guest was engaged in washing his hands before luncheon, I -held a conference with Billy Doyle with reference to the shooting, our -line of country, and the tactics necessary to be pursued. - -"Me opinion is that he is a _gommoch_. He doesn't know much. Av he -cum down wud an old gun-case that was in the wars, I'd be peckened; but -wud sich a ginteel tool, ye needn't fret. We'll give him a walk, -anyhow. He'll get a bellyful that will heart scald him." - -"But the honour of the country is at stake, Billy. I asked Mr Simpson -to shoot, promising him good sport, and surely _you_ are not going to -let him return to Dublin to give us a bad name." - -This appeal to Billy's feelings was well timed. He knew every fence and -every nest in the barony, and it was with a view to putting things into -a proper training that I thus appealed to his better feelings. - -Billy scratched his head. - -"Begorra, he must have a bird if they're in it; but they're desperate -wild, and take no ind of decoyin'." - -Simpson's politeness to my wife was unbounded. He professed himself -charmed to have the honour of making her acquaintance, took her in to -luncheon with as much tender care as though she had been a cracked bit -of very precious china ware; invited her to partake of everything on -the table, shoving the dishes under her chin, and advising her as to -what to eat, drink, and avoid. He narrated stories of noble families -with whom he was upon the most intimate terms, and assured my wife that -he was quite startled by her extraordinary likeness to Lady Sarah -Macwhirter; which so pleased Mrs S. that later on she informed me that -as Blossie was so much better, she thought it would be more polite to -give Mr Simpson the blue bedroom. - -I found this ardent sportsman very much inclined to dally in my lady's -boudoir, in preference to taking the field, and I encouraged this -proclivity, in the hope of escaping the shooting altogether, and thus -save the credit of my so-called preserves. But here again I was doomed -to disappointment. Mrs S., who now began to become rather anxious about -the domestic arrangements, politely but firmly reminded him of the -object of his visit, and insisted upon our departing for the happy -hunting-grounds at once. And at length, when very reluctantly he rose -from the table, he helped himself to a stiff glass of brandy-and-water, -in order, as he stated, to "steady his hand." - -I must confess that I was rather startled when he announced his -intention of shooting in his ulster. The idea of dragging this -long-tailed appendage across ditches and over bogs appeared _outre_, -especially as the pockets bulged very considerably, as though they were -loaded with woollen wraps; but I was silent in the presence of one who -had sought his quarry in the jungle, and shoved my old-fashioned idea -back into the fusty lumber-room of my thoughts. Billy Doyle awaited us -with the dogs at the stable gate. These faithful animals no sooner -perceived me than they set up an unlimited howling of delight; but -instead of bounding forward to meet me, as was their wont, they -suddenly stopped, as if struck by an invisible hand, and commenced to -set at Simpson. - -This extraordinary conduct of these dogs--there are no better dogs in -Ireland--incensed Billy to fever heat. - -"Arrah, what the puck are yez settin' at? Are yez mad or dhrunk? Whoop! -gelang ow a that, Feltram! Hush! away wud ye, Birdlime!" - -"Take them away; take them away!" cried Simpson, very excitedly. "I -don't want them; I never shoot with dogs. Remove them, my man." - -Billy caught Feltram, but Birdlime eluded his grasp; and having -released Feltram and captured Birdlime, the former remained at a dead -set, whilst the latter struggled with his captor, as though the lives -of both depended on the issue. - -"May the divvle admire me," panted Billy, "but this bangs Banagher. Is -there a herrin' stirrin', or anything for to set the dogs this way?--it -bates me intirely." - -I naturally turned to my guest, who looked as puzzled as I did myself. - -"I have it!" he cried; "it's the blood of the sperm-whale that's -causing this." - -"Arrah, how the blazes cud the blood av all the whales in Ireland make -thim shupayriour animals set as if the birds were foreninst them?" -demanded Billy, his arms akimbo. - -"I will explain," said Simpson. "Last autumn I was up whaling off the -coast of Greenland. We struck a fine fish; and after playing him for -three-and-twenty hours, we got him aboard. Just as we were taking the -harpoon out, he made one despairing effort and spurted blood; a few -drops fell upon this coat, just here," pointing to the inside portion -of his right-hand cuff, "and I pledge you my veracity no dog can -withstand it. They invariably point; and I assure you, Smithe, you -could get up a drag hunt by simply walking across country in this -identical coat, built by John Henry Smalpage." - -This startling and sensational explanation satisfied me. Not so my -_factotum_, who gave vent in an undertone to such exclamations as -"_Naboclish! Wirra, wirra!_ What does he take us for? Whales, begorra!" - -The riddance of the dogs was a grand _coup_ for me. In the event -of having no sport the failure could be easily accounted for, and I -should come off with flying colours. - -"I make it a point" observed Simpson, "to shoot as little with dogs as -possible. I like to set my own game, shoot it, and bag it; nor do I -care to be followed by troublesome and often impertinent -self-opinionated game-keepers" (Billy was at this moment engaged in -incarcerating Feltram and Birdlime). "These fellows are always spoilt, -and never know their position." - -I was nettled at this. - -"If you refer to----" - -"My dear Smithe, I allude to my friend Lord Mulligatawny's fellows, got -up in Lincoln green and impossible gaiters, who insist upon loading for -you, and all that sort of thing. You know Mulligatawny, of course?" - -I rather apologised for not having the honour. - -"Then you shall, Smithe. I'll bring you together when you come to town. -Leave that to me; a nice little party: Mulligatawny, Sir Percy -Whiffler, Colonel Owlfinch of the 1st Life Guards--they're at Beggar's -Bush now, I suppose--Belgum, yourself, and myself." - -This was very considerate and flattering; and I heartily hoped that by -some fluke or other we might be enabled to make a bag. - -When we arrived upon the shooting-ground, I observed that it was time -to load; and calling up Billy Doyle with the guns, I proceeded to carry -my precept into practice. My weapon was an old-fashioned muzzle-loader, -one of Truelock & Harris's; and as I went through the process of -loading, I could see that Mr Simpson was regarding my movements with a -careful and critical eye. - -"I know that you swells despise this sort of thing," I remarked; "but I -have dropped a good many birds with this gun at pretty long ranges, and -have wiped the eyes of many a breech-loading party." - -"I--I like that sort of gun," said Simpson. "I'd be glad if you'd take -this," presenting his, with both barrels covering me. - -"Good heavens, don't do that!" I cried, shoving the muzzle aside. - -"What--what--" he cried, whirling round like a teetotum--"what have I -done?" - -"Nothing as yet; but I hate to have the muzzle of a gun turned towards -me since the day I saw poor cousin Jack's brains blown out." - -"What am I to do?" exclaimed Simpson. "I'll do anything." - -"It's all right," I replied; "you won't mind my old-world stupidity." - -My guest's gun was a central-fire breech-loader of Rigby's newest type, -which he commenced to prepare for action in what seemed to me to be a -very bungling sort of way. He dropped it twice, and in releasing the -barrels, brought them into very violent collision with his head, which -caused the waters of anguish to roll silently down his cheeks and on to -his pointed moustache. If I had not been aware of his manifold -experiences in the shooting line, I could have set him down as a man -who had never handled a gun in his life; but knowing his powers and -prowess, I ascribed his awkwardness to simple carelessness, a -carelessness in all probability due to the smallness of the game of -which he was now in pursuit. I therefore refrained from taking any -notice, and from making any observation until he deliberately proceeded -to thrust a patent cartridge into the _muzzle_ of the barrel of -his central-fire. - -"Hold hard, Mr Simpson; you are surely only jesting." - -"Jesting! How do you mean?" - -"Why, using that cartridge in the way you are doing." - -"What other way should I use it?" - -"May I again remind you that I am utterly averse to facetiousness where -firearms are concerned, and----" - -"My dear Smithe, I meant nothing, I assure you. I pledge you my word of -honour. Here, load it yourself;" and he handed me the gun. - -"There'll be a job for the coroner afore sunset," growled Billy. - -"What do you mean, sir?" exclaimed Simpson, rather savagely. - -"Mane! There's widdys and lone orphans enough in the counthry, -sir--that's what I mane," and Billy started in advance with the air of -a man who had to do or die. - -Mr Simpson was silent for some time, during which he found himself -perpetually involved in his gun, which appeared to give him the -uttermost uneasiness. First, he held it at arm's length as if it was a -bow; then he placed it under his arm, and held on to it with the -tenacity of an octopus; after a little he shifted it again, sloping it -on his shoulder, ever and anon glancing towards the barrels to -ascertain their exact position. He would pause, place the butt against -the ground, and survey the surrounding prospect with the scrutinising -gaze of a cavalry patrol. - -"Hush!" he suddenly exclaimed. "We lost something that time; I heard a -bird." - -"Nothin', barrin' a crow," observed Billy. - -"A plover, sir; it was the cry of a plover," evasively retorted the -other. - -"Holy Vargin! do ye hear this? A pluvver! Divvle resave the pluvver -ever was seen in the barony!" - -"Silence, Doyle!" I shouted, finding that my retainer's observations -were becoming personal and unpleasant. - -"Troth, we'll all be silent enough by-an'-by." - -We had been walking for about half an hour, when Mr Simpson suggested -that it might be advisable to separate, he taking one direction, I -taking the other, but both moving in parallel lines. Having joyfully -assented to this proposition, as the careless manner in which he -handled his gun was fraught with the direst consequences, I moved into -an adjacent bog, leaving my guest to blaze away at what I considered a -safe distance. I took Billy with me, both for company and for counsel, -as my guest's assumed ignorance of the fundamental principles of -shooting had somewhat puzzled me. - -"It's a quare bisniss intirely, Masther Jim. He knows no more how to -howld a gun nor you do to howld a baby, more betoken ye've two av the -finest childre--God be good to them!--in Europe. I don't like for to -say he's coddin' us, wud his tigers an' elephants an' combusticles, -but, be me song, it luks very like it. I'd like for to see him -shootin', that wud putt an ind to the question." - -At this moment, bang! bang! went the two barrels of my guest's gun. -Billy and I ran to the hedge, and peeping through, perceived Simpson -running very fast towards a clump of furze, shouting and gesticulating -violently. I jumped across the fence, and was rapidly approaching him, -when he waved me back. - -"Stop! don't come near me! I'm into them. There are quantities of snipe -here." - -"Arrah, what is he talkin' about at all at all?" panted Billy. "Snipes! -Cock him up wud snipes! There ain't a snipe----" - -Here Simpson, who had been groping amongst the furze, held up to our -astonished gaze _two brace of snipe_. - -Billy Doyle seemed completely dumbfounded. "That bangs anything I ever -heerd tell of. Man nor boy ever seen a snipe in that field afore. -Begorra, he's handy enough wud the gun, after all." - -I was very much pleased to find that our excursion had borne fruit, and -that my vaunted preserves were not utterly barren. - -"That's a good beginning, Simpson," I cried. "Go ahead; you'll get -plenty of birds by-and-by." - -"I'll shoot at nothing but snipe," he replied. "Here you, Billy, come -here and load for me." - -"Let's look at the birds, av ye plaze, sir," said Billy, who began to -entertain a feeling akin to respect for a man who could bring down his -two brace at a shot. "I'll be bound they're fat an' cosy, arter the -hoighth av fine feedin' on this slob." - -"They're in my bag. By-and-by," replied Simpson curtly. "Now, my man, -follow your master, and leave me to myself;" and my guest strode in the -opposite direction. - -Bang! bang! - -"Be the mortial, he's at thim agin. This is shupayriour," cried my -retainer, hurrying towards the place whence the report proceeded. - -Simpson again held up _two brace of snipe_, and again plunged them -into his bag; nor would he gratify the justifiable longings of our -gamekeeper by as much as a peep at them. - -"This is capital sport. Why, this place is swarming with snipe," cried -my guest, whilst his gun was being reloaded. "Depend upon it, it's a -mistake to take dogs. The birds smell them. I'll try that bit of bog -now." - -"Ye'll have to mind yer futtin'," observed Billy. "It's crukked an' -crass enough in some spots; I'd betther be wid ye." - -"Certainly not," said my guest. "I always shoot alone." - -"Och, folly yer own wish, sir; only mind yer futtin'." - -Mr Simpson disappeared into the hollow in which the bog was situated, -and, as before, bang! bang! we heard the report of both barrels. - -"Be jabers, I'm bet intirely. Thim snipes must have been dhruv from the -say, an' have come here unknownst to any wan. Ay, bawl away! Whisht! be -the hokey, he's into the bog!" - -A dismal wailing, accompanied by cries for help, arose from out the -bog, where we found poor Simpson almost up to his chin, and -endeavouring to support himself by his elbows. - -"Ugh! ugh! lift me out, for heaven's sake! My new clothes--this coat -that I never put on before" (his whaling garment)--"why did I come to -this infernal hole. Ugh! ugh!" - -We dragged him up, leaving his patent boots and stockings behind him. -Billy bore him on his back to the house, where he was stripped and -arrayed in evening costume. - -From the pockets of his ulster, which it was found necessary to turn -out for drying purposes, Mr William Doyle extracted no less than _six -brace of snipe_. Unfortunately for Mr Simpson the bill was attached -to the leg of one of the birds. They had been purchased at a -poulterer's in Dublin. - - * * * * * - -Mr Simpson did not remain to dine or to sleep. He pleaded a business -engagement which he had completely overlooked, and left by the 4.50 -train. - -"Av all th' imposthors! and his tigers an' elephants no less, an' bears -an' algebras! An' goin' for to cod me into believin' there was snipes -growin' in a clover-field, an' thin never to gi' me a shillin'! Pah! -the naygur!" and Billy Doyle's resentment recognised no limits. - -It is scarcely necessary to observe that I was _not_ invited to meet -Lord Mulligatawny, Sir Percy Whiffler, and Colonel Owlfinch of Her -Majesty's Guards, and that my wife holds Simpson over me whenever I -hint at the probability of a visit to the metropolis. - - - - -PODGER'S POINTER - - -I am not a sporting man--I never possessed either a dog or a gun--I -never fired a shot in my life, and the points of a canine quadruped are -as unknown to me as those of the sea-serpent. The 12th of August is a -mystery, and the 1st of September a sealed book. I have been regarded -with well-merited contempt at the club by asking for grouse in the -month of June, and for woodcock in September. I think it is just as -well to mention these matters, lest it should be supposed that I desire -to sail under false colours. I am acquainted with several men who -shoot, and also with some who have shooting to give away. The former -very frequently invite me to join their parties at the moors, -turnip-fields, and woods; the latter press their shooting on me, -especially when I decline on the grounds of disinclination and -incapacity. - -"I wish I had your chances, Brown," howls poor little Binks, who can -bring down any known bird at any given distance. "You're always getting -invitations because you _can't_ shoot; and I cannot get one because I -_can_. It's too bad, by George!--it's too bad!" - -One lovely morning in the month of September I was sauntering along the -shady side of Sackville Street, Dublin, when a gentleman, encased in a -coat of a resounding pattern, all over pockets, and whose -knickerbockers seemed especially constructed to meet the requirements -of the coat, suddenly burst upon, and clutched me. - -"The very man I wanted," he exclaimed. "I've been hunting you the way -O'Mulligan's pup hunted the fourpenny bit through the bonfire." - -"What can I do for you, Mr Podgers?" I asked. - -"I want a day's shooting at O'Rooney's of Ballybawn," responded -Podgers. - -Now, I was not intimate with Mr O'Rooney. We had met at the club; but -as he was a smoking man, and as I, after a prolonged and terrific -combat with a very mild cigar (what must the strong ones be!), had -bidden a long farewell to the Indian weed, it is scarcely necessary to -mention that, although Mr O'Rooney and myself were very frequently -beneath the same roof, we very seldom encountered one another, save in -a casual sort of way. - -"I assure you, Mr Podgers, that I----" - -"Pshaw! that's all gammon," he burst in anticipatingly. "You can do it -if you like. Sure we won't kill _all_ the game. And I have the -loveliest dog that ever stood in front of a bird. I want to get a -chance of showing him off. He'll do you credit." - -I was anxious to oblige Podgers. He had stood by me in a police-court -case once upon a time, and proved an _alibi_ such as must have met -the approval even of the immortal Mr Weller himself; so I resolved upon -soliciting the required permission, and informed Podgers that I would -acquaint him with the result of my application. - -"That's a decent fellow. Come back to my house with me now, and I'll -give you a drop of John Jameson that will make your hair curl." - -Declining to have my hair curled through the instrumentality of Mr -Jameson's unrivalled whisky, I wended my way towards the club, and, as -luck would have it, encountered O'Rooney lounging on the steps enjoying -a cigar. - -After the conventional greetings, I said, "By the way, you have some -capital partridge shooting at Ballybawn." - -"Oh, pretty good," was the reply, in that self-satisfied, complacent -tone in which a crack billiard-player refers to the spot-stroke, or a -rifleman to his score when competing for the Queen's Prize. - -"I'm no shot myself--I never fired a gun in my life; but there's a -particular friend of mine who is most anxious to have _one_ day's -shooting at Ballybawn. Do you think you could manage to let him have -it?" - -I emphasised the word "one" in the most impressive way. - -"I would give one or two days, Mr Brown, with the greatest pleasure; -but the fact is, I have lent my dogs to Sir Patrick O'Houlahan." - -"Oh, as to that, my friend has a splendid dog--a most remarkable dog. I -hear it's a treat to see him in front of a bird." - -I stood manfully by Podgers' exact words, adding some slight -embellishments, in order to increase O'Rooney's interest in the animal. - -"In that case, there can be no difficulty, Mr Brown. I leave for -Ballybawn on Saturday--will you kindly name Monday, as I would, in -addition to the pleasure of receiving you and your friend, like to -witness the performance of this remarkable dog; and I _must_ be in -Galway on Wednesday." - -Having settled the preliminaries so satisfactorily, I wrote the -following note to Podgers:-- - - "DEAR PODGERS, - - "It's all right. Mr O'Rooney has named Monday. _Be sure to bring - the dog, as his dogs are away._ Come and breakfast with me at - eight o'clock, as the train starts from the King's Bridge Terminus - at nine o'clock.--Yours, - - "BENJAMIN B. BROWN. - - "P.S.--_I praised the dog sky high._ O'R. is most anxious to see - him in front of the birds." - -I received a gushing note in reply, stating that he would breakfast -with me, and bring the dog, adding, "It's some time since he was shot -over; but that makes no difference, as he is the finest dog in -Leinster." - -Knowing Podgers to be a very punctual sort of person, I had ordered -breakfast for eight o'clock sharp, and consequently felt somewhat -surprised when the timepiece chimed the quarter past. - -I consulted his letter--day, date, and time were recapitulated in the -most businesslike way. Some accident might have detained him. Perhaps -he preferred meeting me at the station. I had arrived at this -conclusion, and had just made the first incision into a round of -buttered toast, when a very loud, jerky, uneven knocking thundered at -the hall door, and the bell was tugged with a violence that threatened -to drag the handle off. - -I rushed to the window, and perceived Podgers clinging frantically to -the area railings with one hand, whilst with the other he held a chain, -attached to which, at the utmost attainable distance, stood, or -stretched, in an attitude as if baying the moon, the fore legs planted -out in front, the hind legs almost _clutching_ the granite step, -the eyes betraying an inflexible determination not to budge one -inch from the spot--a bony animal, of a dingy white colour, with -dark patches over the eyes, imparting a mournfully dissipated -appearance--the redoubtable dog which was to afford us a treat "in -front of the birds." - -"Hollo, Podgers!" I cried, "you're late!" - -"This cursed animal," gasped Podgers; "he got away from me in Merrion -Square after a cat. The cat climbed up the Prince Consort statue. This -brute, somehow or other got up after her. She was on the head, and he -was too high for me to reach him, when I got the hook of this umbrella -and----" - -At this moment the hall-door opened, and the dog being animated with an -energetic desire to explore the interior of the house, suddenly relaxed -the pull upon the chain, which utterly unexpected movement sent Podgers -flying into the hall as though he had been discharged from a catapult. -My maid-of-all-work, an elderly lady with proclivities in the direction -of "sperrits," happened to stand right in the centre of the doorway -when Podgers commenced his unpremeditated bound. He cannoned against -her, causing her to reel and stagger against the wall, and to clutch -despairingly at the nearest available object to save herself from -falling. That object happened to be the curly hair of my acrobatic -friend, to which her five fingers clung as the suckers of the octopus -cling to the crab. By the aid of this substantial support she had just -righted herself, when the dog, finding himself comparatively free, made -one desperate plunge into the hall, entwining his chain round the limbs -of the lady in one dexterous whirl which levelled her, with a very -heavy thud, on the body of the prostrate Podgers. Now, whether she was -animated with the idea that she was in bodily danger from both master -and dog, and that it behoved her to defend herself to the uttermost -extent of her power, I cannot possibly determine; but she commenced a -most vigorous onslaught upon both, bestowing a kick and a cuff -alternately with an impartiality that spoke volumes in favour of her -ideas upon the principles of even--and indeed I may add, heavy-handed -justice. - -I arrived upon the scene in time to raise the prostrate form of my -friend, and to administer such words of consolation and sympathy as, -under the circumstances, were his due. His left eye betrayed symptoms -of incipient inflammation, and his mouth gave evidence of the violence -with which Miss Bridget Byrne (the lady in the case) had brought her -somewhat heavy knuckle-dusters into contact with it. - -"Bringin' wild bastes into a gintleman's dacent house, as if it was a -barn, that's manners!" she muttered. "Av I can get a clout at that dog, -I'll lave him as bare as a plucked thrush!" - -At this instant a violent crash of crockery-ware was heard in the -regions of the kitchen. - -"Holy Vargin! but the baste is on the dhresser! _I'll_ dhress the -villian!" and seizing upon a very stout ash stick which stood in the -hall, she darted rapidly in the direction from whence the dire sounds -were proceeding. - -"Hold hard, woman!" cried Podgers. "He's a very valuable animal. I'll -make good any damage. Use your authority, Brown," he added, appealing -to me. "She's a terrible person this; she'd stop at nothing." - -Ere I could interpose, a violent skirmishing took place, in which such -exclamations as "Take that, ye divvle! Ye'll brake me chaney, will ye? -There's chaney for ye!" followed by very audible whacks, which, if they -had fulfilled their intended mission, would very speedily have sent the -dog to the happy hunting-grounds of his race. One well-directed blow, -however, made its mark, and was succeeded by a whoop of triumph from -Miss Byrne and a yell of anguish from her vanquished foe. - -"Gelang, ye fireside spaniel! Ye live on the neighbours. How dar' ye -come in here? Ye'll sup sorrow. I'll give a couple more av I can get at -ye." - -Podgers rushed to the rescue, and, after a very protracted and exciting -chase, during which a well-directed blow, intended by Bridget for the -sole use and benefit of the dog, had alighted on the head of its -master, succeeded in effecting a capture. This, too, was done under -embarrassing circumstances; for the dog had sought sanctuary within the -sacred precincts of Miss Byrne's sleeping apartment, beneath the very -couch upon which it was the habit of that lady to repose her virgin -form after the labours of the day; and her indignation knew no bounds -when Podgers, utterly unmindful of the surroundings, hauled forth the -dog. - -"There's no dacency in man nor baste. They're all wan, sorra a lie in -it!" - -At this crisis Podgers must have developed his pecuniary resources, for -her tone changed with marvellous rapidity, and her anger was melted -into a well-feigned contrition for having used her fists so freely. - -"Poor baste! shure it's frightened he is. I wudn't hurt a fly, let -alone an illigant tarrier like that. Thry a bit o' beefsteak in regard -o' yer eye, sir. Ye must have hot it agin somethin' hard; it will be as -black as a beetle in tin minits." - -Podgers uttered full-flavoured language. I looked at my watch and found -that we could only "do" the train. Having hailed an outside car, the -breakfastless Podgers seated himself upon one side, whilst I took the -other, and after a very considerable expenditure of hard labour and -skilful strategy, in which we were aided by the carman and Miss Byrne, -we succeeded in forcing Albatross (the pointer) into the well in the -middle. I am free to confess that I sat with my back to that animal -with considerable misgivings. He looked hungry and vicious, and as -though a piece of human flesh would prove as agreeable to his capacious -maw as any other description of food. It was his habit, too, during our -journey, to elevate his head in the air, and to give utterance to a -series of the most unearthly howlings, which could only be partially -interrupted, not by any means stopped, by Podgers' hat being pressed -closely over the mouth, whilst Podgers punched him _a tergo_ with -no very light hand. - -"That's the quarest dog I ever seen," observed the driver. "He ought to -be shupayrior afther badgers. He has a dhrop in his eye like a widdy's -pig, and it's as black as a Christian's afther a ruction." - -"He's a very fine dog, sir," exclaimed Podgers, in a reproving tone. - -"He looks as if he'd set a herrin'," said the cab-man jocosely. - -"Mind your horse, sir!" said Podgers angrily. - -The driver, who was a jovial-tempered fellow, finding that his advances -towards "the other side" were rejected, turned towards mine. - -"Are you goin' huntin' wid the dog, sir?" he asked. - -"We're going to shoot," I replied, in a dignified way. - -"To shoot! Thin, begorra, yez may as well get off the car an' fire away -at wanst. There's an illigant haystack foreninst yez, and--but here we -are"--and he jerked up at the entrance to the station. - -The jerk sent Albatross flying off the car, and his chain being -dexterously fastened to the back rail of the driver's seat, the -luckless animal remained suspended whilst his collar was being -unfastened, in order to prevent the not very remote contingency of -strangulation. Finding himself at liberty, he bounded joyously away, -and, resisting all wiles and blandishments on the part of his master, -continued to bound, gambol, frisk, bark, and yowl in a most reckless -and idiotic way. It would not be acting fairly towards Podgers were I -to chronicle his language during this festive outbreak. If the dog was -in a frolicsome mood, Podgers was not, and his feelings got -considerably the better of him when the bell rang to announce the -departure of the train within three minutes of that warning. - -Finding that all hopes of securing the animal in the ordinary way were -thin as air, Podgers offered a reward of half-a-crown to any of the -grinning bystanders who would bring him the dog dead or alive. This -stimulus to exertion sent twenty corduroyed porters and as many -amateurs in full pursuit of Albatross, who ducked and dived, and -twisted and twined, and eluded detention with the agility of a greased -sow; and it was only when one very corpulent railway official fell upon -him in a squashing way, and during a masterly struggle to emerge from -beneath the overwhelming weight, that he was surrounded and led in -triumph, by as many of his pursuers as could obtain a handful of his -hair, up to his irate and wrathful master. Each of the captors who were -in possession of Albatross claimed a half-crown, refusing to give up -the animal unless it was duly ransomed; and it was during a fierce and -angry discussion upon this very delicate question that the last bell -rang. With one despairing tug, Podgers pulled the dog inside the door -of the station, which was then promptly closed, and through the -intervention of a friendly guard our _bete noire_ was thrust into -the carriage with us. - -Having kicked the cause of our chagrin beneath one of the seats, I -ventured to remark that in all probability the dog, instead of being a -credit to us, was very likely to prove the reverse. - -"It's only his liveliness, and be hanged to him," said Podgers. "He has -been shut up for some time, and is as wild as a deer." - -He would not admit a diminished faith in the dog; but his tone was -irresolute, and he eyed the animal in a very doubting way. - -"His liveliness ought to be considerably toned down after the rough -handling he received from my servant, and----" - -"By the way," Podgers went on, "that infernal woman isn't safe to have -in the house; she'll be tried for murder some day, and the coroner will -be sitting upon _your_ body. Is my eye very black?" - -"Not very," I replied. It had reached a disreputable greenish hue, -tinged with a tawny red. - -At Ballybricken Station we found a very smart trap awaiting us, with a -servant in buckskin breeches, and in top-boots polished as brightly as -the panels of the trap. - -"You've a dog, sir?" said the servant. - -"Yes, yes," replied Podgers, in a hurried and confused sort of way. - -"In the van, sir?" - -"No; he is here--under the seat. Come out, Albatross!--come out, good -fellow!" And Podgers chirruped and whistled in what was meant to be a -seductive and blandishing manner. - -Albatross stirred not. - -"Hi! hi! Here, good fellow!" - -Albatross commenced to growl. - -"Dear me, this is very awkward!" cried Podgers, poking at the animal in -a vigorous and irritated way. - -"Time's up, sir," shouted the guard, essaying to close the door. - -"Hold hard, sir! I can't get my dog out!" cried Podgers. - -"I'll get him out," volunteered the guard; and, seizing upon the whip -which the smart driver of the smart trap held in inviting proximity, he -proceeded to thrust and buffet beneath the seat where Albatross lay -concealed. The dog uttered no sound, gave no sign. - -"There ain't no dog there at all," panted the guard, whose exertions -rendered him nearly apoplectic, proceeding to explore the recesses of -the carriage--"there ain't no dog here." - -A shout of terror, and the guard flung himself out of the carriage, the -dog hanging on not only to his coat-tails, but to a portion of the -garment which their drapery concealed. "Take off your dog--take off -your dog. I'll be destroyed. Police! police! I'll have the law of you!" -he yelled, in an extremity of the utmost terror. - -Podgers, who was now nearly driven to his wits' end, caught Albatross -by the neck, and, bestowing a series of well-directed kicks upon the -devoted animal, sent him howling off the platform, but right under the -train. - -The cry of "The dog will be killed!" was raised by a chorus of voices -both from the carriages and the platform. Happily, however, the now -wary Albatross lay flat upon the ground, and the train went puffing on -its way; not, however, until the guard had taken Podgers' name and -address, with a view to future proceedings through the medium of the -law. - -"I had no idea that the O'Rooneys were such swells," observed my -companion as we entered, through the massive and gilded gates, to the -avenue which sweeps up to Ballybawn House. "Somehow or other, I wish I -hadn't fetched Albatross, or that you hadn't spoken about him;" and -Podgers threw a gloomy glance in the direction of the pointer, who lay -at our feet in the bottom of the trap, looking as if he had been on the -rampage for the previous month, or had just emerged from the asylum for -the destitute of his species. - -"He won't do us much credit as regards his appearance," I said; "but if -he is all that you say as a sporting dog--of which I have my doubts--it -will make amends for anything." - -Podgers muttered something unintelligible, and I saw dismal forebodings -written in every line of his countenance. - -Mr O'Rooney received us at the hall-door. Beside him crouched two -magnificent setters, with coats as glossy as mirrors, and a bearing as -aristocratic as that of Bethgellart. - -"Where's the dog?" asked our host, after a warm greeting. "I hope that -you have brought him." - -I must confess that I would have paid a considerable sum of money to -have been enabled to reply in the negative. I muttered that we had -indeed fetched him, but that owing to his having met with some -accidents _en voyage_, his personal appearance was considerably -diminished; but that we were not to judge books by their covers. - -As if to worry, vex, and mortify us, Albatross declined to stir from -the bottom of the trap, from whence he was subsequently rooted out in a -most undignified and anti-sporting way. - -The expression upon Mr O'Rooney's face, when at length the animal, -badger-like, was drawn, was that of an intense astonishment, combined -with a mirth convulsively compressed. The servants commenced to titter, -and the smart little gentleman who tooled us over actually laughed -outright. - -Albatross was partly covered with mud and offal. His eyes were watery, -and the lids were of a dull pink, imparting a sort of maudlin idiotcy -to their expression. His right ear stood up defiantly, whilst his left -lay flat upon his jowl, and his tail seemed to have disappeared -altogether, so tightly had he, under the combined influence of fear and -dejection, secured it between his legs. - -"He's not very handsome," observed our host laughingly, "but I dare say -he will take the shine out of York and Lancaster, by-and-by," pointing -to the two setters as he spoke. - -This hint was enough for Albatross, as no sooner had the words escaped -the lips of O'Rooney than, with a yowl which sent the rooks whirling -from their nests, he darted from the trap, and, making a charge at -York, sent that aristocratic animal flying up the avenue in a paroxysm -of terror and despair; whilst Lancaster, paralysed by the suddenness of -the onslaught, allowed himself to be seized by the neck, and worried, -as a cat worries a mouse, without as much as moving a muscle in -self-defence. - -This was too much. I had borne with this hideous animal too long. My -patience was utterly exhausted, and all the bad temper in my -composition began to boil up. I had placed myself under an obligation -to a comparative stranger for the purpose of beholding his magnificent -and valuable dogs scared and worried by a worthless cur. Seizing upon a -garden-rake that lay against the wall, I dealt at Albatross what ought -to have proved a crushing blow, which he artfully eluded. It only -grazed him, and fell, with almost its full swing and strength, upon the -passive setter, who set up a series of unearthly shrieks, almost human -in their painful shrillness. - -"Chain up that dog at once!" shouted O'Rooney in fierce and angry -tones, "and look to Lancaster. I fear that his ribs are broken. This is -very unfortunate," he added, addressing himself to me. - -"I don't know what's come over the animal!" exclaimed Podgers. "I wish -to heaven I had never seen him. I'll part with him to-morrow, if I have -to give him to the Zoological Gardens for the bears." - -Luckily, it turned out, upon examination, that Lancaster was not in any -way seriously injured. This put us into somewhat better spirits, so -that by the time breakfast was concluded we were on good terms with -each other, and even with the wretched Albatross, in whom we still -maintained a sort of sickly confidence. Later on we started for the -turnips, Mr O'Rooney and Podgers in front--the latter hauling Albatross -along as if he was a sack of wheat; whilst I brought up the rear with a -gamekeeper and York. - -"I don't think that animal is used to be out at all, at all," observed -the keeper. - -"I'm afraid you are quite right," I replied; "but I hear that he is a -very good sporting dog." - -"Sportin'! Begorra, he'll give yez sport enough before the day is half -over," said the keeper, with a gloomy grin. - -"There is always a covey to be found in this field," observed our host -to Podgers, "so we'll give your dog the first chance." - -"I--I--I'd rather you'd let him see what your dog will do," blurted -Podgers. - -"Oh, dear no!" returned Mr O'Rooney. "Let him go now. You'll take the -first shot." - -Very reluctantly indeed did Podgers unloose his pointer, uttering into -the dog's ear in a low tone the most terrific and appalling threats -should he fail to prove himself all that my fancy had painted him. With -a loud bark of defiance Albatross darted away, scurrying through the -turnips at the rate of fifteen miles an hour, utterly unmindful of -whistle, call, blandishment, or threat, appearing now in one direction, -now in another, and barking as though it had been part of its training. - -"Stop that dog," cried our host, "he won't leave us a bird," as covey -after covey of partridges rose beyond range and flew away, Albatross -joyously barking after them. - -"You said I was to have the first shot, Mr O'Rooney," said Podgers, in -a tone full of solemnity. - -"Certainly, if you can get it; which I doubt," was the curt reply. - -Albatross had dashed within twenty yards of us, and was plunging off in -another direction, when Podgers ran forward, raised his gun. Bang! - -Albatross was sent to the happy hunting-grounds of his race. - -"He frightened the partridge," observed Podgers, proceeding to reload; -"_let him frighten the crows now_." - - - - -THE DEAD HEAT - - -No, never had there been such a state of excitement in any ball-room -before, when it became known that Captain O'Rooney had entrapped -Lieutenant Charles Fortescue, of the Stiffshire Regiment, into a -thousand guineas match P.P., owners up, twelve stone each, and four -miles over the stiffest country in Galway. - -The match had been made at the supper-table, after the ladies had left; -but nevertheless, the news had been carried to them, and they were -furious. - -"Fancy," said one, a tall, handsome brunette, "that that little -wretched bandy-legged O'Rooney should have got round our handsome -friend in such a mean way. He is jealous and disgusted with Fortescue's -waltzing, and he _is_ the best waltzer in Ireland." - -"I'll make him a set of colours to ride in," returned the toast of five -counties, the beautiful Alice Gwynne. "I never made any before, but -'there's luck in odd numbers, says Rory O'More,' and so he is sure to -win in them." - -"Too bad," exclaimed the gray-haired Colonel of Fortescue's regiment to -some gentlemen standing by him at the supper-table, "to have hounded -the lad into it. O'Rooney is a noted steeplechase rider, and my boy" -(he always called the youngsters of his regiment his boys), "though a -workman across country, never rode a race in his life; but I hear that -Captain O'Rooney has the character of looking up the Griffs." - -"Faith, Colonel, ye are about right there," said a jolly-looking young -Irishman; "he is just the boy that can do that same; he is mad now -because Fortescue's English horse cut him down to-day, and pounded -him--a thing that has never been done before." - -"Bedad, you're out there, Mat," put in another; "I'd be after thinking -it is because the Leaftenent has been making mighty strong running -entirely with Alice Gwynne all this blessed night. O'Rooney, by my -faith, does not like _that_, devil a hap'orth; he considers himself the -favoured one--the consated spalpeen." - -"He the favoured one!" remarked big H----, of Fortescue's regiment; -"why, he cannot suppose he would have a ghost of a chance with that pug -nose and whisky-toddy countenance of his against Fortescue of ours. -Why, Old Nick himself could not boast of an uglier face than Pat -Rooney. Fortescue is about the handsomest and nicest fellow in the -service, and though only a poor man, yet there are devilish few girls, -at least of any taste, who would give him the 'cold shoulder.'" - -The conversation was put an end to by the redoubtable Captain O'Rooney -they were descanting on, and with whom all seemed to be on such bad -terms, walking towards them. - -"I will make one endeavour now," said the Colonel, "to put a stop to -this match." - -"Captain O'Rooney," said he, as that gentleman joined them, "I am sorry -to hear of this proposed steeplechase, and for such a sum. Mr Fortescue -is a young man, and has acted very foolishly; moreover, though he holds -the post of adjutant, he has little, I know, but his pay, and such a -loss as a thousand pounds would seriously inconvenience him. Let me -recommend, Captain O'Rooney, that Fortescue give you a hundred pounds -to-morrow morning and draw the bet. What say you, gentlemen all, is the -proposal fair?" - -"Nothing fairer," they exclaimed. - -"See now, Colonel," said Captain O'Rooney, "let us hear what Mr -Fortescue says: he is not here; he'll be found in the ball-room, I'm -after thinking." - -"True for ye, Captain dear," said the jolly-looking young Irishman -before alluded to. "Divil a bit," he continued, with a sly and -malicious twinkle of his blue eye, "is Fortescue in the ball. Be -jabers, he is seated in the card-room alone by Alice Gwynne, playing -with her bouquet and fan. I'll go and fetch him; but it's a pity to -disturb him. I'd almost take my oath he has been asking her to be Mrs -Fortescue, and by my soul I don't think she has said no." So saying, -the young man, without giving the other time to answer, vanished from -the room. - -"What is it, Colonel?" said Fortescue, coming in almost immediately -after. - -"See now," said O'Rooney, interrupting him; "the Colonel says this is a -foolish match we have entered into, and proposes that ye should pay me -a hundred down to-morrow to let ye off. What d'ye say?" - -"What do I say?" replied the young man; "why, I'll do anything the -Colonel likes. I think it is a foolish match. I was excited and out of -humour when I made it. I'm better now, and if you like to take a -hundred and draw, why I'll send you a cheque to-morrow morning for the -amount, or run you for a hundred, which you like." - -"See, now," said the Captain, his naturally red face getting purple -with anger and excitement. "I've heard ye both--the Colonel and -yourself; now both of ye hear me. If ye were to offer me nine hundred -and ninety-nine pounds, d--n me if I'd take it, for by the Rock of -Cashel, I'll lick ye and break your heart and neck over the country; -and see now, Fortescue," he continued, "steer clear of the heiress." - -"What do you mean, sir," retorted the young man, firing up. "Steer -clear of the heiress? you forget yourself; do you presume to put a lady -in the question?" and saying this, he turned away. - -"All devilish fine," said O'Rooney, sticking his hands in his pockets -and sauntering away from the supper-table, humming a verse of Harry -Lorrequer's well-known song:-- - - "The King of Oude - Is mighty proud, - And so were onst the Caysars (Caesars); - But ould Giles Eyre - Would make them stare, - Av he had them with the Blazers. - - "To the devil I'd fling--ould Runjeet Singh - He's only a prince in a small way; - And knows nothing at all of a six-foot wall, - Oh! he'd never do for Galway." - -"Won't he?" muttered Fortescue to himself, as he caught the last words, -"perhaps I'll show you he will." If the Captain had not been so blind -with passion, he might have heard the gallant Adjutant singing _sotto -voce_ a verse of a song from the same author, as he strode -carelessly from the room:-- - - "Put his arm round her waist, - Gave ten kisses at laste, - 'Oh!' says he, 'you're my Molly Malone, - 'My own, - 'Oh!' says he, 'you're my Molly Malone!'" - -What did he mean? - -"By the great gun of Athlone, I'm mighty glad entirely they're both -gone from the room," said a hard-riding Galway squire, as the -illustrious Captain O'Rooney disappeared from sight. "I thought there -was an illigant row brewing. Better as it is. Where O'Rooney is to get -the coin from if he loses, divil a one of me knows. He's in 'Quare -Street' long ago. Never mind, boys; let us have the groceries. 'O -Punch! you are my darling,' and the devil fly away with dull care. Now -Colonel," he continued, "upon my conscience, as O'Rooney won't listen -to reason, you must look after Fortescue's interests. O'Rooney will -endeavour to pick out a country. I mean he will go building up walls, -and so on. You must have your own way a little, or, begorra, he'll do -as he likes entirely. Now, there is one thing that will beat him if -anything will--you must insist on that, or I would not give a trauneen -for Fortescue's chance--and that is" (he dropped his voice to a -whisper) _one_ if not _two_ WATER-jumps; if anything will stop -Mad Moll it is WATER." - -"It shall be done," said the Colonel; "I'll see that the lad is not -taken advantage of." And the old field-officer kept his word, as will -be seen in the sequel. - -O'Rooney was greatly disturbed when he knew there were to be one or -more water-jumps. He fought hard and gallantly against it; but the -Colonel was obdurate. "By Gad, sir," said he, "you do not want it -entirely your own way, do you? I have not interfered with the country -in any way. I have said nothing as to the six-foot wall you have built -up, and others equally dangerous, and now you cavil at a paltry ditch." - -"Ditch do ye call it, Colonel? fifteen feet of water, hurdled and -staked, a ditch, and another of eleven. By my troth, no such like -ditches are found between this and Ballinasloe. But never mind. Glory -be to Moses, I'll get over them. And then, h--ll to my soul, if the -English horse will ever come near Mad Moll's girths again." - -"We think nothing of nineteen feet, sir," said the Colonel. "In -England, fifteen feet is nothing; but my youngster shall have a -chance." - -Great was the excitement throughout the country--indeed, in all parts -of Ireland. Such a match had not been known for years--"a thousand -pounds!" What could the English soldier have been thinking of! The nags -went on well in their training, closely guarded by their respective -admirers. The English horse took to wall-jumping beautifully; but it -was doubted whether, even with his great turn of speed, he had the foot -of the Irish mare--a clipper. Then again, though Fortescue was a cool -and daring horseman, he had not the experience of the Captain, who had -ridden many a hard-contested race before, across country and over the -flat. - -The stakes had been made good and deposited according to agreement with -the Colonel. The Captain had found friends to share in the bet, for -though he was generally disliked, yet they had confidence in his horse -and his horsemanship. Fortescue, too, had friends, nor had his -commanding officer been idle. Men from his own regiment had come -forward, so all he stood to lose was two hundred and fifty; this and -other matters made him sanguine and light-hearted. In addition to all, -he had received a beautiful cap and jacket from Miss Gwynne. - -The sporting papers, English and Irish, teemed with the forthcoming -match. "Lieut. Charles Fortescue's bay horse Screwdriver, aged, against -Capt. O'Rooney's chestnut mare Mad Moll, six years old, for ONE -THOUSAND guineas a side," appeared in the _County Chronicle_. - -The excitement was intense. Such a stiff bit of country had not been -seen or ridden over for years. The betting would have been decidedly in -favour of the Captain, but his mare's well-known dislike to water -prevented anything like odds being laid--so they were both about equal -favourites. - -"By George, old fellow!" said one of Fortescue's chums to him one -morning, some six days previous to the race, "I really think your -chance is becoming more rosy every hour. The more O'Rooney's mare sees -the water the less she likes it. A sergeant in my company, a Galway -man, has a country cousin in the barracks who knows all about it. Just -go to Sergeant Blake," he said, turning to a bugler passing by, "and -tell him to come here, and bring his cousin with him. Mr Fortescue -wishes to see him." - -The man soon appeared. "Salute your supareor," said the Sergeant, as he -squared his heels. "Touch your caubeen." - -"Arrah, now, Patrick, wasn't I after doing it?" - -"Well, do it at onst, ye murdering ruffian, and tell all ye know." - -"Yes, sir, yer honour," commenced the man, "Faix, the Captain 'av' been -trying the mare day after day at the water. Onst she jumped finely. The -Captain made a brook close by our cabin, and is often wid her there. -Sometimes she jumps and sometimes she won't; and when she won't, mille -murther! maybe don't he larrup her! Long life to your honour! but I -don't think the mare likes water, at all, at all. And by my troth, -there's many a man thinks the same. The devil's luck to him! he's been -all over the fresh-planted praties, and cut them to smithereens, bad -cess to him! But av course, Leiftenent, ye won't tell on a poor boy, -more by token as he is after doing yer honour a little sarvice. I -wouldn't give a handful of prayers for my life if he found me out; for -sorra a one knows the Captain better than myself, death to his sowl! -Tear-an-ages! he's a terrible bad man entirely, is the Captain. The top -of the morning, and long life to your honour!" said the gossoon, as the -Sergeant led him away, pocketing half a crown. - -"There, Fortescue, what do you think of that?" said his friend, as they -sauntered away to the anteroom for a whiskey and soda. "It's evident -Mad Moll is no water jumper. By Jupiter! I think you will pull through. -Quite fair my giving the lad half-a-crown. O'Rooney's friends have been -doing the same--fair play is a jewel!" - -Somehow the public at last began to lean towards the English horse. He -did his work quietly and openly, without any attempt at concealment. - -But what is this excitement in the barrack yard? Officers are rushing -to the mess-room. Two gentlemen have been driven up there in a car. -Lord Plunger and his friend Bradon have arrived. They are old friends -of the Stiffshire battalion. - -"By George! Plunger and Bradon, I'm delighted to see you," said the -warm-hearted Colonel, hastening in, while endeavouring to make his -sword-belt meet about his somewhat bulky waist. "I did not tell the -boys I had written for you both. Lunch ready in ten minutes--glass of -sherry first to wet your mouths. Now, Fortescue will have a little good -advice. You will ride the last gallop to-morrow morning, Bradon, and -give us your opinion. Dammee, I'm so glad to see you both in the wild -west. Here, some one tell the captain of the day I won't have another -roll-call. Obliged to do this kind of thing here, Bradon--never know -what's going to happen from one minute to another. Shooting landlords -like the devil. Potted Lambert last week; five shots in him, and the -only one that did no harm was the one that took him in the forehead. -Rest his sowl, as the Irishmen say, a near escape for him. Lucky dog! -Here is the sherry!" In this way did the popular Colonel rattle on. - -The gallop is over, and Screwdriver has been tried at even weights -against a good one. George Bradon had thought it better that Fortescue -should ride his own horse in the trial, which he did. "By Jove, you've -got a clipper, Fortescue!" said the former, as they pulled up; "you -don't know how good. I deceived you all when I told you I had borrowed -this nag to try you. Keep your mouth shut, hermetically sealed, old -fellow, and I'll tell you something you will care to know. It is no -commoner you have galloped against to-day. Mind, on your life, not a -word to your dearest friend. It's my own horse, GUARDSMAN, you have had -a spin with--the winner of the Cheltenham Grand Annual!" - -The young man thus addressed sat like one in a dream, at this -revelation. - -"It's all old Mason's doing, Fortescue," said he. "He advised me to -bring him over. I'm off now. Look at that knot of people coming over -the hill; there are some who crossed the Channel yesterday with me who -would know my old pet, and I would not have it blown upon for a -trifle--the horse has been in Ireland for a week on the quiet. I'm now -off, across country to Athenry, where Mason is, and has a stable for -him. The horse will leave by the late train to-night for England with -a lad; so no one will be a bit the wiser. My old stud-groom will come -to your diggings this evening with me to give you a help. So _au -revoir_ till mess-time, when you will see yours truly;" and putting -his horse at a five-foot wall, he sent him over, hurling the loose -stones behind him in a cloud, and was quickly out of sight. - -"So your friend has gone," said the gallant Colonel, as Fortescue -walked his horse up to a host of his brother-officers and friends -assembled in a knot on the hill, amongst which several strangers were -distinguishable. - -"Yes," replied Fortescue, carelessly, "he will be with us at mess. -Here, take the horse home, Forester"--to his man--"see no one comes -near him." - -"That's a horse to back," said a sly-looking little man in a large drab -overcoat; and coming up to Fortescue he whispered quietly to him: "I'm -on your nag for a plumper. I keep my own counsel, and shall not split. -I never come except with a rush at the last minute. My glasses are -good. You've had a spin with one of the best cross-country horses in -England. Clever and fast as that nag is, he can't give you seven -pounds. You ran him to a length or two. I know George Bradon and -Guardsman well. I've won a pot full of money on them before. There, -don't look scared; you are a youngster. Sit well down on Screwdriver, -hold him together, don't give a lead over the water, and you will land -him a winner. I know more than you think; but for my own sake I'm -MUM!" - -"News for you all!" said the Colonel of Fortescue's regiment, bursting -into the mess-room, where some nine or ten officers were at breakfast, -amongst whom were Lord Plunger and Bradon. "Here, Fortescue," continued -the excited old gentleman, "this letter"--holding out one--"concerns -you more immediately. Read it out." - -The young man thus addressed took the letter and read the following:-- - - "DEAR COLONEL, - - "As you all know, this is the morning of the race. Something has - happened. For God's sake ride over and see me at once.-- - - "Yours faithfully, - - "P. O'ROONEY. - - "Clough-bally-More Castle, Friday morning." - -"There, gentlemen, what do you think of that?" cried the Colonel, as -Fortescue slowly folded up the letter and returned it to him. -"Something in that--no race for a guinea." - -"Race or no race," said Lord Plunger, "the money is lodged with you. It -is a p.p. bet, and must be paid." - -"Mare gone amiss," put in Bradon. "I knew he was giving her too much of -it. This is a hard, stony country; horses won't stand much continued -work. Poor brutes! they are galloped shin sore--all the life and energy -taken out of them--sweated to death, and made as thin as -whipping-posts, and they are said to be in condition. Serves him -right." - -"Hold, Bradon, my boy," interrupted Lord Plunger, "you do not know that -such is the case. The mare was all right last night, that I am certain -of. She is about six miles from here, at a Mr Blake's. I am inclined to -think O'Rooney has got into trouble." - -"At any rate we shall soon know," returned the Colonel; "for here is my -horse coming round. I shall be back in an hour or a little more. I'll -look after your interests, Fortescue," he continued. "It is only -half-past ten now. The race is not till three. Keep cool, and don't -take too many brandy-and-sodas, till you see me again." And so saying, -he took his departure. - -What was up? Had the mare broken down? Was O'Rooney arrested? It must -be one or the other. It could not be about the stakes, for these were -lodged to the Colonel's credit in the Bank of Ireland. What could it be -then? - -"I cannot help thinking, Fortescue," said Lord Plunger, "that somehow -or other you will have to don the new colours, doeskins, and tops, and -give us a sight of your way of crossing the Galway country." As he was -speaking, one of the mess waiters came in and said a few words to -Fortescue, which made that gentleman immediately leave the room. On -reaching his quarters he found seated there a sly-looking little man in -a large drab overcoat. - -"I beg your pardon," said the stranger to the officer as he entered. -"You know me, I think?" - -Fortescue slightly inclined his head. - -"The object of my coming," continued the sly-looking little man, "is to -tell you that there is a writ out against Captain O'Rooney for four -hundred pounds. He will not show up to-day. He is a _Sunday man_: -now the race is ours--yours I ought to say--you will only have to go -over the course. Good-morning." - -But he was not allowed to depart in that way. He was soon in the -mess-room, and all were put in possession of the facts. - -In the meantime the good Colonel rode on at a rapid pace, wondering at -the contents of the note, and conjuring up all sorts of things. -Five-and-twenty minutes brought him to the gate, or what should have -been the gate, of Clough-bally-More Castle, but it was gone. Cantering -up the neglected wilderness-like avenue, he was soon in front of a -ruinous-looking pile. This was Clough-bally-More Castle--a place best -described by a quotation from Hood's beautiful poem of "The Haunted -House"-- - - "Unhinged the iron gates half open hung, - Jarr'd by the gusty gales of many winters, - That from its crumbled pedestal had flung - One marble globe in splinters. - - * * * * * - - "With shatter'd panes the grassy court was starr'd; - The time-worn coping-stone had tumbled after; - And through the ragged roof the sky shone, barr'd - With naked beam and rafter." - -Getting off his horse and walking up the broken, moss-covered steps, -the Colonel rang the bell, which gave forth a melancholy sound that -scared a colony of jackdaws who had established themselves unmolested -for many a year in the chimneys and uninhabited rooms. - -On the second summons a shock head was cautiously poked out of an upper -window. "Sure now, it's no use at all, at all, av yer ringing away like -that: the master's gone abroad these six months; he told me to say so -last night. Divil a writ can you serve him wid, my honey; av ye don't -be off the master will be after shooting ye for a thafe from the hall -windy." - -"I'm no writ server," returned the Colonel. "I come in consequence of a -note I received from Captain O'Rooney this morning." - -"Troth, then, ye are the English soldier colonel. His honour the master -will be wid ye at onst," and the head disappeared. - -Presently that of the Captain protruded. - -"See now, Colonel," said he, "ould Mat thought you were a Bum. I'm -sorry to say I'm a _Sunday man_ now. The thundering thieves they've -been about the place all the morning to serve me. I wish they may get -it. Nabocklish! catch a weasel asleep. I'll let you in." - -In a minute or so the front door was slowly and cautiously unchained, -and the Colonel found himself in the hall of Clough-bally-More Castle. -It was a perfect ruin, and, if possible, more ghastly and -miserable-looking on the inside than the outside. The Captain's room -was, however, pretty cosy, and in decent repair. A bright turf fire -burnt on the hearth; a couple of guns adorned the walls; rods, -fishing-tackle, and various other sporting paraphernalia were scattered -about the room in indescribable confusion. - -"Be seated, Colonel," said the steeple-chase rider; "I may as well come -to the point at once. D----, of Galway, has a writ out against my -person for four hundred pounds. They tried to serve it on me last -night, and again this morning, the divil fly away with them! May the -flames of----" - -"What is to be done, Capt. O'Rooney?" interrupted the Colonel. "You -know it is a p.p. bet, and out of my power to do anything. Mr Fortescue -has only two hundred and fifty on it. The rest is made up by gentlemen -who will insist on the terms of the bet being adhered to. You ridiculed -our offer of scratching the bet for a hundred: far better for yourself -had you done so. I should not like any advantage taken of you, and you -ought to have a run for your money. What is it you propose?" - -"See, now, Colonel; the only way is, that if you do not hold me to the -day, we can run it off on Sunday." - -"Sir! Captain O'Rooney!" hotly interrupted the Colonel; "you must be -mad! Ride a steeple-chase on a Sunday! Do you suppose, sir, any of my -officers would be guilty of such a thing, or that I would allow it?" - -"See, now, Colonel," interposed the Captain, "then there is no other -way but Mr Fortescue letting me off altogether. I've five hundred on it -on my own account. I'll give a hundred and scratch it." - -"Quite impossible," said the Colonel; "you know I can't do it. I am -really very sorry for you, but stay, there is yet one way, and if I can -manage it the race may yet come off. D----, who has the writ out -against you, does the wine for the mess. Now, will you agree to -this--that if you win, I pay him the four hundred and the balance to -yourself? If you do not win you shall be exactly in the same position -you are now, namely, locked up in your own house." - -"Tare an' ages, a capital idea! Colonel, I agree." And it was forthwith -signed and sealed between them. - -"I'll send out to you in an hour," said the Colonel, as he took his -departure. "I will write and tell you how it is to be, race or no race. -Depend on me; I'll do all I can." - -The Colonel succeeded, and the terms he mentioned were acceded to by -D----, who thought it was his only chance of ever getting a farthing. - -"Hang it, gentlemen," said the light-hearted old officer, "we could -have got the money without a race; but I should not have liked it said -of the regiment that we took any advantage. Now, win or lose, everyone -must say that we have behaved pluckily in this matter." - -Such a crowd as there was on the road all the way to the hill of -Thonabuckey, where a good view could be had of the race! Cars, -donkey-carts, wiry-looking horses with wiry and sporting squireens on -them crowded the road--all on their way to see the thousand-guinea -steeple-chase between the English soldier gentleman and the famous -Captain O'Rooney. - -Such excitement, such running and jostling of the dirty unwashed to get -along! There was the old blind fiddler, Mat Doolan, in a donkey-cart, -and perched on the top of a porter-barrel, scraping away, and -occasionally giving a song. - -"Sure it's himself that can bring the music out of the instrument. He -is the best fiddler in the west," sang out one. Then a chorus of voices -would break in asking for various tunes and songs. "Arrah, now, give us -'Croppies lie down.'" "'Wreath the bowl,'" cried another. "Hell to the -bowl, let's 'ave 'Tater, Jack Walsh,' or 'Vinegar Hill,'" demanded a -sturdy ruffian. "No, no; 'The breeze that blows the barley,' 'St -Patrick's day in the morning,' or 'Garry-owen' for me." "Begorra, no; -'Larry before he was stretched,' is my favourite," said a ragged -urchin. - -"Hurrah! here comes the Captain," bawled another; and the dirty -unwashed yelled as he passed in a tax-cart driven by a friend. - -"Which is the Captain?" demanded a soldier. - -"Death! don't you know him? Musha, why that one forenent ye in the -white caubeen and frieze coat. Troth, he's a broth of a boy! devil a -one in Ireland can bate him on Mad Moll across country. Sure he's an -illigant rider." - -"Hould yer noise, here comes Squire Gwynne and the ladies in the coach, -and the English soldier gentleman wid 'em. Agra! but he's a mighty fine -young man is that same. Bedad, it's Miss Alice that's looking swate on -him entirely." - -It was true: there was Charles Fortescue of the Stiffshire Regiment -going to the scene of action in the Squire's waggonette, and sitting -beside his affianced bride, the beautiful Alice Gwynne with eight -thousand a year the instant she married. - -"Hurroo!" shouted the people as the carriage dashed past. "Three cheers -for the Master of Gwynne! And another for the lady!" They were in the -humour to shout at everything and everybody. - -The course is reached at last. It is a circular one, and everything has -to be jumped twice; hardly anything is to be seen but dark frowning -walls. Many cars and carriages have got down by the water-jump. There -is no end of youth and beauty. All the county _elite_ are there as -lookers-on. A place has been kept for Mr Gwynne, and also one for the -large waggonette of the officers. Eager spectators are scattered all -over the course, but the big wall and the two water-jumps are the -centre of attraction. The wall is a fearful one, six feet high, built -up of large loose stones. The water-jump is also a pretty good one. A -little mountain stream has been dammed up. It is fifteen feet wide, -four feet deep, and hurdled and staked on the taking off side. - -"By Jingo, it is a twister!" said Mr Gwynne, a hunting man, as he -looked at it. "I say, Ally," to his daughter, "you would not like to -ride over that, would you?" - -"No, indeed, papa," said the poor girl, with her beautiful eyes full of -tears--she was terribly agitated. "I never shall be able to look at -Charles as he jumps it: it's fearful to look at, and it has to be done -twice too!" - -"Never mind, Alice, dear," said Fortescue, "the old horse will carry me -over like a bird. The only difficulty in the whole thing is the big -wall; that is a rattler! but in your colours, of course, I shall get -over all right. Let me do that wall and I am pretty safe, for I know -Screwdriver has the foot of Mad Moll; and these colours, too, they must -not play second fiddle. Cheer up!" and he whispered something that made -the fair girl smile through her tears. - -"Now, Fortescue," said George Bradon, taking his friend aside, "let me -give you a little advice: this is your maiden effort: whatever you do -be cool; don't flurry or worry yourself; you have a knowing fellow to -ride against, who is well up to these things. Now the wall is the -principal thing, and my opinion is, he will try and baulk your horse -there; therefore, my boy, don't let him give you a lead over it, _but -lead him_. That you have the speed of the mare there is not a doubt. -Remember, too, you must not go at the wall too fast: keep him well -together, with his hind legs well under him, and pop him over. Now, -with regard to the brook, on no account give him a lead there; if -necessary, walk your horse to it rather than go first. Keep your head, -old fellow, and where you dare, make the pace a cracker, if you can do -it without pumping your horse; the mare is overtrained, and will not -last if she is bustled. I don't know that I can say any more: now, go -and sit by your lady fair till it is time to weigh." - -The officers had sent their two cricket tents down, the scoring one for -the scales, and the other for luncheon. The latter one was filled with -gentlemen discussing the merits of the different horses. - -"Here comes your nag, Fortescue," said a young sub, running up to the -carriage. - -"Oh, what a beauty he is!" said Miss Gwynne. "Who is the little fat man -leading him?" - -"That," said Bradon, who had joined them, "is my old stud-groom, one of -the best men in Europe; he says Screwdriver's trained to the hour. -Here, Mason, turn the horse round and show him to the lady." - -The old man touched his hat as he did so. - -"He's a good 'un, miss," he said, "and nothing but a good 'un; and if -Mr Fortescue rides him patiently, I think that no Mad Moll will have a -chance with him." And touching his hat again he turned and walked the -horse away. - -The regimental champion was then immediately surrounded by the men of -the Stiffshire Regiment. - -The weighing is over, and Screwdriver mounted. Fortescue's colours are -crimson, with gold braiding. Capt. O'Rooney's are all green. Both -gentlemen look thorough jocks, and sit their horses easily and well; -but there is a look of the older hand about the Captain. - -"Who will lay me two to one against Screwdriver?" cried out a -sly-looking little man in a large drab overcoat. "I'll do it to any -amount up to a thousand." - -"I'll take you even money for a hundred," said a flashily-dressed man -on a bay horse. - -"I want odds, sir," said the little man; "but as I see there is no -betting to be done here, make it two hundred and I'll take you." - -"Done," said the other. And the bets were booked. - -All is now excitement, for the horses are walking away to the -starting-post. The judge had locked himself up in the little box -allotted to him, which has been lent by the race committee, but little -did he think he would see such a close finish. - -"They're off!" is the cry, as the two horses are seen cantering across -a field. - -"Fortescue's leading," said Lord Plunger, with his field-glasses to his -eyes. - -"Oh, papa, hold me up so that I may see," said the beautiful and -anxious Miss Gwynne. - -The eyes of scores were on her as she stood up, for all the gentry were -well aware in what relation she stood to Fortescue. - -"Well lepped!" roared the multitude, as the horses topped a wall. - -"Capital jumpers both," said the sly-looking little man; "the horse for -my money. Will nobody bet?" he roared out. But all were too eager to -attend to him. - -Fortescue is in front, and going at a good rate across some grass. The -first brook is now approached, and the Captain in his turn, leads at a -strong pace. All are anxiously looking to see how Mad Moll will like -it, for she is twisting her head from side to side. Fortescue has taken -a pull at Screwdriver, who is some six lengths behind. - -"Hang me if she means jumping!" said Bradon, as he saw the mare's -spiral movements. - -But he was wrong: a resolute man and a good one was on her back. She -jumped the brook, but in bad style, her hind legs dropped in, and as -she just righted herself, Fortescue's crimson jacket flashed in the air -and cleared it splendidly, amidst the shouts of hundreds. - -"Splendidly jumped!" said Lord Plunger. "Fortescue is a fine horseman, -Bradon, and is riding the horse patiently and well." - -"He is," was the quiet reply. - -All eyes are now directed to the wall, which the horses are rapidly -approaching. Fortescue is seen to lead at it, and the old horse clears -it at a bound, as did the mare. - -"It's all up," said Bradon, as he closes his glasses; "Fortescue will -win in a canter." - -"The Captain's down!" screamed a host of voices, as he and the mare -came to grief at the second water-jump. - -"May he stick there for the next ten minutes!" muttered the sly little -man, a wish in which not a few joined--a certain fair lady especially. - -But he is up and at work again, none the worse. The horses were going -at a great pace, and the jumps were taken with beautiful precision by -both. Bradon began to look anxious, the sly little man fidgety, and -Lord Plunger wore a thoughtful look. - -The anxious girl's face was flushed to scarlet with excitement and -emotion, and she trembled fearfully. - -"It will be a close thing," said the sly-looking little man; "the mare -is better than I thought." - -There were only a few things to be jumped now of any consequence--the -two brooks and the big wall. The horses there turned, ran through an -opening made in the wall, and finished on the flat in front of the -carriages. The brook is now approached for the second time: the mare -comes at it first, jumps it, and topples down on her nose on the -opposite side; the Captain is pitched forward on her ears, but recovers -himself like lightning, and is away again, leading Fortescue at a -terrific pace. - -But what is the little sly man doing? As the mare recovers herself he -is seen to dart across the course and pick up something flat, and put -it into his pocket. "By G--d! turn out as it will we are saved," he -muttered. "I'll lay any money against the mare," he screamed out. But -no one took him. - -The wall is now approached again; the Captain leads; but as the mare is -about to rise he turns her sharply round and gallops in a different -direction. Screwdriver refuses it too. - -"Damnation! I thought it," said Bradon; "there's a blackguard's trick!" - -"Oh! poor Charles," ejaculated the beautiful Alice; "my poor colours!" - -"The Captain's cleared it!" shouted out the multitude, as the mare was -seen to take the wall splendidly. - -"Where's your soldier now?" shouted out a chorus of voices. - -"Shure it's myself," said the captain, "could never be licked." - -"Most unfortunate!" said the old Colonel, "a dirty trick; and after my -kindness to him, too!" - -"The soldier is going at it again!" cried the people; and the horse is -seen to rise gallantly at it, but both horse and rider came down on the -other side. - -"Och, wirra wirra, vo vo! Mother of Moses, he's kilt entirely!" bawled -out a countryman; "poor young fellow!" - -"Miss Gwynne's fainted," said a young sub, running into the tent for -water. - -"By G--d! he's up and at it again," screamed out the sly little man: -"the mare's baked too; look at her tail." - -All faces were flushed and eager. The horse was coming along at a -tremendous pace. The captain was at work: his legs could be seen -sending the spurs deeply into her; and he took an anxious look over his -shoulder every now and then. - -"The mare's beaten!" resounded on all sides, as she was seen to swerve -in her stride. - -"Oh that the finish were only a hundred yards farther!" said Lord -Plunger. - -The winning-post is approached. The old horse has not been touched by -Fortescue, whose face is seen, even at that distance, to be deluged -with blood. He holds Screwdriver well in hand; he sees the mare is -flagging. - -"Green wins!" "Red wins!" shouts the crowd. - -It is an anxious moment. Both horses are seen locked closely together. -But the strain on Screwdriver's jaw is relaxed, and Fortescue is seen -to shake him up; the whip hand is at work, and they pass the post -abreast. The Colonel dashes off, as does the sly little man, and a host -of others. - -"What is it?" said the Colonel, as he galloped up. - -"A DEAD HEAT," replied the judge. - -The sly little man smiles grimly as he hears these words. - -"Is Charles hurt, papa?" said the beautiful occupant of the Master of -Gwynne's carriage, opening her eyes languidly, as she rose from her -faint. - -"No, dearest; cut a little, I believe. It is a dead heat." - -Both horses were now returning to scale. - -"Dead heat?" said the Captain. "Well, we must run it off in an hour. I -won't give in." - -"Hurt, sir?" inquired old Mason, as he took hold of the old horse's -bridle and led him back. - -"A bit of a cut on the forehead," returned Fortescue, "that is all. -Captain O'Rooney pulled his mare round at the wall--little cad!" - -"A scoundrel's trick," said the Colonel. - -Fortescue goes to weigh in first. - -"All right, sir," said the man in charge of the scales. - -The Captain now approaches, saddle and saddle-cloths in hand, and seats -himself. - -"Eleven stone eleven," said he of the scales, looking at them intently. -"Three pounds short, Captain." - -"What?" yelled out O'Rooney. "Look again, man, look again!" - -"Eleven stone eleven," replied the clerk. - -"Give me my bridle!" roared the Captain. "What the h--ll is the -matter?" - -"Ay, give him his bridle!" said the sly-looking little man; "he can -claim a pound for it; but that won't make him right. Look at your -saddle-cloth, sir. You will see it has burst and a three-pounds lead -gone. You did it at the big water-jump the second time, and I picked it -up. Here it is." - -Cheer after cheer rent the air as the fact was announced. The soldiers, -of course, went almost frantic. - -"Here, come away," said Lord Plunger and Bradon, seizing Charley's arm, -"Get away as quickly as you can. There will be a row. Your horse has -already gone, with seventy or eighty of our men with him. You rode the -race splendidly, old fellow!" - -"That he did," said the sly-looking little man. - -The Captain had lost the race. He was short by two pounds, allowing him -one for his bridle. The scene of confusion that followed was -indescribable. - -Fortescue was taken to the carriage and quickly driven away. - -"Ah, Alice!" said he, "I told you I should carry your colours to the -fore." - -"Thank God you did so! This is your first and last race, promise me." - -The Captain went back to Clough-bally-More Castle; but in a day or two -he was _non est_, and his creditors were done. - -The regiment had a jovial night of it. Fortescue's health was drunk in -bumper after bumper; but he was not there to acknowledge the -compliment; some one else had him in charge. - -A short time after the Stiffshire were quartered in Manchester, and the -Colonel one day encountered no less a person than Captain O'Rooney. - -"See now, Colonel," said the latter, "you must bear me no ill-will. I -did a shabby trick, I'll allow, at the wall, but I was a ruined man. -I'm all right now. I've married a rich cotton-spinner's widow with some -three thousand a year; but it's all settled on her." - -Fortescue and Miss Gwynne are long ago married; and at the different -race meetings that they attended they often saw the celebrated Captain -O'Rooney performing; but in all the numerous races he was engaged in, -he never rode--at any rate in a steeple-chase--another DEAD -HEAT. - - - - -ONLY THE MARE - - -When one opens a suspicious-looking envelope and finds something about -"Mr Shopley's respectful compliments" on the inside of the flap, the -chances are that Mr Shopley is hungering for what we have Ovid's -authority for terming _irritamenta malorum_. Not wishing to have -my appetite for breakfast spoiled, I did not pursue my researches into -a communication of this sort which was amongst my letters on a certain -morning in November; but turned over the pile until the familiar -caligraphy of Bertie Peyton caught my eye: for Bertie was Nellie's -brother, and Nellie Peyton, it had been decided, would shortly cease to -be Nellie Peyton; a transformation for which I was the person chiefly -responsible. Bertie's communication was therefore seized with avidity. -It ran as follows:-- - - "The Lodge, Holmesdale. - - "MY DEAR CHARLIE, - - "I sincerely hope that you have no important engagements just at - present, as I want you down here most particularly. - - "You know that there was a small race-meeting at Bibury the other - day. I rode over on Little Lady, and found a lot of the 14th - Dragoons there; that conceited young person Blankney amongst the - number. Now, although Blankley has a very considerable personal - knowledge of the habits and manners of the ass, he doesn't know - much about the horse; and for that reason he saw fit to read us a - lecture on breeding and training, pointing his moral and adorning - his tale with a reference to my mare--whose pedigree, you know, is - above suspicion. After, however, he had kindly informed us what a - thoroughbred horse ought to be, he looked at Little Lady and said, - 'Now I shouldn't think that thing was thoroughbred!' It ended by my - matching her against that great raw-boned chestnut of his: three - and a half miles over the steeplechase course, to be run at the - Holmesdale Meeting, on the 5th December. - - "As you may guess, I didn't want to win or lose a lot of money, and - when he asked what the match should be for, I suggested 'L20 - a-side.' 'Hardly worth while making a fuss for L20!' he said, - rather sneeringly. 'L120, if you like!' I answered, rather angrily, - hardly meaning what I said; but he pounced on the offer. Of course - I couldn't retract, and so very stupidly, I plunged deeper into the - mire, and made several bets with the fellows who were round us. - They laid me 3 to 1 against the mare, but I stand to lose nearly - L500. - - "You see now what I want. I ride quite 12 stone, as you know; the - mare is to carry 11 stone, and you can just manage that nicely. I - know you'll come if you can, and if you telegraph I'll meet you. - - "Your's ever, - - BERTIE PEYTON. - - "P.S.--Nellie sends love, and hopes to see you soon. No one is - here, but the aunt is coming shortly." - -I was naturally anxious to oblige him, and luckily had nothing to keep -me in town; so that afternoon saw me rapidly speeding southwards, and -the evening, comfortably domiciled at The Lodge. - -Bertie, who resided there with his sister, was not a rich man. L500 was -a good deal more than he could afford to lose, and poor little Nellie -was in a great flutter of anxiety and excitement in consequence of her -brother's rashness. As for the mare, she could gallop and jump; and -though we had no means of ascertaining the abilities of Blankney's -chestnut, we had sufficient faith in our Little Lady to enable us to -"come up to the scratch smiling;" and great hopes that we should be -enabled to laugh at the result in strict accordance with the permission -given in the old adage, "Let those laugh who win." - -It was not very pleasant to rise at an abnormal hour every morning, and -arrayed in great-coats and comforters sufficient for six people, to -rush rapidly about the country; but it was necessary. I was a little -too heavy, and we could not afford to throw away any weight, nor did I -wish to have my saddle reduced to the size of a cheese-plate, as would -have been my fate had I been unable to reduce myself. Breakfast, -presided over by Nellie, compensated for all matutinal discomforts; and -then she came round to the stables to give the mare an encouraging pat -and a few words of advice and endearment which I verily believe the -gallant little mare understood, for it rubbed its nose against her -shoulder as though it would say, "Just you leave it in my hands--or, -rather, to my feet--and I'll make it all right!" Then we started for -our gallop, Bertie riding a steady old iron-grey hunter. - -The fourth of December arrived, and the mare's condition was splendid. -"As fit as a fiddle," was the verdict of Smithers, a veterinary surgeon -who had done a good deal of training in his time, and who superintended -our champion's preparation; and though we were ignorant of the precise -degree of fitness to which fiddles usually attain, he seemed pleased, -and so, consequently, were we. Unfortunately on this morning Bertie's -old hunter proved to be very lame, so I was forced to take my last -gallop by myself; and with visions of success on the morrow, I passed -rapidly through the keen air over the now familiar way; for the course -was within a couple of miles of the house, and so we had the great -advantage of being able to accustom the mare to the very journey she -would have to take. - -Bertie was in a field at the back of the stables when I neared home -again. "Come on!" he shouted, pointing to a nasty hog-backed stile, -which separated us. I gave Little Lady her head, and she cantered up to -it, lighting on the other side like a very bird! Bertie didn't speak as -I trotted up to him, but he looked up into my face with a triumphant -smile more eloquent than words. - -"You've given her enough, haven't you?" he remarked, patting her neck, -as I dismounted in the yard. - -"You've given her enough," usually signifies "you've given her too -much." But I opined not, and we walked round to the house tolerably -well convinced that the approaching banking transactions would be on -the right side of the book. - -Despite a walk with Nellie, and the arrival of a pile of music from -town, the afternoon passed rather slowly; perhaps we were too anxious -to be cheerful. To make matters worse, dinner was to be postponed till -past eight, for the aunt was coming, and Nellie was afraid the visitor -would be offended if they did not wait for her. - -"You look very bored and tired, sir!" said Nellie pouting prettily; "I -believe you'd yawn if it wasn't rude!" - -I assured her that I could not, under any circumstances, be guilty of -such an enormity. - -"It's just a quarter past seven. We'll go and meet the carriage, and -then perhaps you'll be able to keep awake until dinner-time!" and so -with a look of dignity which would have been very effective if the -merry smile in her eyes had been less apparent, the little lady swept -out of the room; to return shortly arrayed in furs, and a most -coquettish-looking hat, and the smallest and neatest possible pair of -boots, which in their efforts to appear strong and sturdy only made -their extreme delicacy more decided. - -"Come, sleepy boy!" said she, holding out a grey-gloved hand. I rose -submissively, and followed her out of the snug drawing-room to the open -air. - -Bertie was outside, smoking. - -"We are going to meet the aunt, dear," explained Nellie. "I'm afraid -she'll be cross, because it's so cold." - -"She's not quite so inconsequent as that, I should fancy; but it is -cold, and isn't the ground hard!" I said. - -"It is hard!" cried Bertie, stamping vigorously. "By Jove! I hope it's -not going to freeze!" and afflicted by the notion--for a hard frost -would have rendered it necessary to postpone the races--he hurried off -to the stables, to consult one of the men who was weather-wise. - -Some stone steps led from the terrace in front of the house to the -lawn; at either end of the top-step was a large globe of stone, and on -to one of these thoughtless little Nellie climbed. I stretched out my -hand, fearing that the weather had made it slippery, but before I could -reach her she slipped and fell. - -"You rash little person!" I said, expecting that she would spring up -lightly. - -"Oh! my foot!" she moaned; and gave a little shriek of pain as she put -it to the ground. - -I took her in my arms, and summoning her maid, carried her to the -drawing-room. - -"Take off her boot," I said to the girl, but Nellie could not bear to -have her foot touched, and feebly moaned that her arm hurt her. - -"Oh! pray send for a doctor, sir!" implored the maid, while Nellie only -breathed heavily, with half-closed eyes; and horribly frightened, I -rushed off, hardly waiting to say a word to the poor little sufferer. - -"Whatever is the matter?" Bertie cried, as I burst into the -harness-room. - -"Where's the doctor?" I replied, hastily. "Nellie's hurt -herself--sprained her ankle, and hurt her arm--broken it, perhaps!" - -"How? When?" he asked. - -"There's no time to explain. She slipped down. Where's the doctor?" - -"Our doctor is ill, and has no substitute. There's no one nearer than -Lawson, at Oakley, and that's twelve miles, very nearly." - -"Then I must ride at once," I reply. - -"Saddle my horse as quickly as possible," said Bertie to the groom. - -"He's lame, sir, can't move!" the man replied, and I remembered that it -was so. - -"Put a saddle on one of the carriage horses--anything so long as -there's no delay." - -"They're out, sir! Gone to the station. There's nothing in the -stable--only the mare; and to gallop her to Oakley over the ground as -it is to-night, will pretty well do for her chance to-morrow--to say -nothing of the twelve miles back again. The carriage will be home in -less than an hour, sir," the man remonstrated. - -"It may be, you don't know, the trains are so horridly unpunctual. -Saddle the mare, Jarvis, as quickly as you can--every minute may be of -the utmost value!" As Bertie spoke the _faintest_ look of regret -showed itself on his face for a second; for of course he knew that such -a journey would very materially affect, if it did not entirely destroy, -the mare's chance. - -Jarvis, who I think had been speculating, very reluctantly took down -the saddle and bridle from their pegs, but I snatched them from his -arms, and assisted by Bertie, was leading her out of the stable in a -very few seconds. - -"Hurry on! Never mind the mare--good thing she's in condition," said -Bertie, who only thought now of his sister. "I'll go and see the girl." - -"I can cut across the fields, can't I, by the cross roads?" I asked, -settling in the saddle. - -"No! no! Keep to the highway; it's safer at night. Go on!" I heard him -call as I went at a gallop down the cruelly hard road. - -The ground rang under the mare's feet, and in spite of all my anxiety -for Nellie I could not help feeling one pang of regret for Little Lady, -whose free, bounding action, augured well for what her chances would -have been on the morrow--chances which I felt were rapidly dying out; -for if this journey didn't lame her nothing would. Stones had just been -put down as a matter of course; but there was no time for picking the -way, and taking tight hold of her head we sped on. - -About a mile from the Lodge I came to the crossroads. Before me was a -long vista of stone--regular rocks, so imperfectly were they broken: to -the right was the smoother and softer pathway over the fields--perfect -going in comparison to the road. Just over this fence, a hedge, and -with hardly another jump I should come again into the highway, saving -quite two miles by the cut. Bertie had said "Don't," but probably he -had spoken thoughtlessly, and it was evidently the best thing to do, -for the time I saved might be of the greatest value to poor little -suffering Nellie! I pulled up, and drew the mare back to the opposite -hedge. She knew her work thoroughly. Three bounds took her across the -road: she rose--the next moment I was on my back, shot some distance -into the field, and she was struggling up from the ground. There had -been a post and rail whose existence I had not suspected, placed some -six feet from the hedge on the landing side. She sprang up, no legs -were broken; and I, a good deal shaken and confused, rose to my feet, -wondering what to do next. I had not had time to collect my thoughts -when I heard the rattle of a trap on the road; it speedily approached, -and the moonlight revealed the jolly features of old Tom Heathfield, a -friendly farmer. - -"Accident, sir?" he asked, pulling up. "What! Mr Vaughan!" as he caught -sight of my face. "What's the---- why! that ain't the mare, sure-_lie_?" - -All the neighbourhood was in a ferment of excitement about the races, -and the sight of Little Lady in such a place at such a time struck -horror to the honest old farmer. - -"Yes, it is--I'm sorry to say. Miss Peyton has met with an accident. I -was going for the doctor, and unfortunately there was nothing else in -the stable." - -"You was going to Oakley, I s'pose, sir? It'll be ruination to the -mare. Miss Peyton hurt herself! I'll bowl over, sir; it won't take -long; this little horse o' mine can trot a good 'un; and I can bring -the doctor with me. The fences, there, is mended with wire. You'd cut -the mare to pieces." - -"I can't say how obliged to you I am----" - -"Glad of the opportunity of obliging Miss Peyton, sir; she's a real -lady!" He was just starting when he checked himself. "There's a little -public house about a hundred yards further on; if you don't mind -waiting there I'll send Smithers to look at the mare. I pass his house. -All right, sir." - -His rough little cob started off at a pace for which I had not given it -credit; and I slowly followed, leading the mare towards the glimmering -light which Heathfield had pointed out. My charge stepped out well, and -I didn't think that there was anything wrong, though glad, of course, -to have a professional opinion. - -A man was hanging about the entrance to the public-house, and with his -assistance the mare was bestowed in a kind of shed, half cow-house, -half stable; and as the inside of the establishment did not look by any -means inviting, I lit a cigar and lounged about outside, awaiting the -advent of Smithers. - -He didn't arrive; and in the course of wandering to and fro I found -myself against a window. Restlessly I was just moving away when a voice -inside the room repeated the name of _Blankney_. I started, and -turning round, looked in. - -It was a small apartment, with a sanded floor, and two persons were -seated on chairs before the fire conversing earnestly. One of them was -a middle-aged man, clad in a brown great-coat with a profusion of -fur-collar and cuffs which it would scarcely be libel to term "mangy." -He was the owner of an unwholesome-looking face, decorated as to the -chin with a straggling crop of bristles which he would have probably -termed an imperial. - -"Wust year I ever 'ad!" he exclaimed (and a broken pane in the window -enabled me to hear distinctly). "The Two Thousand 'orse didn't run; got -in deep over the Derby; Hascot was hawful; and though I had a moral for -the Leger, it went down." - -His own morals, judging from his appearance and conversation, appeared -to have followed the example of that for the Leger. - -"I can't follow your plans about this race down here, though," said his -companion, a younger man, who seemed to hold the first speaker in great -awe despite his confessions of failure. "Don't you say that this young -Blankney's horse can't get the distance?" - -"I do. He never was much good, I 'ear; never won nothing, though he's -run in two or three hurdle-races; and since Phil Kelly's been preparing -of 'im for this race he's near about broke down. His legs swell up like -bolsters after his gallops; and he can't get three miles at all, I -don't believe, without he's pulled up and let lean agin something on -the journey to rest hisself." - -"And yet you're backing him?" - -"And yet I'm backing of him." - -"This young Peyton's mare can't be worse?" said the younger man, -interrogatively. - -"That mare, it's my belief, would be fancied for the Grand National if -she was entered, and some of the swells saw 'er. She's a real good -'un!" replied the man with the collar. - -"I see. You've got at her jockey. You're an artful one, you are." - -As the jockey to whom they alluded, I was naturally much interested. - -"No, I ain't done that, neither. He's a gentleman, and it's no use -talkin' to such as 'im. They ain't got the sense to take up a good -thing when they see it--though, for the matter o' that, most of the -perfessionals is as bad as the gentlemen. All's fair in love and war," -says I; "and this 'ere's war." - -"Does Blankney know how bad his horse is?" - -"No, bless yer! That ain't Phil Kelly's game." (Kelly was, I knew, the -man who had charge of my opponent's horse.) - -"Well, then, just explain, will you; for _I_ can't see." - -From the recesses of his garment the elder man pulled out a short stick -about fifteen inches in length, at the end of which was a loop of -string; and from another pocket he produced a small paper parcel. - -"D'yer know what that is? That's a 'twitch.' D'yer know what that is? -That's medicine. I love this 'ere young feller's mare so much I'm -a-goin' to give it some nicey med'cine myself; and this is the right -stuff. I've been up to the 'ouse to-day, and can find my way into the -stable to-night when it's all quiet. Just slip this loop over 'er lip, -and she'll open 'er mouth. Down goes the pill, and as it goes down the -money goes into my pocket. Them officer fellers and their friends have -been backing Blankney's 'orse; but Phil Kelly will take care that they -hear at the last moment that he's no good. Then they'll rush to lay -odds on the mare--and the mare won't win." - -They laughed, and nudged each other in the side, and I felt a mighty -temptation to rush into the room and nudge their heads with my fist. -Little Lady's delicate lips, which Nelly had so often petted, to be -desecrated by the touch of such villains as these! - -While struggling to restrain myself a hand was laid on my shoulders, -and, turning round, I saw Smithers. We proceeded to the stable; and I -hastily recounted to him what had happened, and what I had heard, as he -examined the mare by the aid of a bull's-eye lantern. He passed his -hand very carefully over her, whilst I looked on with anxious eyes. - -"She's knocked a bit of skin off here, you see." He pointed to a place -a little below her knee, and drawing a small box from his pocket, -anointed the leg. "But she's all right. All right, ain't you, old -lady?" he said, patting her; and his cheerful tone convinced me that he -was satisfied. "We'll lead her home. I'll go with you, sir; and it's -easy to take means to prevent any games to-night." - -When we reached home the doctor was there, and pronounced that, with -the exception of a sprained ankle, Nelly had sustained no injury. - -Rejoicing exceedingly, we proceeded to the stable; Heathfield, who -heard my story, and who was delighted at the prospect of some fun, -asking permission to accompany us. - -"Collars" had doubtless surveyed the premises carefully, for he arrived -about eleven o'clock, and clambered quietly and skilfully into the -hayloft above the stable, after convincing himself that all was quiet -inside. He opened the trap-door, and down came a foot and leg, feeling -about to find a resting-place on the partition which divided Little -Lady's loose box from the other stalls. Bertie and I took hold of the -leg, and assisted him down, to his intense astonishment; while -Heathfield and a groom gave chase to, and ultimately captured his -friend, the watcher on the threshold. - - * * * * * - -"If I'm well enough to do _anything_ I'm well enough to lie on the -sofa; and there's really _no_ difference between a sofa and an -easy-chair--if my foot is resting--and I'm sure the carriage is -_easier_ than any chair; and it can't matter about my foot being an -inch or two higher or lower--and as for shaking, that's all nonsense. -It's very unkind _indeed_ of you not to want to take me; and if you -won't, directly you've gone I'll get up, and walk about, _and stamp_!" - -Thus Nelly, in answer to advice that she should remain at home. How it -ended may easily be guessed; and though we tried to be dignified, as we -drove along, to punish her for her wilfulness, her pathetic little -expressions of sorrow that she should "fall down, and hurt herself, and -be such a trouble to everybody," and child-like assurances that she -would "not do it again," soon made us smile, and forget our -half-pretended displeasure. So with the aunt to take care of her, in -case Bertie and I were insufficient, we reached the course. - -The first three races were run and then the card said:-- - - 3.15 Match, L120 a side, over the Steeple-chase Course, about three - miles and a half. - - 1. Mr Blankney, 14th Dragoons, ch. h. Jibboom, 5 years, 11 st. - 7 lb., rose, black and gold cap. - - 2. Mr Peyton, b. m. Little Lady, 6 years, 11 st., sky-blue, - white cap. - -Blankney was sitting on the regimental drag, arrayed in immaculate -boots and breeches, and, after the necessary weighing ceremony had been -gone through he mounted the great Jibboom, which Phil Kelly had been -leading about: the latter gentleman had a rather anxious look on his -face; but Blankney evidently thought he was on a good one, and nodded -confidently to his friends on the drag as he lurched down the course. - -Little Lady was brought up to me, Smithers being in close attendance. - -"I _shall_ be so glad, if you win," Nellie found opportunity to -whisper. - -"What will you give me?" I greedily inquire. - -"_Anything_ you ask me," is the reply; and my heart beats high as, -having thrown off my light wrapper and mounted, Little Lady bounds down -the course, and glides easily over the hurdle in front of the stand. - -Bertie and Smithers were waiting at the starting-post; and, having -shaken hands with Blankney, to whom Bertie introduced me, I went apart -to exchange the last few sentences with my friends. - -Bertie is a trifle pale, but confident; and Smithers seems to have a -large supply of the latter quality. In however high esteem we hold our -own opinions, we are glad of professional advice when it comes to the -push; and I seek instructions. - -"No, sir, don't you wait on him. Go away as hard as you can directly -the flag drops. I don't like the look of that chestnut's legs--or, -rather, I do like the look of them for our sakes. Go away as hard as -ever you can; but take it easy at the fences; and, excuse me, sir, but -just let the mare have her head when she jumps, and she'll be all -right. People talk about 'lifting horses at their fences:' I only knew -one man who could do it, and he made mistakes." - -I nod; smiling as cheerfully as anxiety will permit me. The flag falls, -and Little Lady skims over the ground, the heavy chestnut thundering -away behind. - -Over the first fence--a hedge--and then across a ploughed field; rather -hard going, but not nearly so bad as I expected it would have been: the -mare moving beautifully. Just as I reach the second fence a boy rushes -across the course, baulking us; and before I can set her going again -Jibboom has come up level, and is over into the grass beyond a second -before us; but I shoot past and again take up the running. Before us -are some posts and rails--rather nasty ones; the mare tops them, and -the chestnut hits them hard with all four legs. Over more grass; and in -front, flanked on either side by a crowd of white faces, is the -water-jump. I catch hold of her head and steady her; and then, she -rises, flies through the air, and lands lightly on the other side. A -few seconds after I hear a heavy splash; but when, after jumping the -hurdle into the course, I glance over my shoulder, the chestnut is -still pounding away behind. As I skim along past the stand the first -time round and the line of carriages opposite, I catch sight of a -waving white handkerchief: it is Nellie; and my confused glimpse -imperfectly reveals Bertie and Smithers standing on the box of the -carriage. - -I had seen visions of a finish, in which a certain person clad in a -light-blue jacket had shot ahead just in the nick of time, and landed -the race by consummate jockeyship after a neck-and-neck struggle for -the last quarter of a mile. This did not happen, however, for, as I -afterwards learned, the chestnut refused a fence before he had gone -very far, and, having at last been got over, came to grief at the posts -and rails the second time round. Little Lady cantered in alone; -Blankney strolling up some time afterwards. - -There is no need to make record of Bertie's delight at the success. We -dined next day at the mess of the 14th, Blankney and his brethren were -excessively friendly, and seemed pleased and satisfied; as most -assuredly were we. Blankney opines that he went rather too fast at the -timber; but a conviction seemed to be gaining ground towards the close -of the evening that he had not gone fast enough at any period of the -race. - -And for Nellie? She kept her promise, and granted my request; and very -soon after the ankle was well we required the services of other -horses--grey ones! - - - - -HUNTING IN THE MIDLANDS - - -"Jem Pike has just come round, gentlemen, to say that they will be able -to hunt to-day, after all: and as it's about starting time, and you've -some distance to go, I will, if you wish, gentlemen, order your horses -round." - -The announcement, as it came to us over our breakfast at a hostelry -which I will call the Lion, in a market town which I will call -Chippington--a highly convenient hunting rendezvous in the -Midlands--was not a little welcome. Jem Pike was the huntsman of the -pack, and Jem Pike's message was an intimation that the frost of last -night had not destroyed our sport for the day. The morning broke in -what Jem would call a "plaguey ugly fashion:" from an artistic point of -view it had been divine: for hunting purposes it had been execrable. A -thin coating of ice on one's bath indoors, a good stiff hoar frost out, -crystallized trees, and resonant roads--all this was seasonable, very, -and "pretty to look at, too." But it was "bad for riding:" and we had -not come to the Lion at Chippington in order to contemplate the -beauties of nature, but to brace our nerves with the healthy excitement -of the chase. Full of misgivings we descended to breakfast, in hunting -toggery notwithstanding. As the sun shone out with increased brilliance -we began to grow more cheerful. The frost, we said, was nothing, and -all trace of it would be gone before noon. The waiter shook his head -dubiously, suggested that there was a good billiard-table, and enquired -as to the hour at which we would like to dine. But the waiter, as the -event proved, was wrong, and we were still in the middle of breakfast -when the message of the huntsman of the Chippington pack -arrived--exactly what we had each of us said. Of course the frost was -nothing: we had known as much; and now the great thing was to get -breakfast over, and "then to horse away." - -After all there is nothing for comfort like the old-fashioned hunting -hotels, and unfortunately they are decreasing in number every year. -Still the Lion at Chippington remains; and I am happy to say that I -know of a few more like the Lion. They are recognisable at a glance. -You may tell them by the lack of nineteenth century filagree decoration -which characterises their exterior, by the cut of the waiters, by the -knowing look of the boots. Snug are their coffee-rooms, luxurious their -beds, genial their whole atmosphere. It is just possible that if you -were to take your wife to such an establishment as the Lion, she would -complain that an aroma of tobacco smoke pervaded the atmosphere. But -the hunting hotel is conspicuously a bachelor's house. Its proprietor, -or proprietress, does not lay himself or herself out for ladies and -ladies' maids. It is their object to make single gentlemen, and -gentlemen who enjoy the temporary felicity of singleness, at home. If -it is your first visit, you are met in a manner which clearly intimates -that you were expected. If you are an old _habitue_ you find that -all your wants are anticipated, and all your peculiar fancies known. -The waiter understands exactly--marvellous is the memory of this race -of men--what you like for breakfast: whether you prefer a "wet fish" or -a "dry:" and recollects to a nicety your particular idea of a dinner. -Under any circumstances a week's hunting is a good and healthy -recreation: but it is difficult to enjoy a week's hunting more -perfectly than in one of these hostelries, which have not, I rejoice -to say, yet been swept away by the advancing tide of modern -improvement. - -Of whom did our company consist? We were not a party of Meltonian -squires, such as it would have delighted the famous Nimrod to describe. -We were neither Osbaldestones nor Sir Harry Goodrickes: neither -Myddelton Biddulphs nor Holyoakes. A Warwickshire or an Oxfordshire -hunting field differs very materially, so far as regards its -_personnel_, from a Leicester or a Northamptonshire gathering. The -latter still preserves the memories and the traditions of a past -_regime_, when hunting was confined to country gentlemen, farmers, and -a few rich strangers: the former is typical of the new order of things -under which hunting has ceased to be a class amusement, and has become -a generally popular sport. Now it is not too much to claim for hunting -at the present day this character. The composition of the little band -which on the morning now in question left the Lion Hotel at -Chippington, bound for covert, was no unimportant testimony to this -fact. We were half a dozen in number, and comprised among ourselves a -barrister, a journalist, a doctor, and a couple of Civil servants, who -had allowed themselves a week's holiday, and who, being fond of riding, -had determined to take it in this way. In an average hunting field of -the present day you will discover men of all kinds of professions and -occupations--attorneys, auctioneers, butchers, bakers, innkeepers, -artists, sailors, authors. There is no town in England which has not -more than one pack of hounds in its immediate vicinity; and you will -find that the riders who make up the regular field are inhabitants of -the town--men who are at work four or five days in the week at their -desk or counter, and who hunt the remaining one or two. There is no -greater instrument of social harmony than that of the modern hunting -field: and, it may be added, there is no institution which affords a -healthier opportunity for the ebullition of what may be called the -democratic instincts of human nature. The hunting field is the paradise -of equality: and the only title to recognition is achievement. "Rank," -says a modern authority on the sport, "has no privilege; and wealth can -afford no protection." Out of the hunting field there may be a wide -gulf which separates peasant from peer, tenant from landlord. But there -is no earthly power which can compel the tenant to give way to the -landlord, or the peasant to the peer, when the scent is good and hounds -are in full cry. - -As we get to the bottom of the long and irregularly-paved street which -constitutes the main thoroughfare--indeed, I might add, the entire town -of Chippington--we fall in with other equestrians bound for Branksome -Bushes--the meet fixed for that day--distant not more than two miles -from Chippington itself. There was the chief medical man of the place, -mounted on a very clever horse, the head of the Chippington bank, and -some half-dozen strangers. As we drew near to "the Bushes" we saw that -there had already congregated a very considerable crowd. There were -young ladies, some who had come just to see them throw off, and others -with an expression in their faces, and a cut about their habits, which -looked like business, and which plainly indicated that they intended, -if possible, to be in at the death. There were two or three clergymen -who had come from adjoining parishes, and one or two country squires. -There were some three or four Oxford undergraduates--Chippington is -within a very convenient distance of the city of academic towers--who -were "staying up" at their respective colleges for the purpose of -reading during a portion of the vacation, and who found it necessary to -vary the monotony of intense intellectual application by an occasional -gallop with the Chippington or Bicester pack. Then, of course, there -was the usual contingent of country doctors: usual, I say, for the -medical profession gravitates naturally towards equestrianism. If a -country doctor rides at all, you may be sure he rides well, and is well -mounted, moreover. There was also a very boisterous and hard-riding -maltster, who had acquired a considerable reputation in the district: a -fair sprinkling of snobs; one or two grooms and stable cads. There was -also an illustrious novelist of the day, the guest of Sir Cloudesley -Spanker, Bart., and Sir Cloudesley Spanker, Bart., himself. - -We had drawn Branksome Bushes and the result was a blank. Local -sportsmen commence to be prolific of suggestions. There was Henham -Gorse, for instance, and two gentlemen asseverated most positively, -upon intelligence which was indisputably true, that there was a fox in -that quarter. Another noble sportsman, who prided himself especially on -his local knowledge, pressed upon Jem Pike the necessity of turning his -attention next to the Enderby Woods, to all of which admonitions, -however, Mr Pike resolutely turned a deaf ear. These are among the -difficulties which the huntsman of a subscription pack has to encounter -or withstand. Every Nimrod who pays his sovereign or so a year to the -support of the hounds considers he has a right to a voice in their -management. Marvellous is the sensitiveness of the amateur sportsman. -It is a well-established fact, that you cannot more grievously wound or -insult the feelings of the gentleman who prides himself upon his -acquaintance with horses than by impugning the accuracy of his judgment -in any point of equine detail. Hint to your friend, who is possessed -with the idea that he is an authority upon the manners and customs of -foxes in general, and upon those of any one neighbourhood in -particular, that there exists a chance of his fallibility, and he will -resent the insinuation as a mortal slight. Jem Pike had his duty to do -to the pack and to his employers, and he steadfastly refused to be -guided or misguided by amateur advice. So, at Jem's sweet will, we -jogged on from Branksome Bushes to Jarvis Spinney, and at Jarvis -Spinney the object of our quest was obtained. - -'Tis a pretty sight, the find and the throw off. You see a patch of -gorse literally alive with the hounds, their sterns flourishing above -its surface. Something has excited them, and there "the beauties" go, -leaping over each other's backs. Then issues a shrill kind of whimper: -in a moment one hound challenges, and next another. Then from the -huntsman comes a mighty cheer that is heard to the echo. "He's gone," -say half a score of voices. Hats are pressed on, cigars thrown away, -reins gathered well up, and lo and behold they are off. A very fair -field we were on the particular morning to which I here allude. The -rector, I noticed, who had merely come to the meet, was well up with -the first of us. Notwithstanding remonstrances addressed by timid papas -and well-drilled grooms in attendance, Alice and Clara Vernon put their -horses at the first fence, and that surmounted had fairly crossed the -Rubicon. Nay, the contagion of the enthusiasm spread, as is always the -case on such occasions, for their revered parents themselves were -unable to resist the attraction. Sir Cloudesley Spanker asserted his -position in the first rank, as did also the distinguished novelist, his -guest. - -It has been remarked that all runs with foxhounds are alike on paper -and different in reality. We were fortunate enough to have one that was -certainly above the average with the Chippington hounds. Our fox chose -an excellent line of country, and all our party from the Lion enjoyed -the distinction of being in at the death. Mishaps there were, for all -the bad jumpers came signally to grief. Old Sir Cloudesley related with -much grim humour the melancholy aspect that two dismounted strangers -presented who had taken up their lodging in a ditch. The two Miss -Vernons acquitted themselves admirably; so did the rector, and I am -disposed to think that the company both of the ladies and the farmers -vastly improved our hunting field. It is quite certain that clergymen, -more than any other race of men, require active change, and they need -what they can get nowhere better than in a hunting field. Nor in the -modern hunting field is there anything which either ladies or clergymen -need fear to face. The strong words and the strange oaths, the rough -language--in fine, what has been called "the roaring lion element," -these are accessories of the chase which have long since become things -of the past. And the consummation is a natural consequence of the -catholicity which hunting has acquired. There are no abuses like class -abuses. Once admit the free light of publicity, and they vanish. - -There are hunting farmers and hunting parsons, clergymen who make the -chase the business of their lives, and those who get a day with the -hounds as an agreeable relief to their professional toils. There is not -much to be said in favour of the former order, which has, by the way, -nearly become extinct. It survives in Wales and in North Devon yet, and -curious are the authentic stories which might be narrated about these -enthusiastic heroes of top-boots and spur. There is a little village in -North Devon where, till within a very few years, the meet of the -staghounds used to be given out from the reading desk every Sunday -after the first lesson. Years ago, when one who is now a veteran -amongst the fox-hunting clerics of that neighbourhood first entered -upon his new duties, he was seized with a desire to reform the ways of -the natives and the practices of the priests. Installed in his new -living, he determined to forswear hounds and hunting entirely. He even -carried his orthodoxy to such a point as to institute daily services, -which at first, however, were very well attended. Gradually his -congregation fell off, much to the grief of the enthusiastic pastor. -One day, observing his churchwardens lingering in the aisle after the -service had been concluded, he went up and asked them whether they -could at all inform him of the origin of the declension. "Well, sir," -said one of the worthies thus addressed, "we were a-going to speak to -you about the very same thing. You see, sir, the parson of this parish -do always keep hounds. Mr Froude, he kept foxhounds, Mr Bellew he kept -harriers, and least ways we always expect the parson of this parish to -keep _a small cry of summut_." Whereupon the rector expressed his -entire willingness to contribute a sum to the support of "a small cry" -of harriers, provided his congregation found the remainder. The -experiment was tried and was completely successful, nor after that day -had the new rector occasion to complain of a deficiency in his -congregation. - -Tories of the old school, for instance Sir Cloudesley Spanker, who has -acquitted himself so gallantly to-day, would no doubt affirm that -fox-hunting has been fatally injured as a sport by railways. The truth -of the proposition is extremely questionable, and it may be dismissed -in almost the same breath as the sinister predictions which are never -verified of certain naval and military officers on the subject of the -inevitable destiny of their respective services. Railways have no doubt -disturbed the domestic tranquillity of the fox family, and have -compelled its various members to forsake in some instances the ancient -Lares and Penates. But the havoc which the science of man has wrought, -the skill of man has obviated. Foxes are quite as dear to humanity as -they can be to themselves; and in proportion as the natural dwellings -of foxes have been destroyed artificial homes have been provided for -them. Moreover, railways have had the effect of bringing men together, -and of establishing all over the country new fox-hunting centres. -Hunting wants money, and railways have brought men with money to the -spots at which they were needed. They have, so to speak, placed the -hunting field at the very doors of the dwellers in town. In London a -man may breakfast at home, have four or five hours' hunting fifty miles -away from the metropolitan chimney-pots, and find himself seated at his -domestic mahogany for a seven o'clock dinner. Nor is it necessary for -the inhabitant of London to go such a distance to secure an excellent -day's hunting. To say nothing of her Majesty's staghounds, there are -first-rate packs in Surrey, Essex, and Kent, all within a railway -journey of an hour. Here again the inveterate _laudator temporis -acti_ will declare he discerns greater ground for dissatisfaction -than congratulation. He will tell you that in consequence of those -confounded steam-engines the field gets flooded by cockneys who can't -ride, who mob the covert, and effectually prevent the fox from -breaking. Of course it is indisputable that railways have familiarised -men who never hunted previously with horses and with hounds, and that -persons now venture upon the chase whose forefathers may have scarcely -known how to distinguish between a dog and a horse. Very likely, -moreover, it would be much better for fox-hunting if a fair proportion -of these new-comers had never presented themselves in this their new -capacity. At the same time with the quantity of the horsemen there has -been some improvement also in the quality of the horsemanship. Leech's -typical cockney Nimrod may not have yet become extinct, but he is a -much rarer specimen of sporting humanity than was formerly the case. - -It is a great thing for all Englishmen that hunting should have -received this new development among us, and for the simple reason that -salutary as is the discipline of all field sports, that of hunting is -so in the most eminent degree. "Ride straight to hounds and talk as -little as possible," was the advice given by a veteran to a youngster -who was discussing the secret mode in which popularity was to be -secured; and the sententious maxim contains a great many grains of -truth. Englishmen admire performance, and without it they despise -words. Performance is the only thing which in the hunting field meets -with recognition or sufferance, and the braggart is most inevitably -brought to his proper level in the course of a burst of forty minutes -across a good country. Again, the hunting field is the most admirably -contrived species of discipline for the temper. Displays of irritation -or annoyance are promptly and effectively rebuked; and the man who -cannot bear with fitting humility the reprimand, when it is merited, of -the master or huntsman, will not have long to wait for the -demonstrative disapproval of his compeers. - -Hunting has been classed amongst those sports--_detestata matribus_--by -reason of the intrinsic risk which it involves. Is it in any degree -more dangerous than cricket or football, shooting or Alpine climbing? -In Great Britain and Ireland there are at present exactly two hundred -and twenty packs of hounds. Of these some hunt as often as five days a -week, others not more frequently than two. The average may probably be -fixed at the figure three. Roughly the hunting season lasts twenty-five -weeks, while it may be computed that at least ninety horsemen go out -with each pack. We thus have one million four hundred and fifty-eight -thousand as the total of the occasions on which horse and rider feel -the perils of the chase. "If," said Anthony Trollope, in the course of -some admirable remarks on the subject, "we say that a bone is broken -annually in each hunt, and a man killed once in two years in all the -hunts together, we think that we exceed the average of casualties. At -present there is a spirit abroad which is desirous of maintaining the -manly excitement of enterprise in which some peril is to be -encountered, but which demands at the same time that it should be done -without any risk of injurious circumstances. Let us have the excitement -and pleasure of danger, but for God's sake no danger itself. This at -any rate is unreasonable." - -These observations have somewhat diverted me from the thread of the -original narrative. Should, however, the reader desire more precise -information as to the particular line of country taken up by the fox on -that eventful day with the Chippington hounds, will he not find it -written for him in his favourite sporting paper? - -So we met, so we hunted, and so we rode home and dined; and if any -person who is not entirely a stranger to horses wishes to enjoy a few -days' active recreation and healthy holidays, he cannot, I would -submit, for the reasons which I have above attempted to enumerate, do -better than go down to the Lion at Chippington, and get a few days with -the Chippington hounds. - - - - -A MILITARY STEEPLE-CHASE - - -We were quartered in a very sporting part of the country, where the -hunting season was always wound up by a couple of days' -steeple-chasing. The regiment stationed here had usually given a cup -for a military steeple-chase, and when we determined to give one for an -open military handicap chase, the excitement was very great as to our -chances of winning the cup we had given. As there were some very good -horses and riders in the regiment, it appeared a fair one, eight -nominations having been taken by us. There were also about the same -number taken by regiments in the district. Our Major, who was a -first-rate horseman, entered his well-known horse Jerry; I and others -nominated one each, but one sub., a very celebrated character amongst -us, took two. This man's father had made a very large fortune by -nursery gardens, and put his son into the army, where, of course, he -was instantly dubbed "The Gardener." He was by no means a bad sort of -fellow, but he never could ride. The riding-master almost cried as he -said he never could make "The Gardener" even look like riding; not that -he was destitute of pluck, but he was utterly unable to stick on the -horse. He had a large stud of hunters, but when out he almost -invariably tumbled off at each fence. - -Amongst those who nominated horses was the celebrated Captain Lane, of -the Hussars, who was said to be so good a jockey that the professionals -grumbled greatly at having to give him amateurs' allowance. No one was -better at imperceptibly boring a competitor out of the course; and at -causing false starts and balking at fences he was without a rival. The -way he would seem to be hard on his horse with his whip, when only -striking his own leg, was quite a master-piece. Report declared that he -trained all his own horses to these dodges, and I believe it was quite -true, as his were quite quiet and cool under the performances when the -rest were almost fretted out of their lives. - -When the handicap came out I found, to my great disgust, that such a -crusher had been put on my horse that I at once put the pen through his -name--not caring to run him on the off-chance of his standing up and -the rest coming to grief, or with the probability, anyhow, of a -punishing finish. However, the next night after mess, the Major called -me up to him in the ante-room, and said: "I hear you have scratched -your horse, and quite right, too. I have accepted, and if you like to -have the mount, you are quite welcome." Of course, I was greatly -delighted, but told him that I had never ridden in steeple-chase -before. "But I have," growled the Major, "and am not going to waste -over this tin-pot," as he irreverently called the cup, "so I can show -you the ropes. Come to my quarters after breakfast to-morrow, and we -will try the horse." - -The next day I went there, and found the Major mounted, awaiting me, -and Jerry--a very fine brown horse, with black points. I soon -discovered that he had one decided peculiarity--viz., at his first -fence, and sometimes the second, instead of going up and taking it -straight, he would whip round suddenly and refuse. On thinking what -could be the cause of this trick, I came to the conclusion that his -mouth must have been severely punished by the curb when he was first -taught jumping; and on telling the Major my idea, he allowed me to ride -him as I pleased, so instead of an ordinary double bridle, I put one -with a couple of snaffles in his mouth, and very soon found that this -had the desired effect. Indeed, after a few days, he took his first -fence all right, unless flurried, and before the day seemed quite -trustworthy. - -When we got back after our first day's ride, the Major told me, rather -to my amusement, that I must go into training as well as the -horse,--adding, what was quite true, that he had seen more amateur -races lost through the rider being beat before the horse than by any -other means; so when I had given Jerry his gallops in the morning, I -had to start a mile run in the afternoon in flannels or sweaters. - -The course was entirely a natural one, about three miles and a half -round, and only two ugly places in it, chiefly grass, with one piece of -light plough and some seeds. The first two fences were wattles on a -bank, with a small ditch, then an ordinary quickset hedge, followed by -an old and stiff bullfinch. After this a post and rails, a bank with a -double ditch, and merely ordinary fences till we came to a descent of -about a quarter of a mile, with a stream about twelve feet wide, and a -bank on the taking-off side. Next came some grass meadows, with a very -nasty trappy ditch, not more than four feet wide, but with not the -slightest bank or anything of the kind on either side,--just the thing -for a careless or tired horse to gallop into. The last fence, which was -the worst of all, was, I fancy, the boundary of some estate or parish, -and consisted of a high bank, with a good ditch on each side--on the -top a young, quick-set hedge, and, to prevent horses or cattle injuring -it, two wattle fences, one on each side, slanting outwards. After this, -there was a slight ascent of about 300 yards; then there was dead level -of about a quarter of a mile up to the winning-post. - -On the evening before the chase, we had a grand guest night, to which, -of course, all the officers of other regiments who had entered horses -were invited. We youngsters were anxious to see Captain Lane, of whom -we had heard so much. - -On his arrival, after the usual salutations, he enquired of the Major -whether he was going to ride, and, on receiving a negative, asked who -was; and on having the intending jockeys pointed out to him, just -favoured us with a kind of contemptuous glance, never taking any -further notice of us. - -The celebrated Captain was a slight man, about five feet eight inches, -with not a particularly pleasant look about his eyes, and looking far -more the jock than the soldier. The steeple-chases were fixed for the -next day at 2.30 P.M., but, as a matter of fact, all the -riders were on the ground long before that for the purpose of examining -the ground and the fences. - -The Major came to see me duly weighed out, and gave me instructions as -to riding--that I was not on any account to race with everyone who came -alongside me, nor to make the running at first, unless the pace was -very slow and muddling, of which there was little danger, for quite -half the jocks, he said, would go off as if they were in for a five -furlong spin, and not for a four mile steeple-chase. - -I was to lie behind, though handy, until we came to the descent to the -stream and then make the pace down and home as hot as I could,--to find -out the "dicky forelegs," he said, knowing that Jerry's were like -steel. - -We all got down to the post pretty punctually, and, of course, in a -race of this description, the starter had no difficulty in dropping his -flag at the first attempt. - -I gave Jerry his head, and to my joy he took the first fence as -straight and quietly as possible, so taking a pull at him, I was at -once passed by some half dozen men (the gallant "Gardener" amongst -them) going as hard as they could tear. It was lucky for them that the -fences were light and old, as most of the horses rushed through them. -When they got to the bullfinch, one horse refused, and another -attempting to, slipped up and lay in a very awkward looking lump, jock -and all close under it. The rest having been a little steadied took it -fairly enough. Jerry jumped it as coolly as possible, like the regular -old stager that he was, in spite of Captain Lane coming up at the time -with a great rush, evidently hoping to make him refuse. - -When we landed on the other side a ludicrous spectacle presented -itself, the gallant "Gardener" being right on his horse's neck, making -frantic attempts to get back into his saddle, which were quite -unsuccessful, and the horse coming to the next fence, a post and rail, -quietly took it standing, then putting down his head slipped his rider -off and galloped on without him. - -The field now began to come back to us very quickly, and soon the -leading lot were Vincent of ours, a splendid rider, as I thought, and -as it turned out, my most dangerous opponent, with a Carabinier in -close attendance; then myself, with Captain Lane waiting on me, and -watching the pair of us most attentively, so that it seemed almost -impossible that I should have any chance of slipping him. However, an -opportunity did present itself at length, which I took advantage -of--hearing a horse coming up a tremendous "rattle" on my right. - -I looked round to see who and what it was. Lane, noticing what I was -doing, looked round too. Seeing this I loosed Jerry's head, and giving -him at the same time a slight touch with the spur, he shot out -completely--slipping the Captain, passing the Carabinier, and getting -head and head with Vincent. Down the hill we went as hard as we could, -clearing the water side by side. At the grip in the fields beyond I -gained slightly by not taking a steadier at Jerry, trusting to his -eyesight and cleverness to avoid grief. - -As we got to the best fence, the ugly boundary one, I did take a pull, -the jump looking as nasty a one as could well be picked out; however, -the old horse did it safely, and Vincent and myself landed side by side -in the winning field, amidst most tremendous shouting and cheering from -our men, who were standing as thick as thick could be on each side of -the course. - -The excitement was terrific as we came up, apparently tied together, -but giving Jerry a couple of sharp cuts with the whip, I found my leg -gradually passing Vincent's, until at length I was nearly opposite his -horse's head, and thus we passed the winning post, to my great relief. -I did not know how much my opponent's horse had left in him, and -expected him to come up with a rush at the last, in which case I -doubted whether I should be able to get anything more out of Jerry in -time, as he was rather a lazy horse, though possessing enormous -"bottom." - -I had scarcely pulled up and turned round to go to the scales, before I -met the Major, who told me I was "not to make a fool of myself and -dismount," before the clerk of the scales told me to, and then he -pitched into me for riding at the "Grip," as I did, apprising me at the -same time that he did not care how I risked my neck, but "I might have -hurt the horse," adding, after a pause, and with a grunt, "but you -won." - -The delight of our men was so great at two of their officers being -first and second, that it was all that Vincent and myself could do to -avoid being carried about on their shoulders after we had weighed in. - -The gallant captain was most awfully disgusted at being beaten by "a -couple of boys," and went off immediately--resisting all invitations to -stop and dine at mess. I subsequently found out that when I slipped him -(at which he was particularly angry) he gave his horse a sharp cut with -his whip, which seemed quite to upset it. - -On coming down to the water the horse jumped short--dropping his hind -legs in, and at the "Grip," nearly got in, only saving itself by -bucking over it, and at the big boundary absolutely came down on -landing, though his rider managed to keep his seat. - -As for myself, I need not say how delighted I was at winning my first -steeplechase, though the Major did tell me that a monkey would have -ridden as well, and helped the horse as much as I did. "_But I won_" -was always my reply. - - - - -HOW I WON MY HANDICAP - -TOLD BY THE WINNER - - -It was a foot-racing handicap, run just after Christmas at Sheffield, -and how I came to win happened in this wise. At eighteen I found myself -still living, say, at Stockton-on-Tees, on the borders of Yorkshire, -the town of my birth. My trade was that of a wood-turner, and with but -half my time served. "Old Tubby" found me an unwilling apprentice, who -had not the least inclination for work. Stockton, though only a little -place, is noted for sporting and games of all sorts--but particularly -for cricket. I played, of course, but they didn't "reckon" much of me, -except for fielding. "Sikey," who was a moulder, and I, kept ferrets -and dogs, too, and on Sundays we used to go up the "Teeside" after -rabbits, or rats, or anything we could get. Sometimes we stripped and -had a "duck," and then we ran on the bank barefoot. I could give him -half a score yards start in a field's length, and win easily; but often -I didn't try to get up till close upon the hedge we had agreed should -be the winning-post. My father had been coachman to a sporting gent who -kept race-horses, and the old man used to talk for everlasting about -the "Chifney rush." When first Sikey and I ran I tried to beat him, so -he made me give a start. Then I thought of the 'cute old jockey, and I -used to try and get up and win in the last yard or so. - -One day Locker, who had formerly kept a running ground at Staleybridge, -met me, and asked if I'd go out with him next Saturday and have a spin. -I told him I "didn't mind;" so we went up the turnpike till a straight -level bit was found, and he stepped 100 yards, leaving me at the start, -saying, "Come away as hard as thou can, whenever thou art ready." He -had his hands in his topcoat pocket all the while, and when I finished, -we walked on a bit, neither speaking for a quarter of a mile further, -when he looked at his watch and said it was "getting dinner-time." Soon -after he looked again, and then "took stock o' me from head to foot," -and as we passed the ground I had run over, he asked, "Canst run -another hundred?" I told him I could; but this time he pulled off his -own coat, and said, "We'll go together." He was quickest off, but I -could have passed him any time, just as I used to pass Sikey. When we -got nearly to the finish I "put it on" and just got home first. He -seemed pleased and told me not to say a word to anybody, but come down -and meet him again. I didn't know what he was about at all, but I said -"All right," and next Saturday went to the same place. Locker was -there, and two other coves with him, as I hadn't seen before. One was a -tall thin un he called "Lanky," and the other was little and wiry, and -rather pock-pitted. He said, "Let's all four run for a 'bob' a-piece, -and you three give me two yards start?" But they wouldn't; so he said, -I should run the "long un" for a crown. That was soon settled, and just -before we started, Locker whispered to me, "Beat him, lad, if thou -canst; I want him licked, he is such a bragger. We'll share t' crown if -thou wins." The little un set us off, and Locker was judge. Well, we -got away together, and I headed him in by five yards easy. Locker -fairly danced, he was so pleased; and though Lanky grumbled a bit at -first to part with his "crown," he was soon all right. We went to -Locker's to dinner, and talked about "sprinting," as they called it, -all the afternoon. I told 'em I'd never run at all before except for -fun, and they seemed "fairly staggered." They asked if I would run a -match for L5 next week, and I told 'em I didn't mind. Locker said I was -a "good un," and I might "win L100 if I'd nobbut stick tu him." Well, -we agreed that I was to do just as he directed, and receive a sovereign -for myself if I won by just a foot, and two pound if I ran a dead heat, -letting the "novice" who was to be my opponent catch me at the finish. -I never "split" to anybody except Sikey, and he went to see the race. -Over a hundred people were there, and off we started. Everybody thought -I was winning, but I "shammed tired," and he beat me about three -inches, the judge said. Locker swore it was a dead heat, and as he had -laid 2 to 1 on me I thought he'd lost a lot of money. As we went home, -he said, "There's L2 for thee, lad; thou did it wonderful well; I shall -match thee again next Saturday for L20: we might as well have it as -anybody else." Well, during the week I was out with him every night, -and he said, "Stick to me, and we'll mak these coves sit up. Thou'rt a -thunderin' good un, and we'll gan to Sheffield together in less nor six -months if thou can keep thysel to thysel." Of course I was pleased, and -I bought a new pair of running-shoes with spikes in. He showed me -_The Sporting Life_ next week, with a challenge in that "'Locker's -lad,' not satisfied with his late defeat, will take a yard in a 100 -from the 'Stockton Novice,' for L25 or L50 a-side. A deposit to the -editor and articles sent to Mr Locker's running-grounds, Stockton, will -meet with immediate attention." I was quite struck, and said I wondered -what "Old Tubby" would think if he knew. Locker said, "Go ask him for -thy indentures, and if he won't give 'em up, ask him what he'll tak for -'em." So I did, and if I hadn't been in such a hurry, he'd have thrown -'em at me, and said he was glad to get rid of an idle rascal. As it -was, I told him I'd something else to do, and he demanded L3 for my -release. Locker gave me the money next day, and I soon put the -indentures in the fire; thanking my stars for the escape. After this I -lived at Locker's altogether, and in two or three days an answer came -from the "Novice," to say he'd give 2 yards start in 150. Well, that -didn't seem to suit Locker, so he replied, through the paper again, -that "Sooner than not run again, his lad should run the 'Novice' 100 -yards level at Kenham grounds for L25 a side. To run in three weeks." -Articles came and were signed on these terms. Then he said, "Thou -needn't train at all, though I want thee to win this time by nearly a -yard; just stay a bit longer than before, and don't let him quite catch -thee. Make a good race of it, but be sure and win." We often went to -the old spot on the turnpike, and once he took a tape and measured the -ground. He had stepped it within a yard and a half. At last he showed -me his watch that he had won in a handicap. There was a long hand which -jumped four times in a second, and he could start it or stop it by -pressing a spring whenever he liked. Then I held it while he ran, and -found he was just 11 sec. doing his 100 yards. I tried, and was "ten -and a beat," which he told me was reckoned first-rate time. While I -stopped with him I found out all about "sprints" and "quarters," and -how long a man ought to be running different distances. I asked, too, -about the last race; why he could afford to give me L2 when I lost? He -said the two "fivers" he had bet were with "pals," and he lost nothing -but my stake. Then he told me about the little man and Lanky, whom I -had met with him and run against. The "long 'un," he said, was a very -good "trial horse," who could keep his tongue in his head, and would -"stand in" if I won anything. The little un had been on business in the -north, and came round to see him (Locker). It was all chance his being -there, but I should see him again, farther south, where he kept a -running ground. Well, the day for our race came at last, and we went to -Kenham. I was wrapped in a blanket after we stripped, and a stout man, -called Woldham, who stood referee, whispered something to Locker, who -replied that I was fit and sure to win. They laid 5 to 4 against me at -first, but presently I heard evens offered, and then L22 to L20 on me, -and that was as far as Locker's friends would go. We had a lot of -"fiddling," as they call it, at the mark, but presently we jumped away, -I with an advantage of about a yard. I had made the gap quite four -yards at half the distance, and then "died away" till near the post, -where, as the _Chronicle_ next Monday said, I "struggled manfully, -and took the tape first by half a yard; time, 10-2/5 sec." Hadn't we a -jaw as we went back! Locker said I was a "wonderful clever lad," and -that Woldham had told him I should be "heard of again." We both -laughed, and I got L5 for winning. With this I bought a new rig out, -and everybody at Stockton that knew me said I was "ruined for life." -They all wanted to know where the togs came from, however, but I kept -that to myself. - -It was now September, and Locker said, "I'll enter thee for a -handicap." So he did, and shortly afterwards we went to Kenham again, -where, by his directions, I was beat for my heat, with 5 yards start in -120. About a week later, we had a long talk, and then he said, "Dost -know what I've been doing, lad?" I told him I thought he meant to get -me a good start and try if I could win. "Thou'rt partly right," he -said, "but I've been running thee 100 yards, and letting thee lose in -t' last few strides. This makes 'em think thou can't stay. I know -thou'rt as good at 150 as 100, so I shall train thee and run thee at -Sheffield this Christmas. If thou can win there, we can earn L1000 -between us, and if thou can only run into a place, we shall make L50 or -L100 apiece; but mind, we shall let t' cat out o' t' bag: thou'll never -get on a mark again after trying once." Presently, Merling and -Stemmerson advertised a L40 handicap at Kenham, and I entered; then -came the big Sheffielder of L80, and down went my name for that too. I -lived very regular all this time, went to bed early, and practised the -distance every day, till Locker said I was a "level time" man, and if I -didn't win it would be a "fluke." At last the start appeared: I got in -at 7 yards in the 130 at Newcastle, and my mark was 67 in 210 yards at -Ryde Park. Locker was delighted: "Thou can win 'em both in a walk, -lad," he said, again and again. Then the betting quotations were sent -up week after week, and I was at 50 to 1 long enough at Sheffield. -There wasn't much doing on the 130 yards race, so Locker said I might -go there on the Saturday and lose my first heat. He didn't lay out a -penny any way till we went into Alf Wilner's, the Punch Bowl, on Sunday -night. Somebody presently asked my price, and, to my surprise, up got -the little pock-marked man I had met, and said he was commissioned to -take 60 to 1 to L5, just for a "fancy" bet. A big Sheffielder opened -his book and said he might as well have the "fiver" as not, and there I -was backed to win L300 already. Locker and I went away to bed about -nine o'clock, and next morning in came the little 'un at six to tell us -he'd ta'en five fifties more, then five forties, ten thirties, and ten -twenties, and I was now in the market at 12 to 1 taken and offered. My -heat was the sixth, and there were five starters marked. First came -"old Scratch" of Pendleton at 59 yards, then Roundtree of Huddersfield -at 62, and myself at 67; the other didn't turn up. The pistol was fired -and away we went, and, as Locker had started me hundreds of times, so -that I could "get off the mark" well, I don't think I lost any ground. -At about half way I could hear somebody on my left, but I daren't look -round. Afterwards I found "Scratch" had tried to "cut me down," but it -was all no use, and I took away the tape by two yards good. Everybody -cheered, for betting on the heat had been 7 to 4 on "Scratch" and 3 to -2 against me. At the close of the day there were ten runners left in -for the final heat, and "my price" was 4 to 1, Roper of Staleybridge -being the favourite at 6 to 4 against him. Locker said he had laid off -L250 at 5 to 1 directly after the heat, so that our party stood to win -L1000 exactly, of which I was to have L200 if I "landed." We were -together till bedtime, and slept in a double room. At seven next -morning we took a stroll, and just as we got to Alf's to breakfast -somebody put a bit of paper into my hand and then shot away. I slipped -it in my pocket, and said "nowt" till after breakfast, when I read on -it, "L150 for thyself before the start if thou'll run fourth." I asked -Locker what it meant, and he laughed, and said they wanted me to -"rope." When we went out again the little fellow pulled out a roll of -notes and showed 'em to me; but I meant to win if possible, so I shook -my head. As the morning passed I "sort of funked" the race, but then I -thought, "I were a made man if I copped." So I just said to mysel', -"Bill, lad, haul in the slack," and off we went to the grounds. I never -felt fitter either before or since; and after Roper got off badly and -was beat a short foot, I was sure the final heat was my own. My second -heat was an easy win, and "Lord, how the Sheffielders did shout" when I -ran in three yards ahead without being fully extended! They laid 7 to 4 -on me for the deciding race, which was the hardest of the lot. Hooper -of Stanningly went from the same mark; we afterwards found out they'd -played a similar game with him. They'd "pulled" him for two handicaps, -and let him lose all his matches, and now he had been backed to win -L600. He beat me at starting, and before we got half way they cried -"Hooper wins." I was a good yard behind him, but with a hard strain I -got level, and we ran shoulder and shoulder till just on the tape, -where I threw myself forward, with the old "Chifney rush," and just won -by a bare half-yard. Locker fairly hugged me, and, half blind though I -was with the tough race, the "tykes" shoulder-heighted and carried me -off to the house. - -In presents, and with my share, I got L230, and thought I'd put it away -in the bank. But that night we all had champagne, and I went to bed -quite queer and dizzy-like. Next day was the same, and on Thursday we -took train to Manchester, where I was invited to stop a week or two. -Locker left me and went home, telling me to take care of myself. I wish -I'd gone too, for what with meeting betting-men and playing cards and -buying swell clothes, to say nothing of dresses for a fresh sweetheart, -I soon got awful "fast." Then we used to sit up at nights playing -"seven's the main," and I wasn't lucky or summut; but, however, in six -weeks I'd got through half my money. One night we started cutting -through the pack, and then played "Blind Hookey," and next morning the -little pock-pitted man came up and called me a "flat," and said I'd -fair thrown my winnings into the fire. He didn't know much about what -had gone on, and when I told him "I knocked down close on L150," he -said he daren't send me back to Stockton. Well, I stopped at Manchester -altogether; and during the next two or three years I won heaps of -races, learned the "rope trick," and found out whose "stable" every lad -trained from. I won hundreds of pounds, which, having all come over the -"devil's back," went the same way. I'm twenty-three now, but I can't do -"level time" any longer without six weeks' training, although even yet, -at 100 yards, very few lads can "pull off their shirt" every day in the -week and lick me. I like the life very well--it's free and easy; but I -wish Locker had ta'en me back and made my matches. He's clever, he is, -and knows when to "let a fellow's head loose" without halloaing. - - - - -THE FIRST DAY OF THE SEASON, AND ITS RESULTS - - "When at the close of the departing year - Is heard that joyful sound, the huntsman's cheer, - And wily Reynard with the morning air - Scents from afar the foe, and leaves his lair." - - -I quite agree with the distinguished foreign nobleman who declared that -"Nothing was too good to go foxing in;" and with the immortal Jorrocks -of Handley Cross fame, I exclaim, "'Unting, my beloved readers, is the -image of war with only ten per cent. of its dangers." - -Ever since I was an unbreeched urchin, and my only steed a rough -Shetland pony, across whose bare back my infantine legs could scarcely -stride, I have looked forward to a day's hunting with the keenest -relish. The preliminary sport of cub-hunting--with its early-dawn -meets: bad scent, consequent upon fallen leaves and decayed vegetable -matter; riotous young hounds, which can scarcely be brought to hunt -upon any terms; timid, nervous young foxes, who hardly dare poke their -sharp noses out of covert--only serves to give a greater zest as it -were to the opening day. One or two woodland runs, just sufficient to -breathe the well-trained hunter or take the exuberant spirits (the -accompaniments of high feeding and no work) from the young one, after a -stripling Reynard, who as yet has no line of country of his own, and -hardly dares to venture far from the place of his birth, ending with a -kill just to blood the young hounds, only makes the longing for the -first day of the season more intense. - -Not one of her Majesty's subjects throughout her vast dominions--so -vast indeed are they that, as the song tells us, "the sun never sets on -them"--not one, I say, of her Majesty's lieges looked forward more -anxiously than I did to the first day of the hunting season of 18--, -for why should I be too explicit about dates, or let all the world know -that I am so ancient as to remember anything so long buried in the -past? I had just returned to old England with a year's leave from my -regiment, then in India. I was possessed of capital health and spirits, -was only just six-and-twenty years of age, had five hundred pounds at -my bankers, and two as good nags in my stable as ever a man laid his -leg across. "Hunting for ever!" I cried, as I strolled into Seamemup -and Bastemwell's, the unrivalled breechesmakers' establishment in the -Strand, to order a few pair of those most necessary adjuncts to the -sporting man's wardrobe previous to leaving town. "Hunting for ever!" -and of all the packs in England, commend me to my old acquaintance, -those friends of my boyhood, the Easyallshire Muggers. I am not sure -but that, strictly speaking, the term "mugger" ought only be applied to -those packs of hounds which are used for that peculiar pastime which, -to again quote the immortal Jorrocks, "is only fit for cripples, and -them as keeps donkeys," viz., harriers. - -Be that as it may, the pack I now speak of were, though called muggers, -_bona fide_ foxhounds, and as such, only used in the "doing to death" -of that wily animal. - -The country which had as it were given birth to this distinguished pack -presented to the hunting man very much the same features as do most -parts of England. There were the same number of ditches and dingles to -be got over somehow, the same gates which would and would not be -opened, the same fences, stiles, and heavers to be cleared, the same -woodland parts to be hunted, from which it was next to impossible to -get a fox away, and to which every one said he would never come again; -but for all that no one ever kept his word, for there were just the -very same number of sportsmen to be seen at the very next meet held in -the district; thus proving that foxhunting, even under difficulties, is -still a most fascinating diversion; and there were the same snug-lying -gorse coverts, from which a run was sure to be obtained over a flat -well-enclosed country, which gave both man and horse as much as ever -their united efforts could accomplish, to be there or thereabouts at -the finish. Nor were the meets of the Easyallshire Muggers, advertised -in _The Field_, dissimilar in any respect to those of other packs -of hounds, for there were an equal number of cross roads, turnpike -gates, public houses, gibbets, woods, sign-posts, and milestones, as -elsewhere. Well, to enjoy a season's sport with this so distinguished -hunt was my intention; and no sooner had I completed the requisite -arrangements with regard to my hunting toggery, which a residence of -some half dozen years in India had rendered necessary, than I took up -my abode in the little town of Surlyford, at the comfortable hotel -rejoicing in the mythological sign of the Silent Woman, a fabulous -personage surely, to be classed with Swans with Two Necks, Green Men, -and other creatures who never had any existence. The first meet of the -Easyallshire Muggers was settled, so said the county paper, to take -place at the fourth milestone on the Surlyford road. Thither I -repaired, fully equipped in all the splendour of a new pink, immaculate -cords, brown-tinted tops, my blue birds'-eye scarf, neatly folded and -fastened with a pin bearing a most appropriate device, viz., a real -fox's tooth. In my impatience to be up and doing on this our opening -day, I arrived at the trysting-place, from whence I was to woo my -favourite pastime, some half hour or more before the master and his -pack were due. I had, therefore, ample leisure to receive the greetings -of my numerous old friends and acquaintances, as they came up from all -parts, and in all directions, on all sorts and all sizes of nags, and -at all kinds of paces, to the place of meeting. First to arrive on that -useful steed yclept "Shanks's pony," slouching along, clad in rusty -velveteen, baggy brown cord breeches and gaiters, billycock, as he -termed his wideawake hat, on head, a stout ashen stick, cut from a -neighbouring coppice, in hand, and ten to one a quantity of wires in -his pockets, was handsome, dark-eyed, good-for-nothing, scampish, -dishonest Gipsy Jim--the sometime gamekeeper, when he could get any to -employ him, but oftener the poaching, drinking, thieving vagabond of -the neighbourhood. A broad grin of recognition, and a touch of the hat -on the part of the Gipsy one, and an exclamation on mine of "Bless me, -Jim! not hanged yet?" placed us once again on the old familiar footing -of "I will tell you all I know about foxes" (and who could afford -better information than one whose habits and disposition partook more -of the vermin than the man?), "providing you give me a shilling to -drink your health." Gipsy Jim and I had hardly interchanged these -civilities, when, trotting along on a stout, handsome, six-year-old, in -capital condition, though, if anything, a little too fat (not a bad -fault, however, at the beginning of the season), came farmer Thresher, -of Beanstead, a florid, yellow-haired, red-whiskered, jovial, -hard-riding, independent agriculturist, who, on the strength of having -been at school in years gone by with some of the neighbouring squires, -myself amongst the number, called us all freely by our surnames, -forgetting to prefix the accustomed Mister, and thus giving great -umbrage to some and causing them always to pointedly address him as "Mr -Thresher." Our mutual salutations had hardly come to an end when we -were joined by half a dozen more sturdy yeomen, able and willing to go, -let the pace be ever so severe, and all of them contributing their five -pounds yearly to the support of the Easyallshire Muggers, "spite of -wheat, sir, at fourteen shillings a bag." - -Young Boaster next turns up, a swaggering blade from a neighbouring -hunt, who is always abusing the Easyallshire hounds, and bragging of -his own prowess, which consists of riding extraordinary distances to -far-off meets, and doing nothing when he gets there, save telling -wonderful and fabulous stories of what he had done last time he was -out, and what he intended to do then. He is succeeded by Dr Bolus, "the -sporting Doctor," as he is called, who must be making a very handsome -fortune in his profession, if his knowledge of medicine is anything -like his judgment in horseflesh, his skill in the pigskin, or his -acquaintance with the line of a fox. After Bolus, on a three-legged -screw, a wonder to every one how it is kept at all on its -understandings, comes Aloes, the veterinary surgeon, a pleasant-spoken, -florid, little old man, skilful in his business, ever agreeing, with -his "That I would, sir," and one whom I would much prefer to attend me -when sick than many a professor of the healing art among men. The -majesty of the law is upheld next by Mr Sheepskin, the attorney, a -gentlemanly man, a lightweight, and one who rides, when need be, as -hard as if not harder than any one. Nor is the Church absent (for we -have not a few clerical subscribers to the Easyallshire Muggers), but -is well represented in the person of the Rev. Mr Flatman, a -good-looking, well-built, foxy-whiskered divine, whose handling of the -ribbons on the coach-box, and seat on horseback, would entitle him to a -deanery at the very least, could the Broad-Church party but come into -power. His small country parish, however, does not suffer by the -fondness of its rector for the sports of the field; having a -hard-working and most exemplary curate, he is still a painstaking and -estimable parish priest, and much preferred, I doubt not, by all his -parishioners to any more busy and interfering divine of either of the -other two schools of divinity. I myself am by no means the sole member -of the military profession present, for we are here of all ranks, from -the just-joined subaltern to the gallant colonel of the county militia, -a stout fine-looking veteran, none of your feather-bed soldiers, and -one who, spite of his weight, is an exceedingly difficult man to beat -across country. "Mammon," as it is the fashion nowadays to call that -useful article, money, is seen approaching in the person of the -Surlyford banker, who, wisely flinging business to the winds at least -twice in the week, gets astride a good-looking, nearly thoroughbred -nag, and finds accepting bullfinches, negotiating ditches, and -discounting gates, stiles, &c., a much more healthy and more pleasant, -if not more profitable, occupation than everlastingly grubbing after -filthy lucre. - -The Master now makes his appearance, tall and upright, knowing -thoroughly the duties of his office, and if not quite so bold and -determined a rider as in years gone by, still making up for want of -nerve in knowledge of the country, and for lack of dash in careful -riding and judicious nicking-in. Suffice it to say, that at the finish, -his absence is never observed, though how he came to be there is better -known to the second-rank horsemen than to the flyers. The huntsman and -whip are much the same as those worthies are everywhere; but the -hounds, how to describe them I know not. - -The Easyallshire Muggers set all rules regarding the make, size, and -symmetry of foxhounds at defiance. They show almost better sport, and -kill more foxes, than any pack in the kingdom; and yet they are as -uneven as a ploughed field, and as many shapes and sizes as a charity -school. I can only say, "handsome is as handsome does;" and if my -canine friends are not pleasant to the eye of the connoisseur--if they -come not up to the standard of Beckford Somerville, and other writers -who have described a perfect foxhound, still they work beautifully--which -to my mind is far preferable to looking beautiful--and will run and kill -foxes with any hounds in England. The huntsman and whip, though not so -well mounted (economy is the order of the day with the Easyallshire -Muggers) as we would wish to see them, yet manage somehow to get across -the country, and to be with their hounds; though for the matter of that, -such is the sagacity of the Easyallshire pack, they can very frequently -do quite as well without the assistance of their ruler and guide as with -it. The Easyallshire Hunt, as the name implies, is an easy-going sort of -concern, in which every man, gentle and simple, has a finger in the pie; -every subscriber imagining that he has a perfect right, on the strength -of his subscription, to hunt, whip-in, or otherwise direct the movements -of the hounds whenever opportunity occurs. But for-rard! for-rard on! or -I shall be at the fourth milestone on the Surlyford road all day, instead -of drawing that inviting piece of gorse covert which lies so pleasant -and warm, with its southern aspect on yonder bank. A guinea to a -gooseberry, a fox lies there! - -Joe, the huntsman, now trots along through the somewhat bare and brown -pasture fields towards the covert; the pack, eager and keen for the -fray, clustering round the heels of his horse. A few moments only -elapse, and the sea of gorse is alive with hounds poking here, there, -and everywhere, seeking the lair of sly Reynard. Old experience having -taught me that Gipsy Jim's knowledge of the fox and his habits (for -being half-brother to the varmint in his nature, how can it fail to be -otherwise?) would serve me in good stead, I station myself near to him -in order to have a good view of "Mr Reynolds," as Jim calls the cunning -animal, when he breaks covert. Nor am I wrong in my conjecture; for -after a few pleasant notes from old Bellman, who hits upon the place -where Master Fox crossed a ride early this morning, and a "hark to -Bellman" from Joe the huntsman, out jumps, almost into Jim's arms, as -fine a fox as ever wore a brush. Master Reynard looks somewhat -astonished at being brought so suddenly face to face with a two-legged -monster, and seems half inclined to turn back again to his -hiding-place; but, perhaps judging from Jim's varmint look that no -danger might be apprehended from that quarter, and being warned by the -deep notes of old Bellman that his late quarters were untenable, he -throws back his head as if to sniff the pleasant morning breeze, and -giving his brush a gentle wave of defiance, boldly takes to the open, -and starts across the field which surrounds the covert at a good -rattling pace. Gipsy Jim grins from ear to ear with delight, showing -his white regular teeth, at the same time holding up his hand as a -warning to me to keep silence for a few seconds, so as not to spoil -sport by getting the fox headed back. The moment, however, Master -Reynard is safely through the neighbouring hedge, Jim's tremendous -view-halloa makes the whole country ring again. This is the signal for -every bumpkin and footman to shout and halloa with might and main, thus -making the necessary confusion of the find worse confounded still. -"Hold your noisy tongues," shout the Master, huntsman, whip, and all -the horsemen; but "Hold your noisy tongues" they cry in vain. "Tallyho! -tallyho! tallyho!" yell the footmen, totally regardless of all -expostulation. But crafty Jim, knowing the idiosyncrasy of the yokels, -has made all safe by his silence, until the red-coated rascal is well -away. "Hark! halloa!" "Hark! halloa!" roar the field. "Tootle, tootle!" -goes Joe's horn, reechoed by an asthmatical effort in the same -direction, on the part of the worthy master, who blows as if his horn -was full of dirt. The hounds, however, are accustomed to the sound, -feeble as it is, and all rush to the spot where Master, huntsman, and -Gipsy Jim are all cheering them exactly at the place where foxy broke -away. What a burst of music now strikes upon the ear, far superior to -the delights of any concert it has ever been my lot to be present at, -as the hounds acknowledge with joy the rapture they feel at the strong -scent left behind by him they had so unceremoniously disturbed from his -comfortable lodgings! But the scent is too good for us to dwell here -for description, and away they go at a killing pace, which, if it lasts -long enough, will get to the bottom of many a gallant steed there -present. And now comes the rush of horsemen amidst the cries of "Hold -hard! don't spoil your sport!" of the master, and the "'Old 'ard!" of -the huntsman, who has an eye to tips, and therefore restrains his wrath -in some measure. But the Easyallshireans are not to be kept back by any -such remonstrances and expostulations as these, and those who mean to -be with the hounds throughout the run, hustle along to get a forward -place; whilst the knowing and cunning ones, with the Master at their -head, turn short round, and make for a line of gates which lie -invitingly open, right in the direction which the fox has taken. I get -a good start, and being well mounted, sail away, and am soon alongside -of Joe the huntsman, whose horse, though a screw, and not very high in -condition, is obliged to go, being compelled thereto by its rider. A -stiff-looking fence, which I charge at the same moment as Joe, who -takes away at least a perch of fencing, and thus lets many a muff -through, lands us into the next field, and affords a fair view of the -hounds streaming away a little distance before us. But why should I -describe the run? The _Field_, weekly, gives much more graphic -descriptions of such things than I am able to write; let me, therefore, -confine my narrative to what befell my individual self. - -A rattling burst of twenty minutes rendered the field, as may be well -imagined, very select, and it would in all probability have become -still more so, had not a fortunate check given horses and men a few -moments' breathing time, thus enabling the cunning riders to get up to -the hounds. "Away we go again, and I will be there at the finish," I -exclaimed, as pressing my cap firmly on my head, and shutting my eyes, -I ride at a tremendous bullfinch, the thick boughs and sharp thorns of -which scratch my face all over and nearly decapitate me as I burst -through it. But, as in the case of the renowned John Gilpin, it is-- - - "Ah, luckless speech and bootless boast, - For which I paid full dear." - -Another ten minutes' best pace and the fox is evidently sinking before -us; but, alas! it was not to be my lot to see the gallant animal run -into and pulled down in the open, after as fine a run as was ever seen. -Trim-kept hedges, well-hung, stout, and newly-painted white gates, had -shown me that for the last few moments, he had entered the domain of -some proprietor, whose estate certainly presented the very pink of -neatness. Little indeed did I dream that there would exist in the very -heart of Easyallshire one so benighted as to object to the inroads made -upon him by that renowned pack, the Muggers. But I reckoned without my -host, or rather, as the sequel will show, with my host; for as, in my -endeavours to save my now somewhat exhausted horse, I rode at what -appeared an easy place in a very high fence, bounded on the off-side -with a stiff post and rail, an irate elderly gentleman, gesticulating, -shouting, and waving an umbrella in his hand, suddenly rose up as it -were from the very bowels of the earth, just as my steed was preparing -to make his spring, thus causing the spirited animal to rear up, and, -overbalancing himself, to fall heavily to the ground with me under him. -When I next recovered consciousness and opened my eyes, I was being -borne along on a hurdle, by the author of my misfortunes--a -gray-haired, piebald-whiskered, stout, little, red-faced old -gentleman--and two of his satellites, whom I rightly conjectured to be -the coachman and gardener; but the pain of my broken leg made me -relapse into unconsciousness, nor did the few wits I by nature possess -return to me again until I was laid on a bed, and a medical -practitioner of the neighbourhood was busy at work setting my fractured -limb. To make a long story short, I remained under the roof of Major -Pipeclay--for that was the name of the irascible little gentleman whose -hatred of hunting, hounds, and horses had caused my suffering--until my -wounded limb was well again, the worthy old major doing all in his -power to make amends for the catastrophe his absurd violence had -brought about. - -At the expiration of six weeks I was able to move about on crutches; at -the termination of twice that period, I was well again, and had, -moreover, fallen irretrievably in love with the bright eyes and pretty -face of Belinda Pipeclay, one of the major's handsome daughters. -Thinking, in my ignorance of the fair sex, that the child of so -irascible a papa--having been in her juvenile days well tutored under -the Solomonian code of "sparing the rod, and spoiling the child"--must -therefore, of necessity, make a submissive and obedient wife, I -proposed, was accepted, obtained the major's consent, and became a -Benedict. - -Dear reader, I am really ashamed to confess the truth: I have been -severely henpecked ever since. Whether Belinda possesses the same -antipathy to hounds, horses, and hunting men as her progenitor, I -cannot possibly tell; for returning to India soon after my marriage, I -had no opportunity of there testing her feelings in that respect. Now -the increasing number of mouths in our nursery compels a decreasing -ratio of animals in my stable, and I am reduced to one old -broken-winded cripple, which I call "the Machiner." He takes Mrs -Sabretache and myself to the market town on a Saturday, and mamma, -papa, and the little Sabretaches to church on the following day. - - - - -A DAY WITH THE DRAG - -BY THE EDITOR - - -To my mind there are few more pleasant ways of spending an afternoon, -than in having a good rousing gallop with the Drag. Of course there be -Drag-hunts and Drag-hunts, and unless the sport is conducted smartly -and well, 'twere better far that it should not be done at all. The -hounds need not be bred from the Beaufort Justice, but on the other -hand, they need not be a set of skulking, skirting brutes, that one -"wouldn't be seen dead with." Of course the members of such hunts -ride in mufti--more familiarly called, in these degenerate days, -"ratcatcher"--but I always think that Huntsman and Whips should be -excepted from this rule, and anyone who is privileged to share the fun -of the Royal Artillery Draghounds will find that the high officials of -the hunt are arrayed, not _certes_, as was Solomon in all his glory, -but in the very neatest and smartest of "livery," and nothing could -look more sportsmanlike than the dark-blue coat, red collar and cuffs, -surmounted by the orthodox black velvet hunting-cap, which are _de -rigeur_ at Woolwich now. When I first joined in their cheery -gallops, there was no hunt uniform, and the appearance of the "turn -out" suffered accordingly. Now, nothing is left to be desired in this -direction. Good fellowship in the field we have always had, and does -not this go far indeed to make up the sum of one's enjoyment? When -every man out, almost without exception, knows the rest of the field -personally; when a kindly hand is always ready to be stretched forth to -aid a brother in distress--when you know every man well enough to say -"mind you don't jump on me, old chap, if this 'hairy' comes base over -apex at the next fence!" or, "Let me have that place first; I can't -hold this beggar!" things all seem so much pleasanter than they are in -a country where you know few people, and don't know them very well: -yes, sociability, depend upon it, goes very far indeed to make up the -charm of any sport, and in none more so than in that of crossing a -country. - -Let us imagine ourselves arrived at Woolwich and "done well" at -luncheon in the R.A. mess. And here I would observe, _par parenthese_, -that it would require a big effort of imagination to picture to -yourself any occasion upon which you were _not_ "done well" within -those hospitable portals. About 2.30 when we are half way through that -cigar in the ante-room, which alone "saves one's life" after such a -luncheon, a crack of the whip, and a "gently there, Waterloo!" brings -us quickly to the window overlooking the parade ground, where hounds -have just arrived in charge of the Master and two Whips. We hurry out, -after a farewell to such of our kindly hosts as are not intending to -accompany us, and find that that big-boned black horse with a hog mane, -is intended to carry "Caesar and his fortunes" this afternoon. A right -good one he is, too, with a perfect snaffle mouth. He is "not so young -as he was," but "sweet are the uses of adversity," and this fact has -its advantages, as he will not fret and worry, and pull one's arms off -before starting: he has "joined the band," which is also an excellent -thing in its way, because the man just ahead of you can hear him -coming, and will, you hope, get out of the way at the next fence! After -a short period of moving up and down the parade ground, and exchanging -greetings with a few whom you have not had a chance of speaking to -before, the word is given, and at that indescribable and, to me, most -direful pace, a "hound's jog," off we go along the road over the -Common. - -How the bricks and mortar fiend has been working his wicked will with -the place since last we saw it! The trots out to the several meets get -longer and longer as season after season rolls by. What was once almost -our best line, and where for two or three years the annual -point-to-point race was held, is now an unwieldy mass of buildings, -prominent amongst which stands that gigantic fraud on the -long-suffering ratepayers, the Fever Hospital, with its staff of 350 to -wait on a maximum of 450 patients! - -At last we emerge from the region of building and railway "enterprise" -(save the mark!) and see glimpses of the country ahead of us. A winding -lane traversed, and we find a gate propped open on our left: here a -halt is called. The Master rides into the field, whilst the Whips -remain where they are in charge of the pack. Two minutes later our -worthy chief returns and addresses the assembled company, not in the -studied beauty of language employed by Cicero, nor in the perfervid -oratory of Demosthenes, but in a manner very much more to the point -than most of the harangues of those somewhat long-winded classics. "Let -'em get over the first fence: then you can ride like blazes!" he says. - -The Whips move forward gently: hounds are all bristling with -excitement, for they seem to know as well as we that the moment for -action has arrived. "Gently there, Safety! have a care, then!" Yow, -yow, yow! from the hounds. Toot, toot, from the Master's horn, and away -they go. "Do wait, you dev---- fellows! You'll be bang into the middle -of 'em! There, now, you can go and be blessed to you!" Amid a confused -rush of horses, clatter of hoofs, and babel of tongues, we are away, -and thundering down to the first fence, a big quickset. With a crash -the first Whip is over or through; it doesn't matter which so long as -he finds himself "all standing" on the right side. Half-a-dozen men -make for the same place and great is the thrusting thereunto. The first -and second get over: the third man falls: the next alights almost on -top of him: now comes a gallant "just joined" one, who does not jump -when his horse does, and then that first fence becomes of no further -interest to us, for are we not over it, and speeding along at our best -sprinting pace towards a line of post and rails, where, the Powers be -praised! there is plenty of room for the whole field to have it -abreast, if they wished. Two refuse at this: it is a pretty big one, -and worse still the timber is new: but the next comer smashes the top -rail and lets everyone through: then for three or four fields all is -plain sailing--brush fences that our steeds almost gallop through, form -the only obstacles. We jump into a park, and "Ware hole!" is the cry: -we pull off to the right of where hounds are running in order to avoid -the home of the ubiquitous bunny, but not soon enough, unluckily, to -save one youngster from a tumble: the horse puts his foot in a rabbit -hole and rolls over as if he is shot. "Not hurt a bit! Go on," calls -out the rider, pluckily. Yes, no doubt about it, this is the game for -the making of young soldiers. On we go, now descending a gentle slope -to where an ominous little crowd of yokels and loafers are lining a -narrow strip of green on each side: a second glance, as we rise in our -stirrups for inspection purposes, shows us that this is evidently -looked upon as the sensation "lep" of the run: a good sized brook, in -front of which have been placed some stout, well furze-bushed hurdles. -The scent has been thoughtfully laid a little on one side of this, so -there is no fear of stray hounds getting in one's way. One look shows -us that it will take a bit of doing, and hats are crammed on, and -horses "taken by the head" in earnest, as the three leading men come -along at it. A quick glance round and a lightning calculation as to -where you'll go to, should your neighbour whip round or fall just in -front of you, and then a vigorous hoist over the hurdles carries you -just clear--and no more than just clear--of the frowning and muddy -stream just beyond. The man on your left gets over also, but with one -hind leg dropped in: three come slashing over, all right: then little -Miffkins, in an agony of incertitude, takes a pull at his horse when -within three lengths of where he should take off. Fatal mistake! for he -merely succeeds in putting the break on: the horse jumps short, and -just clearing the hurdles drops helplessly into the turbid stream amid -the ribald jeers and laughter of the crowd assembled. Baulked by this -_contretemps_ the next horse refuses, and though ridden at the obstacle -again and again, resolutely persists in remaining on the wrong side of -the water. But "forrard on, forrard on!" Miffkins will get dry -again--he is not hurt, in the least--and his horse will be taught an -invaluable lesson in swimming. The pack is still racing away half a -field ahead, but they are beginning to "string" a good deal now, from -the severity of the pace. And by the same token, most of our good nags -are obviously feeling that this sort of fun can't go on for ever. My -own musical steed is, in especial, making the most appalling -observations on the subject as we breast the next sharp slope. I feel, -somehow, that he is using the equinese for "Hang it all, you know, I'm -not a steam roundabout, my dear chap!" and my heart smites me. Before, -however, I can make up my wavering mind as to whether conscience -imperatively demands of me "a pull," or not, to my great joy, hounds -suddenly throw up their heads where the drag has evidently been lifted, -and we find ourselves at the ever welcome check. Most of us slip off -our smoking steeds, whose shaking tails and sweat-lathered coats attest -the rate at which these three miles have been covered. By twos and -threes, the stragglers, and those whose luck is "out," arrive. One man -has broken the cantle of his saddle, another has managed to pull his -horse's bridle off in the floundering of a fall: here is a rider whose -spur has been dragged off his boot: there one who has broken his -girths: two men are hatless and another has lost his cigarette case, -presumably whilst standing on his head after trying unsuccessfully to -negotiate a stile without jumping it. However, these are but common -incidents of the chase, and "all in the day's work." The troubles are -taken good humouredly, and in the true spirit of philosophy. The men -who have second horses out, have now mounted them, whilst the rest of -us who intend riding the concluding half of the line, resume -acquaintance with our splashed saddles and mud-stained steeds. Trotting -off across a road, we again lay on, and have a gallop of quite five -hundred yards before coming to anything in the way of an obstacle. Over -a piece of timber, to the tune of a most unholy cracking of top rails, -we go, and soon find ourselves approaching the far boundary which -offers us the choice of a blind, hairy place, with a big ditch on the -far side, a gate securely nailed up, and a greasy-looking foot-bridge -adorned with several dangerous-looking holes. This last we all--as I -think, wisely--eschew. Some make for the gate: the rest of us try the -first-named place. One of the whips goes at it "hell for leather," and -gets over. I, following him, I blush to say, rather--just a very -little--too closely, utter a silent prayer that my leader may not fall, -and somewhat to my astonishment feel "the musician" apparently -disappearing into the bowels of the earth beneath me whilst I shoot -over his head and sprawl, spread-eagled, on my hands and face into the -ploughed field beyond. He has jumped short and paid the penalty by -dropping into the ditch. I shout back "No" to a kindly enquiry as to -whether I am hurt, and the questioner gallops on, leaving me to wrestle -with the problem of how I am to extract the hog-maned one from his -present retreat. As I take him by the rein and wonder how deeply his -hind legs are imbedded in the sticky clay, he makes a wild flounder, -plunges up the bank, rams his big, bony head into my chest and causes -me to take up a most undignified position, for nothing can look much -more aimless than to see the ardent sportsman attired in boots and -breeches, seated involuntarily in the wet furrow of a ploughed field, -his horse standing over him in an apparently menacing attitude. -However, although I felt damped--and was--the animal was out of what -might have been "a tight place," and I climbed into the saddle again -with muddy breeches, but a cheerful heart. To catch hounds after this -was, of course, out of the question, but I jogged slowly across the -field I was in, and felt, I humbly confess, a thrill of unholy joy, as -from the farther side of the thick hedge there, I heard a plaintive -voice saying: - -"Come through the gap and give us a hand, old fellow; I've come down, -busted both girths and a stirrup leather, lost my curb chain and split -my br--waistcoat!" - -I was happy again. I had a companion in misfortune, and, better still, -one in sorrier plight than my own. By the time we had (as far as a -piece of string, two torn handkerchiefs and a necktie, the thongs of -both hunting crops, and a pair of braces would allow) repaired damages, -lighted and smoked a couple of cigars, and talked the day's doings over -as we rode back to the cheery lights shining from the barrack windows, -I for one felt just as happy as if I had managed to live through the -whole, instead of only part, of that invigorating gallop with the -Woolwich Drag. - - - - -STAG-HUNTING ON EXMOOR - - -We sons of Devon are, I doubt not, too prone to dwell and enlarge upon -the fact that we are not quite as other men, that when all things were -made none was made better than this, our land of sunny skies and mystic -moors, of lane and hedgerow, of sea and river, where the balmy -fragrance of Torbay invites the winter, and the chill grandeur of -Exmoor repels the summer's heat; with goodness overflowing from Porlock -to Penzance; the home of traditions and folkspeech that mark us out a -people meet to enjoy the wholesomest clime under the canopy of heaven. - -I say we are too apt to allow these matters to weigh with us, and breed -a smiling contentment and ease of living perhaps not good for those who -shall come after us--for those who may be forced to quit their native -soil and sojourn among aliens of sharper wits and noisier mode of life. -Soft as a Dartmoor bog the South Devon man has been found by those of -northern blood, who in mean ways despoil him. Yet if history doth not -lie, there have been sundry occasions when, for stoutness of heart and -a kind of obstinacy of courage, the men of the west of England had no -need to suffer by comparison with any. To many of us now, alas, the -home of our fathers, the haunts of our boyhood, are no longer daily -present; but the exile's memory is strong and vivid, and, aided as is -natural by not infrequent visits to them, yields abundant pleasure in -the contemplation of spots hallowed to us by fond associations, the -tombs of our sires, the scenes of early passion, and perhaps above all, -to him of man's estate, the otter bank and Exmoor. - -Stronger than death, more lasting than love of woman, is the passion -for the chase, and of all those who ride to hounds, the hunter of the -wild deer of Devon must surely bear the palm for all the qualities that -go to make up the sportsman; and as I have been challenged to show that -this at least is no empty boast, nor figment of the brain, I proceed to -tell, for all but those who know it better than I, how the men of Devon -hunt the wild red deer. - -It was ordained that I should be the first of my race born out of -Devon, and there was perhaps allotted to me lacking that birthright a -keener relish for all that Devon yields, so that a certain -home-sickness will often befall me, which that sweet air and homely -speech and hospitable fare only may cure. It is then I go west, go -where merrie England is merrie England still, remote from stir and -traffic of modern life, forgotten of civilization and the so-called -march of mind. Cathay within three hundred miles of Paddington Station! - -Not many years ago there came over me the old longing. As summer merged -into autumn it got into my blood and there being no help for it, ere -September waned I packed my bag and set out for Exmoor. There, -descendants of the tall deer whom the Conqueror "loved as if he were -their father," were to be found in plenty, hunted with horn and hound, -captured and slain. - -As much in the spirit of the pilgrim as of the sportsman, I made my way -to where the river Exe and its big brother Barle have union. To -Dulverton I fared, even as John Ridd had fared two hundred years -before, and as I crossed the threshold of the Red Lion, recalled John -Fry's striding into the hostel, "with the air and grace of a -short-legged man, and shouting as loud as if he were calling sheep upon -Exmoor." - -"Hot mootton pasty for twoo trarv'lers, at number vaive, in vaive -minnits! Dish un up in the tin with the grahvy, zame as I hardered last -Tuesday." - -In these days Dulverton may be said to exist for one purpose only, that -of hunting the stag--with perhaps a little fishing thrown in. The -oldest inhabitant will meet you upon the bridge, and with true -Devonshire garrulity discourse of stag. Sauntering alongside you the -length of its single street, he will point out the abode of the tailor -(who makes hunting garments), of the cobbler (who makes riding boots). -A saddler's shop is almost an appanage of the inn under whose portico, -on the day of my arrival, a fuming sportsman and a well "done" horse -were eloquent of stag. In the town there was suppressed excitement, and -what passes in those parts for bustle and stir. The traffic had a way -of suddenly disappearing down an alley which led to the banks of the -Barle, and so to Exford. Needless to say, the attraction at Exford was -Mr Bisset's kennels, nor would any peace or comfort reign in Dulverton -until such time as news should arrive of the find and the kill. - -That evening we sat in the stone-floored parlour of the inn and drank -cider out of blue pint mugs--no true son of Devon drinks from a -tumbler--and by my side was the warped old man who had weathered eighty -Exmoor winters, and who told of the season of bitter frost when the red -deer would come by the score of a morning to the farmers' ricks of corn -and hay and clover, and some of them so tame that they would present -themselves at the back door for a drink of water. - -On the following day, things had quieted down. The staghounds were in -kennel; and although the Exmoor foxhounds met in the neighbourhood for -cub-hunting, heedless people went their way and took no notice of a -pursuit only distantly connected with stag. - -At last the eventful or stag-hunting day is ushered in, and as usual -one's preparations are discovered at the last moment to be incomplete. -A refractory boot causes delay and consequent anguish to a small party -who have to travel with me on wheels from Dulverton to the meet at -Venniford Cross; for eighteen Devonshire miles are before us, and it is -conceivable that the day would have ended before our journey, had our -coachman been other than a native Jehu. A man must live in the west of -England to get used to driving horses at a hand-gallop up and down -hills of which the gradient is sometimes less than 1 in 4 and sometimes -more. And so we go on, our driver singing-- - - "When the wind whistles cold on the moors of a night, - All along, down along, out along lee, - Tom Pearce's ould mare doth appear gashly white, - Wi' Bill Brewer, Jan Slewer, Peter Gurney, Peter Davy, Dan'l - Whiddon, Harry Hawke; - Old Uncle Tom Cobleigh and all, old Uncle Tom Cobleigh and - a--a--ll." - -At noon we reach Venniford Cross and find our horses who were sent on -yesterday, little short-legged animals with perfect shoulders and -forelegs of iron; as well they may have, to climb almost perpendicular -hills and gallop over the rugged Devonian slate country, which attains -its greatest elevation on Exmoor. The stream of traffic was enormous, -or so it seemed in those unfrequented parts. The countryside was agog, -and for twenty miles round few Devonians able to sit a horse can have -been absent from the meet. Here leaked out a change of venue: it had -been determined to draw the gorse and the combes which seam the side of -Dunkery, and so for some miles we jogged on by road, sometimes at a -walk, often at a fast trot, but always ascending higher and higher. We -seemed to be climbing heights of stupendous proportions. - -Cloutsham is at length reached, and on the plateau assembled the sort -of "field" that Devon and Somerset turn out when the staghounds are -afoot. There are the sporting farmer, a doctor or two, boys on ponies, -parsons on cobs, strangers from London, neighbours from South Devon, -the master of Pixton and other "county" people, and of course every -hunting lady of the district, not all of whom use the side saddle! -Among this goodly company hardly one is there whose thoughts and -anxieties are not centred on the chase--the chase stripped of polish -and luxury, the chase divorced from good cheer and even from -opportunities for vain display. The instinct and passion of the hunter -possesses them all. - -We have all come long journeys and have perhaps many hours to remain in -the saddle; and now is the time to ease our horses. The field -dismounts, and booted ladies are seen seated by the roadside, or -seeking refreshment of milk and bread and clotted cream at an adjacent -farmhouse. While the "tufters" are drawing, we look round again and -inly rejoice that Exmoor is still a vast wild tract hardly civilised. -Around it Brendon common lies unenclosed, and the miles from Alderman's -Barrow to the east of Dunkery are unbroken by a fence. We are told of -rare birds and beasts to be seen there along with the red deer which -have had a home in Exmoor from time immemorial; polecats are found, -though now somewhat rarely; the Montagu's harrier is occasionally seen; -a snowy owl was shot some few years back, and only two years ago a -pelican was found walking about on the North Forest if the story of a -Somersetshire farmer may be believed. The stag-hunting country is a -matter of six and thirty miles, which often the tireless hounds will -cross from end to end after their quarry. - -Surely the most important, interesting, and difficult part of the chase -of the wild deer is the "harbouring," as it is called. How fine an -exercise of woodcraft! The harbourer's best guide is the slot, or -footprint of the deer, which, to the experienced eye, tells whether the -deer afoot be stag or hind, and whether of proper age to hunt and kill. -Four or five hours are often spent by the most skilful harbourer in -tracking a warrantable stag to his lair. The deer duly harboured, the -next thing is to rouse him, and force him to break cover and run for -dear life. Selected hounds called "tufters" are laid on the drag, and -master, huntsman, whip and harbourer, post themselves where they will -be able to stop the hounds after this purpose is served. - -Looking across the declivity in front of us, we see the wooded slopes -where a stag has been harboured. The scarlet jackets of huntsman and -whips move about in the distance, directing the tufters by horn and -voice. "There he goes, sir," at length cries a schoolboy on his pony, -whose sharp eyes have detected the graceful bound of a deer; but it is -a hind, and the schoolboy is told that, although hinds are hunted later -on, the present is a close time for them, and that our jolly company of -sportsmen and ladies will not ride to hounds this day unless a -warrantable stag be found. Our "harboured" stag had evidently wandered -on. - -Let us leave the field to indulge in that gossip for which Devonians -are famous, and follow at a respectful distance the tufters now moving -across Cloutsham Ball to Ten Acre Cleeve. We of course find it -necessary almost immediately to negotiate a combe, that is, to descend -the sides of one of those deep ravines with which Exmoor abounds. We -yield the reins and see our horse's head disappear between our knees, -his croup rises to our neck, and so we slip, shuffle, and slide down -the precipitous pathway. In the bottom of the combe, we meet the -tufters returning; they have roused their stag, and now rejoin the -pack. Jogging forward, we see a noble beast of chase, large as an -eastern donkey, the antlered monarch of Exmoor, trotting in a leisurely -way, and evidently making for Holm Wood. - -Jumping the fence into the fields by Bucket Hole, our stag has met a -woman and two children, who flourished a pink apron at him, so he has -turned back, showing how easily sometimes a stag may be headed if he -has formed no definite plan as to where he will go; within five minutes -we were to see how hopeless a task it is to head a stag when he is -determined to make his point. Crossing the combe towards us, the stag -came up to the edge of the bushes and coasted along the side, while we -rode along the heather on the ridge, in the vain hope that we could -keep him out of the Porlock Coverts. Just by Whitestones he turned up, -and, undismayed by the shouting and smacking of whips, trotted up to -our horses. Riding at him was no good; a sudden stop with lowered -antlers--all his rights and three on top both sides--a bound to one -side or another, and he is behind you, and perfectly ready to encounter -the next one; horses, too, will not go near a stag if they can help it. - -Although we did all we knew to turn him, I do not think we forced him -fifty yards from the course he would have taken had he been left to -himself. Andrew Miles always declared that there was only one way to -turn a stag, and it would have required an exceedingly well-drilled -field, proof against the temptation to look at the stag, to carry out -his plan. "Get right in front of the stag," Miles would say, "and ride -as hard as you can go for the point to which he is making; he will -dodge round you if you ride at him, but he will not deliberately follow -you." - -But now our stag, with an air of insulted majesty, turns his back upon -us and sets out for his long last journey. He must rouse himself, for -the soul-stirring notes of the hounds float towards us. The pack is at -length laid on, the sweet scent fills the big hounds with delirious -joy, and in long drawn file they race forward, and the chase begins. - -We had a nice gallop over Skilgate Common and down a steep, root-grown -slope, through the Bittscombe plantations. The stag turned down the -valley to Raddington. Despite the blazing sun and intense heat, hounds -ran fast, but Devonia's wilds are not everywhere to be invaded, and -here the sobbing horses must pound along the road, while the hounds -turn up over a grass field as steep as the side of a house; some riders -indeed climbed up, some cast forward, others like myself cast back -towards Skilgate, on the chance of the stag swinging round towards -Haddon again; but we were wrong, as he went straight over the top, past -Hove and Quarterly, into the Exe valley by Morebath, running through -several little coverts. From this point I was beaten out of my country -and hardly know how to tell of our wanderings. - -The stag worked the line of a brook past Shillingford as far as Hockley -bridge where he soiled, but the eager hounds gave little respite, and -our new-found stag went away up a little valley to the left. Hounds ran -on fast, keeping about a hundred yards from the lane, which helped us -to get along, for Devonshire banks with the leaves on cannot be ridden -over in September. The heat and dust were something to be remembered, -but hounds pushed on, hovering a minute where bullocks had been over -the line, and again where a mare and foal charged them in a most -determined manner doing, luckily, no harm. Huntsham seemed to be the -point, a good old-fashioned line often travelled by deer fifty years -ago, but most unusual now. - -Leaving Huntsham on the right, we went on by Cudmore to Hole Lake, -hounds running on grass, horses again pounding along the road. Now we -turn into the fields and gallop alongside the pack, which kept on in -most determined manner, and with more music than is usually given on so -hot a day. We soon got into a maze of small combes running down to the -brook which passes under Huntsham Wood. From gate to gate, and gap to -gap we hie, keeping as near hounds as may be, and passed a farm which I -was told is Redwood. A patch of ferny gorse-covered ground is Bere -Down, across which hounds ran fast, much disturbing a pony at grass, -who jumped the fence down the biggest drop I ever saw anything except a -deer come over in safety. The stag went down the line of the brook till -its junction with the bigger Loman Water near Chief Loman. Here a long -check refreshed us, the stag having worked first the road and then the -water for a long distance. The pack puzzled it out slowly, both Anthony -and Col. Hornby dismounting to keep close to them through the -impassable places. Then we heard a holloa ahead, and hounds were lifted -about a quarter of a mile to Land's Mill, when they hit off the line, -just owning it down the road, and so recall us to the chase. - -The field seemed hardly to diminish, though it kept changing; many of -those from the Minehead and Dunster side stopped and went home, but -every hamlet, every farm we passed, brought out recruits eager to see -the hounds, for they do not often come this way. The whole country was -in a wild state of commotion and excitement. A capital gallop over a -ridge of hills, where the chase went through a field of roots, which -some gentlemen were just beginning to shoot over (and much I fear we -spoiled their sport), brought us to the Western Canal, where the stag -swam over, while we crossed by a bridge, and went on again to the -Halberton lane. In the field beyond, sheep had foiled the ground, but -hounds cast forward, and were soon running again down to the canal, -which here "ran a ring." Hounds feathered down the towing-path and over -the railway, where we had to make a _detour_. We had just rejoined -them when there was a burst of music, and the stag was seen swimming in -the canal. He scrambled out, ran down the road a few hundred yards with -the pack at his heels, and then jumped over the fence into ploughed -ground, where he fell, and was rolled over a moment afterwards, when he -was found to have a broken leg. The fatal stab to the heart was dealt -as soon as our stag was taken, and now the hounds must be given their -portion. "Look at that!" exclaims a sporting farmer as the body is -turned over and the legs are seen standing stark and stiff in the air. -"Ay, properly runned up, poor thing," answers the huntsman, who is busy -anatomising. "Brisher, bother your old head, you'm always after the -venison." And Brusher, who has stolen forward and began licking the -haunch, beats a hasty retreat, not without a taste of whipcord. Then -the hounds' portion is made over to them, the huntsman reserves his -perquisites, and the head being claimed by the Master, all the farmers -of the district account for the venison share and share alike. The run -lasted exactly seven hours from the lay on; the last hour and a-half we -hunted in the dark. Eight only of us saw the finish. - -And now looking over my record of this memorable run how bare an -itinerary it seems, lacking the mental eye to fill up the scene with -luscious autumn tints, and lacking too the stir and movement of the -chase. Then the blood boils in veins of horse and man, then a fierce -energy urges on the pursuers. What can compare with it, but the wild -charge of cavalry? The occasion past, however, our pulse resumes its -normal beat, and presently in slumber the scene and all its glories -fade away. But not the memory fades! Year by year while trouble, -sickness, hopes and longings get blotted from our recollection, the -printed page or glance at whip and spur, shall revive with more than -pristine splendour, the memory of the chase. - -And what of the stag? Well, the stag's life is not, I fear, a happy -one; for him no sooner is one trouble past than another is upon him. -During the summer his horns are growing and keep him in constant -irritation and anxiety. The velvet is hardly lost when the fever of the -rutting season consumes him. Then there is the hard winter to live -through, and with the return of spring returns also the period for the -shedding of old horns, and sprouting of new ones. Indeed, it is only -for a few weeks in every year that the stag is his perfect self, and -those weeks, with a small margin before and after, constitute what is -called the stag-hunting season, a season of relief to the farmer whose -turnip crops have been ruined by the herd's depredations, a season of -anxiety to the master of the Devon and Somerset staghounds, a season of -delight to him who loves the chase. Pleasure unalloyed, indeed, for so -long as fortune favours him, but assuredly the day will sooner or later -arrive when a grip or cart rut on Exmoor will turn horse and rider -over, when the red grass or white bog flower that should warn the -horseman to "take a pull" is overlooked or disregarded, with alarming -results. The least of the ills that flesh is heir to, when stag-hunting -on Exmoor, is to lose one's way twenty miles from home, and be found a -solitary horseman wandering on the moor, soaked to the skin, out of -hail of any living creature but forest ponies, and uneasily musing on -the old nurse-tales of pixies. If, in such case, you are fortunate -enough to stumble upon a moorland farm, do not fail to accept the -shelter which will surely be offered; and so shall the congratulations -of your friends sound sweet in your ears when you return safe and sound -on the morrow. Your landlord also, if you are staying at an inn and -hunting on a hired mount, will welcome you with such evident sincerity -that you feel sure it is not unconnected with the recovery of his -horse. - - - - -SPORT AMONGST THE MOUNTAINS - -BY "SARCELLE" - - -It is a gloriously bright, glowing autumn morning, a light breeze -ruffles the clear, blue surface of the Atlantic, or rather of a little -bay thereof, which lies in a pretty setting of hills and mountains just -in front of the window whereat I am writing, beyond the hydrangeas and -fuchsias of the garden and an intervening stretch of marshland, home of -many a snipe and duck. As the day is bright, and the water in the river -low, there is but little chance of hooking either salmon or trout -before evening; therefore, instead of "dropping a line" to those finny -aristocrats, I will endeavour to "improve the shining hour" by writing -a few lines about them, and their "followers." - -Truly a fitting room is this in which to write of matters -piscatorial--ay, of sport in general. In a corner, just two feet to the -left of me, are my two beloved rods, a trout fly-rod and a -trolling-rod; by the opposite end of the fire-place repose a handsome -salmon-rod, and a landing-net of portentous dimensions, so huge that it -looks more suitable for Og, king of Bashan, or Goliath of Gath, than -for any modern mortal: but it is not upon record that those large -gentlemen ever studied the quaint pages of "The Contemplative Man's -Recreation." Two chairs off me lies my old creel, which had eleven good -sea-trout in it yesterday, but now contains only my precious fly-book, -its cover shiny with hundreds of glittering scales of the beautiful -fish, which I shall be at no pains to remove; for when I am far away -from these charming scenes those scales shall remind me of the river -and the lough, of the mountains and the heather, of the grouse and the -snipe, and of the genial companions it has been my good luck to meet in -old Ireland. - -A little beyond my fishing-basket is a sideboard which is littered with -central-fire cartridges, tins of powder, and bags of shot. It is also -adorned by one or two short clay pipes, and by a "billy-cock" hat, -which, like almost every other hat in this inn, is covered with the -most approved "casts" of salmon and trout-flies. In the corner, by the -sideboard, two more rods and another landing-net; on the floor, sundry -and divers pairs of sturdy-looking shooting boots. Next we come to a -big salmon-creel, three central-fire guns, and a muzzle-loader; more -hats, adorned with bunches of heather and casts of flies; a big -shrimp-net (by the way, I and a fellow-sportsman took about five quarts -of beautiful prawns with that latter one afternoon); more pipes, more -fishing-rods. - -In one corner of the room is a stuffed badger, which was pulled out of -a deep and narrow hole, after a struggle of nearly two hours, by a -white bull-terrier with a brown patch over one eye, who is now lying at -my feet. On the chimney-piece are a grouse and a peregrine falcon, the -latter incurring grave penalties by "the wearing of the green," for -some friendly hand has adorned it with a little Dolly Varden hat of -that colour. Now to complete his notion of my immediate surroundings, -the reader must picture another window at the other end of this room, -looking out not upon the sea, but upon a high heathery mountain, the -home of the grouse and the hare; and he must imagine frequent -interruptions from the incursions of friendly dogs, pointers, setters, -retrievers, greyhounds, and terriers. Yes, the whole atmosphere of this -house is evidently of the sport, sporting; the "commercial" would be at -a discount here; all are lovers of the rod or gun, many of both; and -those of the fair sex who honour us with their presence--thank goodness -we are not without their refining and humanising influence--take a keen -interest in our sport, and are proud of the doings of their respective -husbands, brothers, or sons--for there are several family-parties -staying here. - -Some of my readers with sporting proclivities are already beginning to -ask, "Where is this 'happy hunting ground?'" Alas, I fear me that I -must not proclaim it in the pages of so popular a periodical as this, -for there were nine rods on the little river yesterday, and our worthy -hostess has her house nearly full of people, and her hands quite full -of work; and if it were only generally known in London how delightful a -place is the White Trout Inn (that is the most appropriate -_sobriquet_ I can think of for the moment), we should be flooded -with eager sportsmen, the rivers would be over-fished, the moors -over-shot, and the place spoiled. Before I dilate further on the -delights of the White Trout Inn and its surroundings, I must lay down -my pen for a brief space, and devote myself to the consumption of a -hearty breakfast, at which some of the fish, from which the inn takes -its name, invariably figure, accompanied generally by eggs and bacon, -grilled mutton, and other solid viands. - -It is done, the inner man is refreshed; and though a stronger breeze -has sprung up, bringing clouds with it, and rods are off to the river, -and guns to the mountain, and a knowing old professional angler in -long-tailed frieze coat, indescribable hat, knee breeches, and black -stockings, opines that there is a good chance for both trout and -salmon, I must forego the sport for the present, and finish my -appointed task. The White Trout Inn is not situated in a town, nor even -in a village, though there are a few scattered houses here and there, -but the place has the inestimable advantage to the sportsman of being -twenty miles distant from a railway. Within a comfortable hour's walk -of mine inn is a lovely lake five miles in length, surrounded by -mountains as grand as artist could desire. White villas nestle here and -there on the wooded slopes that lead down to the clear blue water, -dotted with sundry fishing-boats, from which anglers are throwing the -fly for salmon or trout, both of which swarm in the lake. - -From the lake down to the sea a beautiful river runs a picturesque -course of about four miles, in a valley with mountains on the one side -and well-cultivated hills and slopes on the other; and in every part of -the river are to be found the noble salmon, the brilliant white or -sea-trout, and their humble relative, the brown trout--in England a -prize coveted by most anglers, and esteemed by most _gourmands_, -but here looked upon with contempt alike by fishermen and epicures, -being far exceeded both in strength and gamesomeness, and in delicacy -of flavour, by its migratory brother from the sea. The fishing in both -river and lake is free to visitors at this inn, who have, moreover, the -privilege of shooting over some of the neighbouring mountains, where -may be found grouse, hares, woodcock, and snipe. There is grand -duck-shooting here in the season, and the lovely bay affords an immense -abundance and variety of sea fish to those who like a good breeze and a -bit of heavy hand-pulling, as an occasional change after many days' -fly-fishing. We have a glorious sandy beach, where sea-bathing may be -enjoyed untrammelled by conventionalities of machines or costumes. We -have always some of "the best of all good company" here; in fact, one -gentleman, as true a sportsman as ever crossed country, drew trigger, -or threw salmon-fly, has taken up his abode here _en permanence_, -and finds sport of some kind for nearly every day in the year. - -I must not omit to mention that, for those who like to take rifle or -shot-gun out to sea with them, we have seals pretty frequently, and a -great abundance of large wild-fowl. Our larder, I need hardly say, is -kept constantly supplied with the best of fish and game, and the -"cellar's as good as the cook," the whisky especially being undeniable -and insinuating, and "divil a headache in a hogshead of it." - -But I am to say something about salmon-fishing. Faith, it's difficult -to say anything new about it, inspiring and exciting theme though it -be. The _rationale_ of it I utterly renounce. We know pretty well -why a trout takes an artificial fly. It is a tolerably correct -imitation of a natural insect, which is the natural food of our spotted -friend; and the different flies which are used on different waters, and -during the various months, are constantly changed to correspond with -the proper insects frequenting each locality at each period. Of course, -this is reasonable enough. A trout is lying on the look-out for flies, -and something comes floating down the stream towards him, which so -closely resembles his natural food, that he sees no earthly (or watery) -reason to suppose it to be unwholesome, and he takes it, and--it -disagrees with him. But why on earth a salmon should ever make such a -fool of himself as to jump at a huge, gaudy arrangement of feathers, -fur, silk, &c., which is not an imitation of anything "in the heavens -above or the earth below, or the waters under the earth," the nearest -approach to a faithful simile for which would seem to be an imaginary -cross between a humming-bird and a butterfly, altogether passes my -comprehension. Still more astonishing is it that these extraordinary -objects must be varied in size, colours, and sundry other particulars, -according to locality and time of year. - -But let not the reader, who is yet unlearned in the craft, imagine that -_every_ salmon is such a fool as to leap at the gaudy lure. From my -little experience of the number of these princely fish which run up -certain rivers, and the small proportion of them which fall victims -to the rod, I would rather be inclined to come to the conclusion -that these unhappy individuals must either be lunatics or morbid -misanthropical (misopiscical?) specimens of the genus, that a fish who -takes the fly is either entirely bereft of his senses, or has firmly -made up his mind, wearied with subaqueous trials, to hang himself--upon -a hook--and that his vigorous struggles after he is hooked are to be -accounted for by that instinct of self-preservation which is the first -law of nature, and which often leads a would-be suicide, after he has -jumped into the water, to exert himself might and main to get out of it -again. - -Not the least charm of salmon-fishing is the wild grandeur of the -scenery in which the best of it is found, heather-clad mountains, -ravines, and gorges, rapid, rushing streams, splashing waterfalls, deep -smooth pools, and huge rocks here and there in the river, adding -picturesqueness to the scene and increased danger to the line. - -Who has not read vivid descriptions of the killing of a salmon? - -First comes the "rise," no little circling splash like that of a trout, -but a rushing boil in the water, hailed with a joyous shout by the -angler and his attendant; then there is a momentary check; then the -merry music of the clicking reel as the fish rushes off, perchance -quite slowly at first, not apparently quite alive to the danger of his -position; but when the fact dawns upon him that the little sting in the -tail of the fly he snapped at is attached to something that is -seriously menacing his liberty, his struggles become exciting in the -extreme. Now comes a swift rush, taking out some fifty yards of line -without a check. Now he is seen for a moment--of extreme danger to the -tackle--throwing himself high out of water, a huge bar of brightest -silver, falling back into it again with a splash. Instantaneous guesses -are made at his weight; then comes a long run, fatiguing for both fish -and fisherman, up and down stream; then the salmon, getting rather -fagged, half turns on his side near the opposite bank, but he is of no -use over there. A little later on he comes over to our side, and Sandy -or Patsy, as the case may be, "makes an offer" at him with the gaff, -but it is too soon; the fish, roused to fresh life by the sight of the -horrid biped, exerts all his remaining strength--we have two or three -last frantic rushes, moments of intense excitement, during which we -have not one single thought for anything in the wide world but that -salmon and that gaff. At last the gallant fellow is near the bank, -thoroughly tired this time--the gaff is in his quivering flesh; Patsy -struggles up the bank with our glittering prize; the fish is knocked on -the head, the fly carefully cut out, the hackles blown and cleared of -blood or dirt--for some salmon-flies are worth from fifteen shillings -to two pounds each--and then we and Patsy, or Sandy, can sit down on -the bank and enjoy our well-earned rest. - -First we must have a "tot" of whisky to "wet that fish"; then Patsy -says, "Sure now, yer honour'll be afther giving the blessed pool a bit -of rest, an' we'll thry another directly." - -So we sit and enjoy the beauty of the mountain and river scenery, with -a pipe of good tobacco and a frequent furtive glance at the salmon, -till a freshening breeze, or the sight of a rising fish, inspires us -with fresh courage, to result, if we are lucky, in a fresh capture. - -Pleasant, too, is the fishing from a boat on the rippling surface of -our fair gem of a lake in the grand setting of those majestic -mountains; ay, and pleasant too when the salmon are sulky, is the -fishing for the beautiful white trout in the various streams between -the lake and the tideway; and exciting indeed is the struggle when a -white trout with glittering scales, only a few hours from the sea, is -hooked on a small trout-fly and fine drawn gut--for your sea-trout is -the most active of fish, and will give the angler a braver fight than a -brown trout of more than double his size, flinging himself constantly -high into the air, a silvery flash of light, game to the very last, -making rush after rush, and spring after spring, when you think he -should be quite safe for the landing-net. - -Ay, and when the shades of evening are falling over mountain and -valley, river, lake, and bay, when the smoke from the chimney of our -inn, rising from amongst the trees which surround it, suggests busy -doings at the huge peat-fire in the kitchen, pleasant is the walk or -drive back to that snug hostelry, and jovial the dinner--with salmon -and trout fresh from lake and river, grouse not _quite_ so fresh -from the mountain, and snipe from the marsh. - -Genial and jolly, too, is the evening talk over our glasses of punch, -the recital of incidents of sport during the day, the comparison of -flies, the arrangement of plans for the morrow. "Early to bed and early -to rise," is a very good motto generally for the sportsman; but there -_are_ seasons when the morning fishing is of but little account, and, -mindful of this, we prolong our _symposia_ and our yarns far into the -small hours till our stock of anecdotes and tobacco are alike -exhausted. - -Many a rich man has paid down his hundreds for the rental of part of a -salmon river, and perhaps his fish have cost him twenty to a hundred -guineas each. But then again the poor professional anglers often make a -good living by it, partly by the salmon they catch, and partly by -acting as guides and instructors to tourists and amateurs. And here let -me tell the reader to take the anecdotes of his tourist friends anent -the salmon they have killed in Ireland or Scotland _cum grano salis_. I -believe that about nineteen out of twenty fish "taken" by non-resident -amateurs are risen and hooked by Patsy or Sandy aforesaid. - -The most delicate part of the negotiation having thus been effected, -the rod is carefully handed to the amateur, and he is instructed how to -humour and play the fish, which is gaffed at last, and he may certainly -be _said_ to have _killed_ it, though he was not exactly the man who -caught it. - -But to do Patsy or Sandy justice he is--though sometimes, _sub rosa_, a -bit of a poacher--a keen lover of real sport, and infinitely prefers -accompanying anyone who can throw a fly and kill a fish himself to one -of the amateurs aforesaid, in spite of the heavier fee he may expect -from the latter. - -A friend called one day on a professional fisherman near here, and -found him lugging a big table about his cabin by the aid of a hook and -a bit of a line. "What the divil are ye doin' at all at all?" asked his -friend Corny. "Sure, thin, I'd betther be brakin' the hook in the table -than brakin' it in a salmon," was the reply. - -And this little yarn bears a very good practical moral. See that your -tackle is sound and perfect in every respect before you go after -salmon. - -Ludicrous incidents sometimes happen in salmon-fishing. A bungling -amateur on the Bandon river, near Cork, hooked something which seemed -to him to be an immense and very sulky salmon. The stream was swift, -but the fish never travelled very far, moving sluggishly about and -resisting all his efforts to bring it to the surface. - -At last, after a long but very uneventful play of about two hours, the -thing came into a more rapid part of the stream, lifted to the top of -the water, and behold, a big ox-hide, which had been sunk in that part -of the river! The disgust of that angler, and the profane language he -gave way to, may be imagined. A friend of mine had a long play with -what seemed to be a very heavy spring fish, but at last it came to the -top, when the attendant Patsy exclaimed, "Bedad, it's a judy, sir!" And -a "judy" it was, that is, a spent fish or kelt, but it was hooked by -the tail, which accounts for the vigorous play it gave. - -There is a rather strong religious sentiment among some of our Irish -professional salmon-fishers. One of them has been known at the -commencement of a season to sprinkle his patron's rod, line, and flies -with holy water, as a potent charm. Another worthy was out the other -day with a friend of mine fishing for white trout. My friend hooked a -nice strong fish over two pounds, which got away after a brief play. In -the first excitement of this loss his attendant exclaimed, "Oh, the -divil carry him then!" but, suddenly bethinking himself, added, "an' -may God forgive me for cursin' the blessed fish--that didn't take a -good hould!" - -But the day has become so beautifully breezy and cloudy that I can't -possibly sit here any longer, knowing that all my brethren of the craft -are on the river or the lake, so I will e'en pick up rod, shoulder -basket, and be off after them. Kind reader, I crave your indulgence, -and--_Au revoir_. - - - - -A BIRMINGHAM DOG SHOW[1] - -BY "OLD CALABAR" - - -Fourteen years have passed away and somewhat mildewed my hair since the -first show of dogs took place at Birmingham. - - [1] It should be mentioned that this paper was written - several years ago.--Ed. _S.S._ - -How many glorious fellows connected with that and subsequent exhibitions -have "gone from our gaze," never again to be seen by those who were -"hail-fellow well met" with them! - -Poor Frederick Burdett, Paul Hakett, George Jones, George Moore, that -inimitable judge of a pointer; Joseph Lang, and lately, Major Irving, -with a host of others, have passed away. - -Ruthless Death, with his attendant, "Old Father Time," has mowed them -down in quick succession without favour or distinction. - -It makes one sad to think of it; and also to know that some who are in -the land of the living have, to use a sporting expression, "cut it." - -For years I have not seen "the Prior," "Idstone," the Revs. O'Grady and -Mellor, John Walker of Halifax, and Croppen of Horncastle. Yet I know -that some of them are still to the fore in dog matters, and are running -their race against "all time." - -Poor Walker, by-the-by, I saw last year. He was unfortunately shot by -accident some two or three seasons back by a friend; he has never, if I -may so term it, "come with a rush" again. William Lort, one of our -oldest judges, is hard at work here, there, and everywhere, with one or -two more of the old circuit. - -What has become of Viscount Curzon, who so well filled the chair at the -Annual Dinner? Death has been busy again, for Viscount Curzon is, by -the demise of his father, now Earl Howe. The last time I saw his -Lordship was at the "Hen and Chickens" at Birmingham, in 1869. Poor -Lord Garvagh was on his right hand; he too has gone "the way of all -flesh." - -On that occasion I remember that prince of good fellows, R. L. Hunt, -who has been connected with the show from its commencement, singing a -song that made our hair curl, and drove one or two white-tied gentlemen -from the room. - -The Earl Howe has been chairman of the Committee ever since the show -was started, and Mr George Beech, the secretary, nearly as long; and -right well has he done his work. - -I do not exactly know with whom the idea of dog shows originated. My -old friend, the late Major Irving, told me it was with Frederick -Burdett; others have informed me it was Mr Brailsford, the father of -the present men, and formerly keeper to the Earl of Derby, the present -Earl's father. Whoever it originated with, it was a happy idea, and has -given endless amusement to thousands. - -As I have often stated, I do not think shows have improved the breed of -dogs, but they have brought many strains forward which were known -nothing about before, except to a few. - -Dog shows have opened the door to a good deal of roguery; unscrupulous -breeders have bred dogs for size, head, coat, and colour. To effect -this they have mixed up strains; the consequence is that, although it -cannot be detected by the judges, the animals are, in reality, nothing -more or less than mongrels; this has been done more particularly in the -sporting classes, and with fox-terriers especially. - -But dog shows are wonderfully popular all over the kingdom. It has not -rested with us alone, for the French have for years had exhibitions, -and this year there was one at Vienna. - -It has often surprised me there is so much wrangling, and so many -letters from disappointed exhibitors, after a dog show. The same thing -does not occur in cattle and horse shows; why then with dog shows? - -The Birmingham Dog Show is a favourite of mine. Everything is so well -conducted and carried out. The comfort of the animals is strictly -attended to, and the building is spacious and airy. You see so many old -friends you would not otherwise meet, which makes it very enjoyable. - -One of the most celebrated breeders of bloodhounds is Major John A. -Cowen, of Blaydon Burn, Blaydon-on-Tyne; and he has also a famous breed -of setters, but he never has a bad one of any sort. - -All coursing men breed good greyhounds, so I cannot pitch on anyone in -particular for these--and foxhounds, deerhounds, otterhounds, harriers -or beagles, are bred by so many that I cannot pick out anyone in -particular. - -The most celebrated breeders of fox-terriers are Messrs Murchison and -Gibson, Brokenhurst, Lymington, Hants; Mr Cropper, of Horncastle, and -Mr T. Wootton, Mapperley, near Nottingham. Of pointers, small and -medium-sized, perhaps Mr Whitehouse, Ipsley Court, Redditch, -Warwickshire, is the best known; of the large size, Mr Thomas Smith, -The Grange, Tettenhall, Wolverhampton; Richard Garth, Esq., Q.C.; Lord -Downe, Danby Lodge, Yarm, Yorkshire; Mr Francis R. Hemming, Bentley -Manor, Bromsgrove, and others. Of setters, R. Ll. Purcell-Llewellin, -Esq., Willesley Hall, Ashby-de-la-Zouche, Leicestershire; Edward -Laverack, Esq., Broughall Cottage, near Whitchurch, Shropshire; Geo. -Jones, Esq., Ivy Cottage, Ascott; Thomas Pilkington, Esq., Lyme Grove, -Prescot, Lancashire; Major John A. Cowen, Blaydon Burn, -Blaydon-on-Tyne; Captain Thomas Allaway, Highbury House, near Lydney; -Captain Richard Cooper, Thornly Hall, Welford, Rugby; Capt. Hutchison; -The Prior, and many others. Of retrievers, I shall only name one, Mr J. -D. Gorse, Old Manor House, Radcliffe-on-Trent, Notts. His curly -black-coated dogs are the handsomest I ever saw. - -There are so many different breeds of spaniels that I will not attempt -to name any breeders--their name is legion--neither do I intend to -touch on the non-sporting classes; but should anyone wish to know where -any particular sort of dog is to be had, and will write to me, I shall -have great pleasure in giving him every information. - -Gentlemen who are anxious to become members of a canine society, -cannot, I imagine, do better than belong to the National, which is -composed of many of the first noblemen and sportsmen in the United -Kingdom. - -The society held their show the latter part of last year at Nottingham, -and a very capital show it was, too, and bids fair to be second to -none. - -To exhibitors, disappointed or otherwise, I would say, never mind the -reports you read in papers as to the merits or demerits of your dogs; -remember that such reports are only the production of _one_, and -that one may know just as much of a dog as he does of the man in the -moon. It is amusing to read the accounts of a show in the different -papers. I have very frequently seen every one of them disagree; one -calling a dog a splendid animal; another, that the said splendid animal -was nothing but a cur: so I say, never be disheartened at what the -papers may write, and remember the fable of the old man and his ass. - -Curzon Hall has been much enlarged of late years, and it is now not -nearly big enough for the number of dogs that are sent. It is a fine -building, and eminently adapted for the purpose. Walking along the -galleries, which are very spacious, you can look over and see all the -dogs below and the people as well. - -The entries this year are exactly thirty-three in advance of 1872. Take -it altogether, it is the best entry, as to numbers and quality, they -have ever had. The total entries in the sporting classes were 557; -viz.:--10 bloodhounds, 23 deerhounds, 19 greyhounds, 4 otterhounds, 11 -harriers, 8 beagles, 127 fox-terriers, 85 pointers, 87 setters, 78 -retrievers, 82 spaniels, 15 Dachshunds, and 5 in the extra class for -any foreign breed of sporting dogs. - -For dogs not used in field-sports there were 387 entries; viz.:--46 -mastiffs, 24 St Bernards, 19 Newfoundlands, 26 sheep-dogs, 6 -Dalmatians, 23 bull-dogs, 27 bull-terriers, 15 smooth-haired terriers, -25 black-and-tan terriers, 16 Skye terriers, 15 Dandie Dinmonts, 6 -broken-haired terriers, 17 Bedlington terriers, 12 wire-haired -terriers, 14 Pomeranians, 19 pugs, 6 Maltese, 7 Italian greyhounds, 8 -Blenheim spaniels, 7 King Charles spaniels, 28 toy terriers, and 21 -foreign dogs. - -I have before remarked that many, very many, find fault with the -decisions of judges when there is no occasion to do so, and some when -there is just reason; but they should remember it is not etiquette to -question the judges' fiat. They enter their dogs subject to those who -are chosen to adjudicate on their merits; and after the awards are -made, right or wrong, there should be an end to the matter. - -I have always thought, and always shall think, that the public would be -much more satisfied if they knew who the judges would be at the time a -show was advertised. Those intending to exhibit could then do as they -liked, enter or not. But, on the other hand, if this were done, the -entries would not be nearly so numerous, and the receipts smaller in -proportion; but in such a show as Birmingham, where the Committee have -a good balance in hand, it would not much matter. At any rate, it is -worth the trial. The Birmingham Committee is composed of men who are -thoroughly well up on the subject, and have, doubtless, good reasons -for continuing as they do. - -An attempt was made, some years ago, of judging by points--a thoroughly -absurd notion, and one worthy of those from whom it emanated. - -Fancy men who really knew what a dog was, going about with a tape, like -a tailor! Would you see judges of horses or cattle doing this? Perhaps -to take the girth of a bullock it might be, and is done; but that is -all, except weighing them. When the entries are numerous, of course it -takes time to judge them. In such a class as the fox-terriers, which is -extremely large at Birmingham--this year it being no less than 127, and -many of the animals being very evenly balanced--it is anything but an -easy task; but with all this, judges generally manage to spot the right -animals. It does not follow that sporting dogs who gain a prize at a -show are any good for the field. Many first-prize dogs are utterly -useless for it, never having been broken: and, if they had, might -perhaps have turned out worthless. Dogs of the first breed are often -gun-shy, want nose, face, method of range, will not back or stand, and -are otherwise utterly unmanageable. It is not every dog that breaks -well; not one in ten makes what is called a first-class animal. All -judges can do, when the dogs are led from their benches, is to give -prizes to those who come up to the standard in head, shape, strength, -colour, and general goodness of formation. - -At some shows judging in public is the fashion; but this is a very -great mistake, and has been proved to be so time after time. Judges -should be quite to themselves when they are giving their awards; and -not have a crowd around them making their remarks, which are sometimes -anything but flattering. A dog, to win at such a show as Birmingham, -must not only be handsome, but he must go up in good coat and in the -pink of condition. - -Having now given a general outline of the Birmingham Dog Show from its -commencement, I will turn to the show itself for this year. Take it -altogether, it has been the most successful one that has yet taken -place; and when in Class 3, bloodhounds (dogs), the following prices -are attached to them, perhaps all readers may form some idea how the -owners value their animals:--Rival, L500; Brutus, L1000; Baron, L1050; -Draco, L10,000,000,000. Of course these prices are only put against -them to show they are not for sale. Another, by the same owner as -Draco, was merely L10,000. So highly are stock dogs and breeding -bitches valued, that it is simply impossible to get them; and it is -very rarely the best pups are sold, and if they are, at an enormous -price. - -Altogether, there were 103 classes, so it will be impossible for me to -notice all; in fact, I must leave the non-sporting classes, and confine -myself to pointers, setters, spaniels, and retrievers. - -I will take three gentlemen who sent heavy entries:--Mr Price of -Rhiwlas, Bala, North Wales, had fourteen entries, comprising 1 -fox-terrier, 6 pointers, 1 setter, 2 retrievers, 1 spaniel, 1 -sheep-dog, 1 Dalmatian and 1 bull-dog. He only got with these, two -first prizes, one commended, and five highly commended. Notwithstanding -all the puff and long pedigrees given by this gentleman in the -catalogues, it will be seen he did not do very much. Two of the highly -commended ones, Ginx's Baby, and a dog with an unwriteable name, were -bred by Mr Purcell Llewellin, who has three more of the same litter in -his kennel far superior to these. His pointer bitch, Belle, was absent, -but in her place was a large photograph--another species of puff. The -bitch is not A 1, being a soft, tiring animal. In the catalogue she -appears with L10,000,000,000 as her price. Take away the figure 1, and -we should then get at her right value. As regards his old setter, -Regent, who took a first in Class 34, it is an incomprehensible bit of -judgment; for Mr Llewellin's eleven months old, Flame, was the best in -the class, far away. I am forced to admit that the Rhiwlas kennel is -but a second-rate one. Mr Purcell Llewellin had eight entries, one -absent (Nellie). None of his dogs were in feather, yet so good are they -that out of the seven who represented him six were to the fore--two -first prizes, one second prize, and three highly commended. This is -something like form. Prince took the first in the Champion Class. He -is, without doubt, the handsomest headed setter in England, and the -Champion Countess not only very beautiful, but _the best in the -field_. Prince won at the Crystal Palace this year, taking champion -prize and extra cup--the same at Birmingham in 1872 and 1873; first -prize and extra cup at the Crystal Palace in 1872; at Birmingham in -1871 and 1872, first prize and extra cup. He has never been shown -anywhere else, and has never been beaten. Countess, the nonpareil, -though out of feather, was in good muscle and condition, and beat Mr -Dickens's celebrated Belle. Countess has only been exhibited four -times--at the Crystal Palace and Birmingham--has won each time and -never been beaten. Take her altogether she is _the_ setter of England. - -Mr Whitehouse of Ipsley Court, Warwickshire, had an entry of twelve--11 -pointers and 1 retriever. Out of these there were three first prizes, -one second, one highly commended, and one commended. It will thus be -seen that, as breeders, both Mr Whitehouse, for pointers, and Mr -Purcell Llewellin, for setters, are far before Mr Price--and will be, -for his animals are not up to the mark. Mr Thomas Smith of the Grange, -Tettenhall, Wolverhampton, had a grand entry of ten; and he spotted -three first prizes and one commended. Take the setters all through, -they were very good. - -The black-and-tan setters in Class 37 (dogs) were good; but in Class 38 -(bitches) were still better. - -Class 39, setters (Irish dogs), was good. Curiously enough, there was -exactly the same entry this year as last, viz., 14. Mr Stone, with -Dash, spotted the first prize; Mr Purcell Llewellin, the second with -Kite, V.H.C. with Kimo, and three others got V.H.C. - -In 1872 the entry for Class 40, setters (Irish bitches), was 10; this -year it was only 8; but they were the best lot that have ever been -shown at the Hall, and so highly were they thought of by the judges -that every one in the class was highly commended. Here three gentlemen, -probably the best breeders of the Irish setter we have, contended, -viz.:--Captains Cooper and Allaway and Mr Purcell Llewellin. Captain -Cooper exhibited three, Captain Allaway one, Mr Llewellin one; but the -first prize fell to neither of these gentlemen, Mr Jephson beating them -on the post with Lilly II., and Captain Cooper running a good second -with Eilie; though neither were bred by the same gentleman, yet each -was two years and four months old. - -There were 78 entries for retrievers. For the best in all classes -(curly-coated), Mr Morris took it with True; he also secured the -Champion Class Bitches (curly-coated) with X L; second prize in Class -43 with Marquis; highly commended in same class with Monarch; first -prize in Class 44 with Moretta. So with an entry of six he secured -three first prizes, one second, and one highly commended--good form -indeed. - -My old friend Mr Gorse, one of our very best breeders, took the -champion prize in smooth or wavy-coated dogs with Sailor, four years -old; and a fine animal he is. The spaniels were 82 entries, and some -very good ones, too, there were among them. Classes 55 and 56 were -capital. Better have never been seen at Curzon Hall. - -The greyhounds were a poor lot. It is not the time of year for hounds -or greyhounds, as they are all at work. - -The non-sporting and toy classes were well represented. And it was -amusing to see the excitement and hear the exclamations of some of the -ladies on looking at the cages which held these beautiful little -animals. - -I have often thought how much better it would be if ladies, or others -who want dogs, instead of sending to a London dealer, who is almost -sure to "do" them, were to attend such shows as Birmingham, the Crystal -Palace, or Nottingham. There you can pick out what you want--always -remembering you must give a good price for a good article. But, then, -if you intend to exhibit, and you have a good animal, it will soon pay -itself; and if you breed, the pups will see your money back. - -Good as the other exhibitions have been at Birmingham, this must be -considered the best; and with an entry of 944 against 911 of last year. - -At the time of writing this--the 3rd December--I have seen no letters -from disappointed exhibitors or others. But then, "Bell's Life," "Land -and Water," and THE Authority (_query_) have not yet appeared. - -The "Times," however, for the 2nd December, says it was a most capital -show. - -Both Mr Murchison and the Rev. Mr Tennison Mosse were conspicuous by -their absence, but I hope to see them to the fore again at the Crystal -Palace Show, with their unapproachable fox and Dandie Dinmont terriers. -Talking of fox-terriers, I have overlooked them. Not only was the entry -a grand one (127), but the quality was good too. I love the terrier, -for he is a sporting little dog, no matter what breed; but the -fox-terrier is the favourite, if one may judge from the entries. But -why other terriers, such as smooth-haired, black-and-tan, Skye, -drop-eared, and others, Dandie Dinmont, broken-haired, wire-haired, and -Bedlington should not be included in the sporting classes, I have ever -been at a loss to imagine. There is no better terrier exists to drive -heavy gorse for rabbits than the Dandie Dinmont. He is the gamest of -the game, and no cover, however thick, will stop him. Mr Wootton of -Mapperley, near Nottingham, has a magnificent breed of wire-haired -terriers, the best in England. For this class (92), there were twelve -entries; but Mr Wootton skinned the lamb, taking first and second -prizes with Venture and Tip, and the highly commended Spot being bred -by him. - -Whatever sort of terrier Mr Wootton has, you may be sure of one -thing--that it is the right sort. - -I confess to a _penchant_ for the wire-haired terrier, rather than -the fox-terrier, for the latter are now bred very soft and -delicate--there is too much Italian greyhound in them for me. Of course -I am speaking generally. Give me, if I must have fox-terriers, hard -ones, such as Old Jock was--something that will stand wet and cold, the -cut-and-come-again sort. - -One thing I sincerely hope will be done away with next year at -Birmingham, viz.:--the photographic dodge of advertisement, as was the -case with Mr Price's Belle. It is quite wearying enough to inflict his -long-winded pedigrees on the public, without the picture puff; and I -trust the committee will see the necessity of putting a stop to this, -or in a few years Curzon Hall will be turned into a photographic -gallery instead of a dog show, which I hardly think would be pleasing -to the visitors. - -The next dog show of any importance will be at the Crystal Palace, held -from June 9th to the 12th. It is to be hoped that the judges this year -will be properly selected; but as it is to be held under the auspices -of the Kennel Club, I suppose none but their own clique will officiate. -But let me hope they will see the folly of such a course, and that they -will select judges that do not belong to their association--then the -public will have confidence, which they will not if _members of the -club exhibit_, and _members of the club adjudicate_. - - - - -HUNTINGCROP HALL. - - -"Reputation! Reputation! oh, I have lost my reputation!" It was, I -believe, one Michael Cassio, a Florentine, who originally made the -remark; and I can only say I sincerely wish I were in Michael Cassio's -position, and could lose mine. It may be a "bubble," this same -reputation; indeed, we have high authority for so terming it: but -"bubble" rhymes with "trouble," and that is the condition to which such -a reputation as mine is apt to bring you; for it supposes me to be a -regular Nimrod, whereas I know about as much of the science of the -chase as my supposititious prototype probably knew of ballooning: it -sets me down as being "at home in the saddle;" whereas it is there that -I am, if I may be allowed the expression, utterly at sea. - -When, last November, I was seated before a blazing fire in Major -Huntingcrop's town house, and his too charming daughter, Laura, -expressed her enthusiastic admiration for hunting, and everything -connected with it--mildly at the same time hinting her contempt for -those who were unskilled in the accomplishment--could I possibly admit -that I was amongst the despised class? Was it not rather a favourable -opportunity for showing our community of sentiment by vowing that the -sport was the delight of my life, and firing off a few sentences laden -with such sporting phraseology as I had happened to pick up in the -course of desultory reading? - -Laura listened with evident admiration. I waxed eloquent. My arm-chair -would not take the bit between its teeth and run away; no hounds were -in the neighbourhood to test my prowess; and I am grieved to admit that -for a fearful ten minutes "the father of ---- stories" (what a family -he must have!) had it all his own way with me. - -"_Atra cura sedet post equitem_ indeed!" I concluded. "You may -depend upon it, Miss Huntingcrop, that man was mounted on a screw! -Black Care would never dare to intrude his unwelcome presence on a -galloper. Besides, why didn't the fellow put his horse at a hurdle? -Probably Black Care wouldn't have been able to sit a fence. But I quite -agree with you that it is the _duty_ of a gentleman to hunt; and I -only wish that the performance of some of my other duties gave me half -as much pleasure!" - -Where I should have ended it is impossible to say; but here our -_tete-a-tete_ was interrupted by the advent of the Major, who -heard the tag end of my panegyric with manifest delight. - -"Huntingcrop is the place for you, Mr Smoothley," said he, with -enthusiasm, "and I shall be more than pleased to see you there. I -think, too, we shall be able to show you some of your favourite sport -this season. We meet four days a week, and you may reckon on at least -one day with the Grassmere. It is always a sincere pleasure to me to -find a young fellow whose heart is in it." - -As regards my heart, it was in my boots at the prospect; and, despite -the great temptation of Laura's presence, I paused, carefully to -consider the _pros_ and _cons_ before accepting. - -How pleasant to see her fresh face every morning at the -breakfast-table--how unpleasant to see a horse--most likely painfully -fresh also--waiting to bear me on a fearsome journey as soon as the -meal was concluded! How delightful to feel the soft pressure of her -fingers as she gave me morning greeting: how awful to feel my own -fingers numbed and stiff with tugging at the bridle of a wild, tearing, -unmanageable steed! How enjoyable to-- - -"Are you engaged for Christmas, Mr Smoothley?" Laura inquired, and that -query settled me. It might freeze--I could sprain my ankle, or knock up -an excuse of some sort. Yes, I would go; and might good luck go with -me. - -For the next few days I unceasingly studied the works of Major -Whyte-Melville, and others who have most to say on what they term -sport, and endeavoured to get up a little enthusiasm. I did get up a -little--_very_ little; but when the desired quality had made its -appearance, attracted by my authors' wizard-like power, it was of an -extremely spurious character, and entirely evaporated when I arrived at -the little railway station nearest to the Hall. A particularly neat -groom, whom I recognised as having been in town with the Huntingcrops, -was awaiting me in a dogcart, and the conveyance was just starting when -we met a string of horses, hooded and sheeted, passing along the road: -in training, if I might be permitted to judge from their actions, for -the wildest scenes in "Mazeppa," "Dick Turpin," or some other exciting -equestrian drama. I did not want the man to tell me that they were his -master's: I knew it at once; and the answers he made to my questions as -to their usual demeanour in the field plunged me into an abyss of -despair. - -[Illustration: "I unceasingly studied the works of Major Whyte-Melville, -and endeavoured to get up a little enthusiasm."--_Page 271._] - -The hearty welcome of the Major, the more subdued but equally inspiriting -greeting of his daughter, and the contagious cheerfulness of a house -full of pleasant people, in some measure restored me; but it was not -until the soothing influence of dinner had taken possession of my -bosom, and a whisper had run through the establishment that it was -beginning to freeze, that I thoroughly recovered my equanimity, and was -able to retire to rest with some small hope that my bed next night -would not be one of pain and suffering. - -Alas for my anticipations! I was awakened from slumber by a knock at -the door, and the man entered my room with a can of hot water in one -hand and a pair of tops in the other; while over his arm were slung -my--in point of fact, my breeches; a costume which I had never worn -except on the day it came home, when I spent the greater portion of the -evening sportingly arrayed astride of a chair, to see how it all felt. - -"Breakfast at nine, sir. Hounds meet at Blackbrook at half-past ten; -and it's a good way to ride," said the servant. - -"The frost's all gone, I fea---- I hope?" I said, inquiringly. - -"Yes, sir. Lovely morning!" he answered, drawing up the blinds. - -In his opinion a lovely morning was characterised by slightly damp, -muggy weather; in mine it would have been a daybreak of ultra-Siberian -intensity. - -I ruefully dressed, lamenting that my will was not a little stronger -(nor were thoughts of my other will--and testament--entirely absent), -that I might have fled from the trial, or done something to rescue -myself from the exposure which I felt must shortly overwhelm me. The -levity of the men in the breakfast-room was a source of suffering to -me, and even Laura's voice jarred on my ears as she petitioned her -father to let her follow "just a little way"--she was going to ride and -see the hounds "throw off," a ceremony which I devoutly hoped would be -confined to those animals--"because it was _too_ hard to turn back -when the real enjoyment commenced; and she would be good in the -pony-carriage for the rest of the week." - -"No, no, my dear," replied the Major; "women are out of place in the -hunting field. Don't you think so, Mr Smoothley?" - -"I do, indeed, Major," I answered, giving Laura's little dog under the -table a fearful kick as I threw out my foot violently to straighten a -crease which was severely galling the inside of my left knee. "You had -far better go for a quiet ride, Miss Huntingcrop, and"--how sincerely I -added--"I shall be delighted to accompany you; there will be plenty of -days for me to hunt when you drive to the meet." - -"No, no, Smoothley. It's very kind of you to propose it, but I won't -have you sacrificing your day's pleasure," the Major made answer, -dashing the crumbs of hope from my hungering lips. "You may go a little -way, Laura, if you'll promise to stay with Sir William, and do all that -he tells you. You won't mind looking after her, Heathertopper?" - -Old Sir William's build would have forbidden the supposition that he -was in any way given to activity, even if the stolidity of his -countenance had not assured you that caution was in the habit of -marking his guarded way; and he made suitable response. I was just -debating internally as to the least circuitous mode by which I could -send myself a telegram, requiring my immediate presence in town, when a -sound of hoofs informed us that the horses were approaching; and gazing -anxiously from the window before me, which overlooked the drive in -front of the house, I noted their arrival. - -Now the horse is an animal which I have always been taught to admire. A -"noble animal" he is termed by zoologists, and I am perfectly willing -to admit his nobility when he conducts himself with reticence and -moderation; but when he gyrates like a teetotum on his hind legs, and -wildly spars at the groom he ought to respect, I cease to recognise any -qualities in him but the lowest and most degrading. - -Laura hastened to the window, and I rose from the table and followed -her. - -"You pretty darlings!" she rapturously exclaimed. "Oh! are you going to -ride The Sultan, Mr Smoothley? How nice! I do so want to, but papa -won't let me." - -[Illustration: "Gazing anxiously from the window before me, I noted the -arrival of the horses. Laura hastened to the window. 'You pretty -darlings!' she rapturously exclaimed."--_Pages 274-5._] - -"No, my dear; he's not the sort of horse for little girls to ride;--but -he'll suit you, Smoothley; he'll suit you, I know." - -Without expressing a like confidence, I asked, "Is that the Sultan?" -pointing to a large chestnut animal at that moment in the attitude -which, in a dog, is termed "begging." - -"Yes; a picture, isn't he? Look at his legs. Clean as a foal's! Good -quarters--well ribbed up--not like one of the waspy greyhounds they -call thoroughbred horses now-a-days. Look at his condition, too; I've -kept that up pretty well, though he's been out of training for some -time," cried the Major. - -"He's not a racehorse, is he?" I nervously asked. - -"He's done a good deal of steeplechasing, and ran once or twice in the -early part of this season. It makes a horse rush his fences rather, -perhaps; but you young fellows like that, I know." - -"His----eye appears slightly blood-shot, doesn't it?" I hazarded; for -he was exhibiting a large amount of what I imagine should have been -white, in an unsuccessful attempt to look at his tail without turning -his head round. "Is he quiet with hounds?" - -"Playful--a little playful," was his not assuring reply. "But we must -be off, gentlemen. It's three miles to Blackbrook, and it won't do to -be late!" And he led the way to the Hall, where I selected my virgin -whip from the rack, and swallowing a nip of orange-brandy, which a -servant providentially handed to me at that moment, went forth to meet -my fate. - -Laura, declining offers of assistance from the crowd of pink-coated -young gentlemen who were sucking cigars in the porch, was put into the -saddle by her own groom. I think she looked to me for aid, but I was -constrained to stare studiously in the opposite direction, having a -very vague idea of the method by which young ladies are placed in their -saddles. Then I commenced, and ultimately effected, the ascent of The -Sultan: a process which appeared to me precisely identical with -climbing to the deck of a man-of-war. - -"Stirrups all right, sir?" asked the groom. - -"This one's rather too long.--No, it's the _other_ one, I think." -One of them didn't seem right, but it was impossible to say which in -the agony of the moment. - -He surveyed me critically from the front, and then took up one stirrup -to a degree that brought my knee into close proximity with my -waistcoat: The Sultan meanwhile exhibiting an uncertainty of -temperament which caused me very considerable anxiety. Luckily I had -presence of mind to say that he had shortened the leather too much, and -there was not much difference between the two, when, with Laura and -some seven companions, I started down the avenue in front of the house. - -The fundamental principles of horsemanship are three: keep your heels -down; stick in your knees; and try to look as if you liked it. So I am -informed, and I am at a loss to say which of the three is the most -difficult of execution. The fact that The Sultan started jerkily, some -little time before I was ready to begin, thereby considerably deranging -such plans as I was forming for guidance, is to be deplored; for my hat -was not on very firmly, and it was extremely awkward to find a hand to -restore it to its place when it displayed a tendency to come over my -eyes. Conversation, under these circumstances, is peculiarly difficult; -and I fear that Laura found my remarks somewhat curt and strangely -punctuated. The Sultan's behaviour, however, had become meritorious to -a high degree; and I was just beginning to think that hunting was not -so many degrees worse than the treadmill, when we approached the scene -of action. - -Before us, as we rounded a turning in the road, a group of some thirty -horsemen--to which fresh accessions were constantly being made--chatted -together and watched a hilly descent to the right down which the pack -of hounds, escorted by several officials, was approaching. The Major -and his party were cordially greeted, and no doubt like civilities -would have been extended to me had I been in a position to receive -them; but, unfortunately, I was not; for, on seeing the hounds, the -"playfulness" of The Sultan vigorously manifested itself, and he -commenced a series of gymnastic exercises to which his previous -performances had been a mere farce. I lost my head, but mysteriously -kept what was more important--my seat, until the tempest of his -playfulness had in some measure abated; and then he stood still, -shaking with excitement. I sat still, shaking--from other causes. - -"Keep your horse's head to the hounds, will you, sir?" was the -salutation which the master bestowed on me, cantering up as the pack -defiled through a gate; and indeed The Sultan seemed anxious to kill a -hound or two to begin with. "Infernal Cockney!" was, I fancy, the term -of endearment he used as he rode on; but I don't think Laura caught any -of this short but forcible utterance, for just at this moment a cry was -raised in the wood to the left, and the men charged through the gate -and along the narrow cart-track with a wild rush. Again The Sultan -urged on his wild career--half-breaking my leg against the gate-post, -as I was very courteously endeavouring to get out of the way of an -irascible gentleman behind me, who appeared to be in a hurry, and then -plunging me into the midst of a struggling pushing throng of men and -horses. - -If the other noble sportsmen were not enjoying themselves more than I, -it was certainly a pity that they had not stayed at home. Where was -this going to end? and--but what was the matter in front? They paused, -and then suddenly all turned round and charged back along the narrow -path. I was taken by surprise, and got out of the way as best I could, -pulling my horse back amongst the trees, and the whole cavalcade rushed -past me. Out of the wood; across the road; over the opposite hedge, -most of them--some turn off towards a gate to the right--and away up -the rise beyond; passing over which they were soon out of sight. - -That The Sultan's efforts to follow them had been vigorous I need not -say; but I felt that it was a moment for action, and pulled and tugged -and sawed at his mouth to make him keep his head turned away from -temptation. He struggled about amongst the trees, and I felt that, -under the circumstances, I should be justified in hitting him on the -head. I did so; and shortly afterwards--it was not exactly that I was -_thrown_, but circumstances induced me to _get of rather suddenly_. - -My foot was on my native heath. I was alone, appreciating the charms of -solitude in a degree I had never before experienced; but after a few -minutes of thankfulness, the necessity of action forced itself on my -mind. Clearly, I must not be seen standing at my horse's head gazing -smilingly at the prospect--that would never do, for the whole hunt -might reappear as quickly as they had gone; so, smoothing out the most -troublesome creases in my nether garments, I proceeded to mount. I say -"proceeded," for it was a difficult and very gradual operation, but was -eventually managed through the instrumentality of a little boy, who -held The Sultan's head, and addressed him in a series of forcible -epithets that I should never have dared to use: language, however, -which, though reprehensible from a moral point of view, seemed to -appeal to the animal's feelings, and to be successful. - -[Illustration: "I proceeded to mount. I say proceeded, for it was a -difficult and very gradual operation, but was eventually managed -through the instrumentality of a little boy, who held The Sultan's -head, and addressed him in a series of forcible epithets that I should -never have dared to use."--_Page 280._] - -He danced a good deal when I was once more on his back, and seemed to -like going in a series of small bounds, which were peculiarly -irritating to sit. But I did not so much mind now, for no critical eye -was near to watch my hand wandering to the convenient pommel, or to -note my taking such other little precautions as the exigencies of the -situation, and the necessity for carrying out the first law of nature, -seemed to suggest. - -Hunting, in this way, wasn't really so very bad. There did not appear -to be so very much danger, the morning air was refreshing and pleasant, -and the country looked bright. There always seemed to be a gate to each -field, which, though troublesome to open at first, ultimately yielded -to patience and perseverance and the handle of my whip. I might get -home safely after all; and as for my desertion, where everyone was -looking after himself, it was scarcely likely they could have observed -my defection. No; this was not altogether bad fun. I could say with -truth for the rest of my life that I "had hunted." It would add a zest -to the perusal of sporting literature, and, above all, extend the range -of my charity by making me sincerely appreciate men who really rode. - -But alas! though clear of the trees practically, I was, metaphorically, -very far from being out of the wood. When just endeavouring to make up -my mind to come out again some day, I heard a noise, and, looking -behind me, saw the whole fearful concourse rapidly approaching the -hedge which led into the ploughed field next to me on the right. -Helter-skelter, on they came! Hounds popping through, and scrambling -over. Then a man in pink topping the fence, and on again over the -plough; then one in black over with a rush; two, three, four more in -different places. Another by himself who came up rapidly, and, parting -company with his horse, shot over like a rocket! - -All this I noted in a second. There was no time to watch, for The Sultan -had seen the opportunity of making up for his lost day, and started off -with the rush of an express train. We flew over the field; neared the -fence. I was shot into the air like a shuttlecock from a battledore--a -moment of dread--then, a fearful shock which landed me lopsidedly, -somewhere on the animal's neck. He gives a spring which shakes me into -the saddle again, and is tearing over the grass field beyond. I am -conscious that I am in the same field as the Major, and some three or -four other men. We fly on at frightful speed--there is a line of -willows in front of us which we are rapidly nearing. It means water, I -know. We get--or rather _it comes_ nearer--nearer--nearer--ah-h-h! -An agony of semi-unconsciousness--a splash, a fearful splash--a -struggle.... - -I am on his back, somewhere in the neighbourhood of the saddle: without -stirrups, but grimly clutching a confused mass of reins as The Sultan -gently canters up the ascent to where the hounds are howling and -barking round a man in pink, who waves something brown in the air -before throwing it to them. I have no sooner reached the group than the -master arrives, followed by some four or five men, conspicuous among -whom is the Major. - -[Illustration: "An agony of semi-unconsciousness--a splash, a fearful -splash--a struggle.... I am on his back, somewhere in the neighbourhood -of the saddle; without stirrups, but grimly clutching a confused mass -of reins as The Sultan gently canters up the ascent to where the hounds -are howling."--_Page 283._] - -He hastens to me. To denounce me as an impostor? Have I done anything -wrong, or injured the horse? - -"I congratulate you, Smoothley,--I congratulate you! I promised you a -run, and you've had one, and, by Jove! taken the shine out of some of -us. My Lord"--to the master--"let me present my friend, Mr Smoothley, -to you. Did you see him take the water? You and I made for the Narrows, -but he didn't turn away, and went at it as if Sousemere were a puddle. -Eighteen feet of water if it's an inch, and with such a take-off and -such a landing, there's not a man in the hunt who'd attempt it! Well, -Heathertopper! Laura, my dear,"--for she and the bulky Baronet at -this moment arrived at the head of a straggling detachment of -followers--"you missed a treat in not seeing Smoothley charge the brook: - - 'Down in the hollow there, sluggish and idle, - Runs the dark stream where the willow trees grow, - Harden your heart, and catch hold of your bridle-- - Steady him--rouse him--and over we go!' - -"Isn't that it? It was beautiful!" - -It might have been in his opinion; in mine it was simply an act of -unconscious insanity, which I had rather die than intentionally repeat. - -"I didn't see you all the time, Mr Smoothley; where were you?" Laura -asked. - -"Where was he?" cried the Major. "Not following you, my dear. He took -his own line, and, by Jove! it was a right one!" - -It was not in these terms that I had expected to hear the Major -addressing me, and it was rather bewildering. Still I trust that I was -not puffed up with an unseemly vanity as Laura rode back by my side. -She looked lovely with the flush of exercise on her cheek, and the -sparkle of excitement in her eyes; and as we passed homewards through -the quiet country lanes I forgot the painful creases that were -afflicting me, and with as much eloquence as was compatible with the -motion of my steed--I ventured! - -The blushes deepen on her cheek. She consents on one condition: I must -give up hunting. - -"You are so rash and daring," she says, softly--_very_ softly, "that I -should never be happy when you were out." - -[Illustration: "I trust I was not puffed up with an unseemly vanity, as -Laura rode back by my side.... 'You are so rash and daring,' she says -softly, 'that I should never be happy when you were out.'"--_Pages -284-5._] - -Can I refuse her anything--even _this_? Impossible! - -I promise: vowing fervently to myself to keep my word; and on no -account do anything to increase the reputation I made at Huntingcrop -Hall. - - - - -A DOG HUNT ON THE BERWYNS - - -Thanks to the columns of the sporting papers, every Englishman, -whatever his occupation, is sufficiently familiar with the details of -fox-hunting, and all other kinds of hunting usually practised in merry -England; but few, I fancy, have either seen or heard of a dog-hunt. It -has fallen to my lot to participate in such a hunt; one, too, which was -quite as exciting as a wolf-hunt must have been in the olden time, or -as that most glorious of sports, otter-hunting, is now. Imagine to -yourself a three days' chase after a fierce and savage dog, a confirmed -sheep worrier, and that in the midst of the picturesque ruggedness and -grandeur of the Welsh hills. - -Some three or four miles east from Bala, the Berwyn Mountains raise -their heathery summits in the midst of a solitude broken only by the -plaintive bleat of a lost sheep or the shouts of men in search of it. - -For miles the purple moorland rolls on without a moving creature to -break the stillness. Deep ravines run down on either hand through -green, ferny sheep-walks, dotted with innumerable sheep. These ravines -in winter time, when the snow lies deep on the hills, are, when not -frost-bound, roaring torrents. In the summer, huge blocks of stone are -scattered about in strange confusion, and a tiny stream can scarcely -find its way between them. Lower down still can be seen, here and -there, a farm-house, in some sheltered glen, kept green all the year -round by the trickling moisture. Further off still, in the valleys, are -villages and hamlets tenanted by hardy Welsh sheep-farmers and dealers. - -In the least-exposed corners of the sheep-walks are folds built of -loose, unmortared stones, in which the sheep huddle to find shelter -from the fury of the frequent storms which sweep over the mountains. - -As the wealth of the hill farmers consists chiefly of sheep, if a dog -once takes to worrying them, he is either kept in durance vile, or -killed. The habit once acquired is never got rid of; and after a -sheep-dog has once tasted blood, it becomes practically useless to the -farmer. The quantity of sheep that can be killed by such a dog in a -short time is almost incredible. - -It may be imagined, therefore, with what feelings the Berwyn farmers -heard of sheep after sheep being killed on their own and neighbouring -farms, by a dog which nobody owned, and which ran loose on the -mountains catering for itself. Descending from the lonelier parts of -the hills, it would visit the sheep-walks and kill, as it appeared, for -the pure love of killing; in most cases leaving the mangled bodies on -the spot. - -Month after month ran by, and it still eluded the vengeance of the -indignant hillmen. The most exaggerated accounts were current -respecting its size and ferocity. No two versions agreed as to its -colour, though all gave it enormous size. As it afterwards turned out, -it was a black and white foxhound bitch. - -Everybody carried a gun, but on the few occasions that the dog came -within shot, it appeared to be shot proof. The loss of numerous sheep -was becoming serious; in some instances the farmers suffered heavily. -It was the staple topic of conversation. From time to time, paragraphs, -such as the following, appeared in the papers published in the -neighbouring towns:-- - -"THE RAPACIOUS DOG.--The noted sheep destroyer on the Berwyn hills -still continues to commit his depredations, in spite of all efforts to -kill him. - -"The last that was seen of him was on Sunday morning, by Mr Jones on -the Syria sheep-walk, when the dog was in the act of killing a lamb. Mr -Jones was armed with a gun at the time, and tried to get within gunshot -range; but it seems that the animal can scent a man approaching him -from a long distance, so he made off immediately. After it became known -to the farmers and inhabitants of Llandrillo that he had been seen, a -large party went up to the mountain at once, and were on the hills all -day, but nothing more was heard of him till late in the evening, when -he was again seen on Hendwr sheep-walk, and again entirely lost. On -Monday a number of foxhounds were expected from Tanybwlch, and if a -sight of him can be obtained, no doubt he will be hunted down and -captured, and receive what he is fully entitled to--capital -punishment." - -On a bright May morning, five months after the first appearance of the -sheep-destroyer, a pack, consisting of a dozen couple of fox-dogs, with -their huntsman, started up the lane from Llandderfel to the hills, -followed by a motley crowd of farmers and labourers, armed with guns -and sticks, and numbering many horsemen. - -Up the lane till the hedges gave place to loose stone walls, higher -still till the stone walls disappeared, and the lane became a track, -and then a lad came leaping down the hill, almost breathless, with the -news that the dog had been seen on a hill some six miles away. - -Up the mountain, down the other side, up hill after hill, following the -sheep-tracks, the cavalcade proceeded, until we reached the spot where -our quarry had been last seen. A line of beaters was formed across the -bottom of a glen, and proceeded up the hill. Up above was Dolydd -Ceriog, the source of the Ceriog, which came through a rent in the -moorland above. - -A wilder scene could not be imagined. On either side the hills rose up, -until their peaks were sharply defined against the blue. The steep -sides were covered with gorse and fern, with fantastic forms of rock -peering through. At the bottom the infant Ceriog eddied and rushed over -and among rocks of every shape and size, forming the most picturesque -waterfalls. In front up the ravine the numerous cascades leaped and -glittered, growing smaller and smaller, until the purple belt of -moorland was reached. - -The hounds quartered to and fro, and the men shouted in Welsh and -English. The hardy Welsh horses picked their way unerringly over the -_debris_. - -"Yonder he is," was the cry, as up sprang the chase a hundred yards -ahead. From stone to stone, from crag to crag, through the water, -through the furze and fern fled the dog, and the foxhounds catching -sight and scent, followed fast. At first they gained, but when the -pursued dog found it was terrible earnest for her, she laid herself -well to her work--mute. - -Startled by the unusual noise, the paired grouse flew whirring away. -The sheep were scattered in confusion, and a raven flew slowly away -from a carcase. Upward still we went, the footmen having the best of it -on the uneven ground-- - - "Upward still to wilder, lonelier regions, - Where the patient river fills its urn - From the oozy moorlands, 'mid the boulders; - Cushioned deep in moss, and fringed with fern." - -Now the hounds are over the crest, and soon we followed them. We now -had the bogs to contend with, worse enemies than the rocks. - -"Diawl! John Jones, I am fast," we heard and saw an unfortunate pony up -to its belly in the bog. Another stumbles in a crevice and sends its -rider headlong. We footmen have still the best of it, although it is no -easy matter to run through the heather. - -We had now reached the other side of the mountain, and were fast -descending into the valley of the Dee. There seemed a probability of -our catching the quarry here; but no, she left the heather--much to my -relief, it must be confessed--and made for the valley, past a farm; now -well in advance of her pursuers; over the meadows; then, for a short -distance, along the Bala and Corwen line. Then past Cynwyd village, -where the crowd of people, and the various missiles sent after her, -failed to stop her. Then through the churchyard, and along the road for -some distance. - -Here a man breaking stones hurled his hammer at the bitch, but missed -her. - -Turning again, she made for the hills, running with unabated speed, -although she had been hunted for nearly ten miles. The original -pursuers had melted away, but we were reinforced by numbers of others. - -Here I obtained a pony and set off again. - -By this time the hounds were in full cry up the hillside. Mile after -mile, over the hills we followed, now only by scent, as the dog had -made good use of her time, while the hounds were hampered by people -crossing the scent at the village. - -"The shades of night were falling fast," when we came to a brook -flowing from the moorland. Here the scent was lost, and the wild dog -was nowhere to be seen. We held a council of war as to what was to be -done. I was the only horseman present at first, but by-and-by the -huntsman and others came up, bog-besmeared, and in a vicious frame of -mind. We looked a queer group, as we sat in the light of some dead fern -that somebody had kindled. Some were sitting on stones; others kneeling -down, drinking from the brook; some whipping the tired dogs in, and -others gesticulating wildly. - -One thing was evident--nothing more could be done that evening; and the -hounds were taken to their temporary home, to rest all the morrow, and -resume the hunt on the day after. - -On the morrow, from earliest dawn, messengers were coursing the glens -in all directions, with invitations to people far and near to come and -assist in the hunt. For myself, I was glad to rest my tired limbs. -Although pretty well used to mountain work, I was quite done up; still, -I resolved to see the end of the fun, and hired another pony. - -The day after, the men kept pouring in to the place of rendezvous, till -I was sure the majestic hills had never before witnessed such an -assemblage. From far and near they came. Many, like myself, were -mounted upon Welsh ponies. We commenced beating; and the Berwyns rang -with the unearthly yells of the crowd. We reached Cader Fronwen, one of -the highest of the Berwyns, without meeting with a trace. - -Here I was put _hors de combat_ by my pony sticking fast in a bog; -and as every one was too busy to help me, there I had to stay, and the -hunt swept on. Soon the noise of the beaters died away, and I was left -alone, sitting on a stone which peered out of the bog, holding the -bridle of my unfortunate steed, and every now and then cutting heather -and pushing it under its belly, to prevent the poor creature sinking -any deeper into the mire. Here's a pretty fix, I thought. - -Soon the mist which enveloped the summit of Cader Fronwen came sweeping -down the gorge in a torrent of rain; and, even if my pony had been -free, it would have been madness to stray from where I was, as I could -not see two yards before me, and I did not know the paths. - -By-and-by I heard them coming back, and then saw them looming gigantic -in the mist. After having extricated my pony, as I was chilled and wet -through, I made the best of my way to Llangynog, while the rest of the -party--or multitude, rather--made for the Llanrhaiadr hills, but as I -afterwards learnt, without success. Tired with a hard and long day's -work, the men separated, and made off for their respective homes. No -traces of the dog had been found, although every likely hill had been -well scoured. - -Some of the people averred that the devil must be in the dog. The major -part of the farmers believed that the savage animal had been frightened -away, and most probably would not be met with again for some time. -Acting under this conviction, the hounds were sent back by train the -next morning. - -The morrow was beautifully fine; and, little expecting that I should -see the death of the sheep-worrier, I had gone for a ramble over the -hills, armed with my geological hammer. I was sitting on a slab in an -isolated quarry, watching the varying tints of the hillside, as shadow -and sunshine coursed each other over the tender spring green of the -grass, the darker green of the new fern, and the warm yellow-brown of -last year's fronds, and admiring the contrast of the grey rocks angrily -jutting out amidst the loveliness, and the whole crowned with the -purple heather, rising above a narrow belt of mist, when a man, gun in -hand, came clinking down the sloping rubbish, digging his heels in at -each step, and excitedly told us--the two or three quarrymen and -myself--that he had seen the dog lying on a rock about a mile away. - -A boy was despatched to summon the neighbouring farmers. In a very -short space of time about fifty were on the spot, armed with guns of -every conceivable make and age. Stealthily creeping up the hill, we -were sent in different directions, so as to surround the sheep-walk -where she lay. - -In half an hour's time a gradually lessening circle was formed, all -proceeding as silently as possible, and taking advantage of every tuft -of fern or stunted thorn, so as to get as near as possible before -arousing the sleeping dog. - -There was a distance of about eighty yards between each man, when the -brute rose up, and stretched herself, showing her white and glistening -fangs. - -Uttering a low growl as she became aware of her position, she set off -in a long swinging gallop towards the heather. Just in that direction -there appeared to be a man missing from the cordon, and a wide gap was -left through which it seemed probable she would escape, and a storm of -shouts arose. Just, however, as escape seemed certain, a sheet of flame -poured out from behind a clump of thorn bushes and fern, and a loud -report went reverberating over the glens. The dog's neck turned red, -and she rolled over and over, uttering yelp after yelp in her agony. -There was a miscellaneous charge from all sides. Crash came the -butt-end of the gun which had shot her on her body, with such force -that the stock was splintered. Bang! bang! everybody tried to get a hit -at her, even after she was dead. - -When life was quite extinct we all gathered together, and a whoop of -triumph awoke the echoes, startling the lapwings on the moorland. - -As we marched down to the village we fired a volley in token of our -success, and cheer after cheer told of the gladness with which it was -welcomed by the villagers. The man who fired the lucky shot was carried -through the streets of the village on the shoulders of two stout -quarrymen, and the whole population gave themselves a holiday and made -merry. A large subscription was started, and contributed to handsomely, -in order to pay for the hounds and other expenses. - -Upon examination the bitch was found to be branded on the left side -with the letter "P;" so if any of my readers have lost such a dog, they -will know what has become of it. - -I do not suppose that a more exciting chase was ever witnessed since -the old wolf-hunting days. - -It may seem strange to many, as it did to me, that foxhounds should -chase one of their own breed, but the fact remains that they did so. - - - - -ON SOME ODD WAYS OF FISHING - -BY THE AUTHOR OF "MOUNTAIN, MEADOW, AND MERE" - - -The maxim that one half the world does not know how the other half -lives may, with slight variation, be applied to the world of sportsmen. -The "sportsman" is not of any particular class. The highest in the land -and the lowest may rub against each other in the broad field of sport. -This is peculiarly true as regards the gentle art. Wandering by the -side of an unpreserved stream you may see my lord casting a fly over -this shallow; and, twenty yards further down, Tinker Ben seated by the -side of a chub hole watching his float circling round in the eddy, and -as the noble passes the boor an honest angler's greeting may be -interchanged, and a light for the latter's pipe asked for and given. It -may be taken as a general rule that between anglers who pursue their -sport by fair means there is a levelling freemasonry of the craft which -is as pleasant as it is right. - -Between the fair fisherman and the poacher, there is, however, a broad -line of demarcation--a line which bars the interchange of even the -commonest civilities on the mutual ground of pursuing the same object. -The fair fisherman hates the man who captures the finny tribe by unfair -or illegal means as strongly as a foxhunter hates a foxkiller, or a -strict sabbatarian hates a sinner who enjoys a Sunday afternoon's walk -and the glimpses of nature it may afford him. There is also a line -drawn between the man who fishes for amusement alone and he who fishes -for profit. The division in the latter instance may not be so broad as -it is in the former, but, nevertheless, it is wide enough to distinctly -separate the two classes. Now I think the fair and amateur angler is in -a great many instances unaware of the shifts and dodges adopted by the -poacher and the pothunter to fill their pockets, and of the consequent -hindrance to his own sport. Therefore by way of warning, of -information, and possible amusement, I have noted down a few of the -more singular instances which have come under my own observation. - -Let anyone take a boat and row down the sluggish Yare from the dirty -old city of Norwich as the shades of evening are darkening the river, -and he will see several uncouth, rough-looking boats being slowly -impelled down stream by rougher looking men. He will notice that they -have short, stout rods and poles in the boats, and if he watches them, -he will presently see them take up their stations by the margin. -Driving poles in the mud at the stems and sterns of their boats, the -men make them fast; and, taking their seats, proceed to "bob" for eels. -A quantity of earthworms are strung on worsted, and, after being -weighted, are suspended by a stout line from a short thick rod. The -solitary fisherman holds one of these rods in each hand on each side of -the boat, just feeling the bottom with the bait, and now and then -pulling it up and shaking the eels, whose teeth get entangled in the -worsted, into the boat. There he sits silent and uncommunicative, the -greater part of the night and in all weathers, for the sake, perhaps, -of, on the average, a shilling's worth of eels each night. Altogether -his berth must be a lonely one. His companions take their positions too -far off to hold conversation with him, and the splash of a water-rat or -the flaps of the canvas of a belated wherry and the cheery good-night -of its steersman are the only sounds to beguile the tedium of his -midnight watching. - -Another mode of capturing eels is by "eel picking" in the lower waters -of the Yare near Cantley. The man, armed with his eel spear, takes his -stand in the bows of his craft, and, stealing along by the edge of the -reeds, plunges his spear at random in the mud. He uses his spear also -as the means of propelling his tiny boat. I have seen four or five -boats following each other along the side of the river in a -queer-looking procession. - -Those centres of interest to the angler--the Norfolk broads--are, alas! -the strongholds of poaching. Norfolk anglers plead their great expanse -of water as an excuse for "liggering" or trimmering to an enormous -extent. Taking Norfolk anglers as a class, if they _can_ "ligger" they -will. The amount of destruction is something wonderful. The only time I -ever yielded to the temptation of going with a friend "liggering," I am -thankful to say, we caught nothing, and I am not in a hurry to repeat -the experiment. Yarrell gives an account of four days' sport (?) at -Heigham Sounds and Horsea, where in 1834, in the month of _March_, his -informants caught in that space of time 256 pike weighing altogether -1135 lbs. What wonder that it is now difficult to get really good sport -at these places with rod and line! - -My favourite fish, the tench, has a bad habit of basking on the surface -of some of these broads on hot summer's days in weedy bays, where he -deems himself perfectly secure. But the amphibious Broadsman paddles -quietly up to him, and actually scoops him out with his hand. You may -touch his body with your hand and he shall not move, but if you touch -his tail he darts away. - -I have seen a somewhat similar thing in shallow pools in Shropshire. -When the big carp come to the side to spawn, their bodies are half out -of the water, and they may be approached and shovelled out with a -spade. In the reeds adjoining a carp pool I once found a murderous -instrument which was used by a gang of sawyers at work in the adjacent -wood, for destroying the basking carp. It consisted of a large flat -piece of wood, in which were set long nails like the teeth of a garden -rake. This was attached to a long pole, and woe betide the unfortunate -carp on whose back it descended. - -Groping for trout in the shallow streams is a well-known amusement of -country boys; but the dastardly and cruel practice of _liming_ a -brook is not now so often resorted to as it used to be. I have seen it -done in a mountain brook, when, on account of my extreme youth, I have -been powerless to prevent it, and the schoolboy notion of honour -prevented my "peaching." A shovelful of quicklime is taken up the brook -to some shallow ford, and then thrown into the water and triturated so -that the stream carries it in a milk-white stream downwards. In a short -time the poachers follow it, and pick up the trout, which are floating -dead on the surface, or swimming in circles on the top of the water, -with scorched and blinded eyeballs. The lime penetrates into every -crevice of the stream bed, and if it does not kill every trout within -its range, it cruelly tortures all. I well remember the sickening sense -of shame that crept over me as, an unwilling participator in the -outrage, I crept over the mossy ground, when the noise made by every -water-ouzel that took wing and every sheep that leaped down the hill -side seemed to herald the approach of a keeper, with awful penalties of -the law in his train. - -Diverting the course of a brook, and emptying the pools of their water, -and afterwards of their fish, is a long operation, and therefore not so -frequently resorted to; but that poaching instrument called the twopole -net I have known to clear many a nice little pool in a stream of its -spotted denizens. - -Do my readers know what a cleeching net is? It is in effect a magnified -landing-net at the end of a long pole, and its use is to grab fish from -under clumps of weed and overhanging banks. I once had one made for the -purpose of catching bait, and a ludicrous incident occurred to a friend -of mine who used it. He plunged it in too far from the side where the -water was deeper than he imagined, and the consequence was that he fell -forward, his feet still on the bank, but his hands resting on the top -of the pole within a foot of the water, into which he gradually -subsided, in spite of our efforts to pull him back by the slack of his -trousers. I have seen the cleeching net used in a very effective manner -by bargees on canals. As their vessel is towed along, they put the net -into the water alongside the bows, and walk back to the stern as the -boat moves, so as to keep the net in the same position. The rush of the -water, displaced by the passage of the barge, drives a good many fish -into the net, and I have even known fair-sized pike to be captured in -this way. - -Once I was cruising down the Severn, and had moored the canoe under -some bushes in a very secluded part of the river to take my midday -rest. Presently I saw two men in coracles coming down the river. They -stopped just opposite me, and commenced to net the river with a small -meshed net. They paid the net out in a semi-circle, and then, beating -the water with their paddles, they closed and completed the circle; and -with their coracles side by side hauled their net in. It was a caution -to see the fish they caught. Great chub of five, and one of nine -pounds' weight, roach, pike, and dace. In half an hour they had caught -a great number. They looked rather frightened when I shot out from my -hiding-place and examined their sport and the net. - -I have not space to chat about setting night lines, in which art the -Norfolk yachtsmen are no mean proficients; of smelting in the Yare; of -netting the weedy pools in Cheshire with a flue net; of setting hoop -nets for tench baited with a bunch of flowers or a brass candlestick, -which attract the too curious fish; of eel bays and weirs, and the -large eel nets set in the Bure from below Acle to Yarmouth; of -leistering salmon and snaring pike; of casting nets used for unlawful -purposes; of snatch-hooks and salmon roe, and other like deadly means -of compassing the destruction of the finny tribe; but I fancy I have -said enough to call to the angler's remembrance that his rod and line -have formidable rivals, and that it behoves him to do all in his power -to suppress and punish illegal and unfair sport. - - - - -SHOOTING - - -The 1st of September is a day more looked forward to by the general -sporting public than any other. August 12th and October 1st may be -eagerly anticipated by the wealthy sportsman, but September 1st is the -day most generally looked forward to. Nor is the reason difficult to -discover. Partridge-shooting is comparatively the cheapest of sports. -So long as vermin is kept down by trapping, and the fields properly -bushed in the season, to prevent the birds being netted, a fair number -are sure to be found. There are few better or more exciting sports than -partridge-driving. People who have never tried and those who have tried -and failed, affect to despise it; but, in spite of all, it is an -excellent sport, if only for the reason that all can join in it. The -old and young, the weak and strong, and even ladies, honour the stands -with their presence; though this cannot be said to add to the accuracy -of the shooting, for partridge-driving arrangements are usually made so -as to arrive at the first set of stands somewhere about eleven. Here -the head-keeper is met, who, after giving directions about watching -particular lines, and begging that gentlemen will not put up their -heads too soon, but keep down and "give the birds a chance," as he -calls it, on the _lucus a non lucendo_ principle, I suppose, mounts his -old horse and trots off after the drivers, receiving, first of all, you -may be sure, some chaff from the youngsters about his horse and his -seat, to which he good-humouredly rejoins that "he hopes they will -shoot better than he can ride." - -The party now disperse to their several stands, each one accompanied by -his loader, and, as you stroll down with your old loader, he greatly -amuses you by his observations on the party and shrewd forecast of -their respective powers. In a short time the distant sound of a horn is -heard, which makes your old man break off his stories and reflections -altogether, as he knows it is the signal for the line of drivers to -start; you yourself peer eagerly through the screen, though really -knowing that there is no chance of a shot for a long time yet. -Presently a series of unearthly yells are heard, as some obstinate -covey rises and breaks back over the drivers' heads. And here let me -remark that the arrangement of a successful drive requires a great deal -of forethought and knowledge; the wind and sun must be studied, and -also the habits of the birds. Partridges are thorough Tories, and like -to take the same line that their fathers before them did, so it is -useless to try to drive them far out of it. - -Presently, as you are looking through the screen, a dark object comes -into view that appears rather like a bumble bee; in another second you -perceive it is an old cock French partridge, when, just as you are in -the act of firing, down drops the bird, and commences running like a -racehorse. Naturally you bring your gun down, but the old loader -whispers, "Shoot un, sir, shoot un; he be the blarmed old cock, and -mayhap, if you kills un, t'others will be obliged to fly;" so you pot -him, and the cloud of feathers that comes out is wonderful. A novice -would think that it was blown to bits; but the fact is, nothing of the -kind has happened, the cloud being caused by the great thickness of -plumage. It is very curious to shoot one in snow: the stream of -feathers lying on it looks as if a small pillow had been ripped open. - -Soon a distant cry of "Mark over!" showing that a covey has risen and -is coming right for the stands, puts every one on the _qui vive_. -Here they come straight for the man on the right, and you feel almost -inclined to envy his chance, when suddenly the covey mount straight up -like so many sky-rockets; your friend, fresh to the sport, has put up -his head just a minute or so too soon, and the birds saw him. Firing a -hasty right and left as they pass over, he is greatly surprised at a -bird falling nearly on the top of him, the fact being that the two he -shot at were clean missed, but one of the hindmost of the covey flew -into the shot. And now the scene begins to be very interesting; the -birds are beginning to run out of the roots on to the large stubble in -front, not by ones and twos, but by twenties at a time, the French -birds of course being first. It is most curious to notice their -dodges--how they run about looking for places to hide in, and when they -discover the least shelter drop down into it at once; but you cannot -spare much attention to them, as the coveys begin to rise thick and -fast, and cries of "Mark over!" are incessant. The work now begins to -be very exciting, and the fusillade kept up reminds one of the -commencement of a general action, so sustained is it. Some of the -younger hands, thoroughly overcome by the excitement of their first -drive, are firing wildly, as if they thought they should not have a -second chance. By way of contrast, look at the man stationed three or -four stands from you, and see the machine-like regularity with which he -knocks the birds over; no flurry of any sort, the gun brought up -easily, the two sharp reports, and a brace of birds tumbling; the empty -piece handed to the loader, and the other gun taken and discharged in -the same cool way with the like unfailing result. Both master and man -are perfect specimens of their kind, the former as a shot and the -latter as a loader. And now, as the drivers get further through the -roots, the hares begin to bolt out, running wildly in every direction, -utterly bewildered at the shouts and yells that greet them. Not many -are shot at except by those who have utterly muffed the birds, and are -anxious to show that they can hit something. Next, as the drivers come -out on to the stubble, the French birds begin to get up by ones and -twos. Many of these get off, for they rise from such queer places, -often close to the stands. - -The first drive being over, the head-keeper comes up to see the game -collected, pausing by the stands of those who have been unlucky, and -gravely telling their loaders that they "need not trouble to pick up -their master's birds," as he always sees to that; whereupon very -frequently the occupier tries to explain how the birds twisted or the -sun was in his eyes, or makes one of the thousand excuses that men give -for missing. The game being now collected, the party stroll off to the -next set of stands, and the same thing goes on again, with the -exception that some of the excited sportsmen cool down a little, and, -in consequence, improve in their shooting. Driving is the least -fatiguing of any sport to the shooters, the drivers having to go such -long rounds to their different starting-points that there is not the -least need to hurry from stand to stand, but you can pick your way and -go by the easiest route. The actual shooting, however, is difficult; it -requires skill and coolness to get the exact knack of the thing. I well -remember, after one drive, a man, who really was a remarkably good shot -over dogs or walking up birds, coming to me with an expression of the -greatest disgust on his face, and saying, "I have actually missed eight -shots running!" However, he soon got into the way of it; but at first -you do not discover the pace the birds go at, and are rather bothered -by their coming right at you. - -After a morning's driving very good sport can be got in the afternoon -by going out with a couple of steady spaniels after the French -partridges. You will find these birds have hidden themselves in the -most wonderful places, under clods and small lumps of hedge-cuttings, -in tufts of grass, holes by gate-posts; in fact, there is no telling -where they may have got to. A rabbit-hole is a very favourite place; so -if one of your dogs seems inclined to stop and scratch at one, do not -tell your keeper to "call the tiresome beast off," as he is always -after rabbits, for it is ten to one that a Frenchman has taken refuge -there. You will often find that the birds have got down almost to the -end of the hole. However, they give capital sport, as they rise out of -such unexpected places that you must always be ready for a shot. -Besides the sport, it is an excellent way of keeping these "pests" -down; for they really are "pests," driving about the English birds in -the breeding season, and bothering your dogs awfully in the beginning -of the shooting season by their habits of running; indeed, until -driving commences, you hardly ever kill a Frenchman; but this is not -much of a loss, as when they are shot they are not worth eating. One -thing, you can send them away as presents to people who do not know -their merits, and are very much pleased with them on account of their -size and the beauty of their plumage, doubtless putting down their -hardness and want of flavour to their cook! - -But partridge-shooting _par excellence_ is over dogs. It is a treat -indeed to see a brace of well-broken pointers or setters at work: the -speed with which they quarter their ground, and yet their perfect -steadiness; to see the dog that finds the game stop dead in his gallop, -limbs all rigid, as if he was turned into stone, ears pricked and eyes -almost starting out of his head with excitement; then his companion -backing steadily, the attitude the same, but no eagerness shown; the -rapid shots, and the dogs both down in an instant,--all this is -delightful to witness, but is very seldom seen now-a-days. After the -first week dogs are very little use, the birds will not lie to them; -high farming, with its machine-cut stubbles, clean ploughs, and -widely-drilled root-crops, has almost abolished shooting over dogs. The -birds will not wait on the bare stubbles, and if you get them into -roots, the rattle of the leaves when the dogs are at work is a signal -for their flight. The only chance is where seeds have been sown in -barley; then the reaping-machine cannot be set very low or it clogs, -and in this there is fair lying; but as for the fine stubbles knee-high -that our fathers enjoyed, and the broadcast turnips--why, they have -gone, and pointers and setters have, alas, nearly disappeared with -them. - -When the birds have become so wild that they will not lie to the dogs -at all, the best and most sportsmanlike way is to walk them up; but to -do this with any success requires a man to be in excellent training. -Walking over fallows deeply ploughed by steam-power is no joke, and the -birds invariably select these. Your plan is to have about four guns and -five keepers or beaters, and take the fields in line, of course driving -in the direction of any pieces of cole-seed, mustard, or roots that you -may have on your ground; for when once the birds get into these, -particularly into cole-seed, they will remain the rest of the day. It -is surprising how many are bagged when walking: sometimes the coveys -seem bothered by the line of men, and will rise within an easy shot; -but they often seem to know by some sort of intuition the bad shot of -the party, and will allow him to get fairly into the middle of them, -when they rise with a rush, and fly off none the worse for his too -hurried shots. - -In this sport there is not half the firing to be heard which there is -in "driving;" but the deadly single shot or the steady double is heard -pretty regularly, and the bag at the end of the day is usually heavier. -You commonly find that a very fair bag is made before entering the -cole-seed or roots where the coveys have principally gone; but when -this cover is entered, unless very unlucky, you may fairly reckon on -the bag being doubled, for the birds cannot run much, and are forced to -rise fairly, so that even a moderate shot ought to be pretty sure of -his birds. One great advantage of this kind of shooting is that so few -birds get away wounded; as a rule they are either dropped at once or -get off scot-free, whereas in "driving" an immense number go away -wounded; and if there are any crows in the district, it is most curious -to see them on the day after a "drive" hunting the fields regularly and -systematically after the cripples. - -There is still another method of partridge-shooting, but this mode is -only adopted by wealthy cits, and brand-new peers. The keepers, with a -strong force of beaters, are sent out to drive the birds into cover, -and, when there, men are left as stops to keep the birds from straying -out; then about twelve the party drive up in wagonettes, well wrapped -up, and with plenty of foot-warmers, &c., to the nearest piece of -cover, get out, take their guns, and walk right through it, blazing at -everything that shows itself; when they have done one field, they get -into their carriages and drive to the next, where the same amusement is -carried on; then comes hot lunch at the nearest keeper's house, which -lasts for an hour or more, and the afternoon sport is a repetition of -the morning's. There is no stopping to pick up the game,--keepers are -left behind for that, and are told to take their guns, so as to stop -any cripples, the "writing between the lines" being in this case that -they are to kill all they can, so as to make the bag sound better at -the end of the day. - -As partridge-shooting is one of the cheapest amusements, -pheasant-shooting, on the other hand, is one of the dearest. What with -feeding the young birds and doctoring them, and the constant watching -they require when they are turned into the cover; and lastly, the large -staff of beaters, the calculation of ten shillings per head for every -one killed is not far beyond the mark. Pheasant-shooting can really -only be managed by one method, and that is by having a body of -well-trained beaters; so cunning are these birds that there is no -chance of giving your friends the desired sport, if you do not have -them. It is true a very pleasant day may often be had on the outskirts -of your grounds by going round with some well-broken spaniels; but for -real pheasant-shooting beaters are indispensable. A well-arranged and -successful beat requires almost as much generalship as an Ashanti -campaign. The covers must be watched from the earliest season, but the -watchers must show themselves as little as possible; if the pheasants -come out, they should put them back by rattling a stick or shaking some -branches, for by showing themselves the chances are that the pheasants -would fly off at once, but the rattle of a stick merely makes them run -back into cover. Then the corners where they are to rise must be netted -most carefully, perfect silence being kept, and as little noise of any -kind made as possible. When the beat has actually commenced not a point -must be left unguarded, the smallest ditch or grip with grass in it -must have a "stop" at it, and any hare or rabbit runs that there may be -must be stopped also. The boys who act as "stops" have to be well -drilled in their parts, just to keep a subdued kind of rattle with -their two short sticks, and by no means to strike the bushes in -cover--merely to use their sticks as a kind of castanet. In fact, -pheasants are at once the keeper's greatest pride and greatest plague, -from the time when he has to guard the wild birds' nests against -egg-stealers, and to watch those brought up under hens--ever on the -look-out for gapes or croup when they are quite young, and then when -older, and turned into the covers, on the watch for poachers or vermin, -until the grand shooting-day; and even until that is over his anxiety -is unceasing. It is very difficult to prevent them straying, -particularly in a district where there are many oaks, as they will, -however well fed, roam after acorns. And then to insure there being a -proper quantity of pheasants in the required places is no easy work. -With all the pains possible, it is extraordinary how they will stray -away. Two instances of this straying propensity came under my -individual notice. - -I was staying with a large party at a friend's house for -pheasant-shooting, and as the covers had not been beaten before, my -friend was sanguine of some first-rate sport, knowing the large number -of pheasants that had been reared, and the trouble that had been taken -with them. We went out, and everything seemed to promise an excellent -day's shooting; the pheasants were all reported safe the night before, -and "stops" had been sent out early to prevent them straying, nets put -down, and all complete. Well, the first cover that was beaten yielded -only about thirty or forty pheasants, instead of three or four times -that number, and the second and third the same. The host looked much -annoyed, and his keeper almost heart-broken; and this kind of sport -continued until the afternoon, when my friend called up the keeper, and -in desperation ordered him to beat a small covert standing by itself -about three-quarters of a mile off. The man said he did not think it -was any use, as no pheasants were ever there; however, as his master -wished it, it should be done, and he sent off some men to put down the -nets very carefully. When we came up the under-keeper said there -certainly were some pheasants there, though he had never known them to -be in that place before; so we began, and very soon found that they had -nearly all migrated from their usual quarters to this place, above four -hundred being killed in this small cover. How they got there no one -could guess; there were not any connecting hedgerows or ploughed -fields, and they had roosted in their usual places. - -The second case occurred to myself. I wished to beat a small cover of -my own of about four acres, as we knew there were some pheasants there, -and being an outlying one it was not altogether safe; so I gave orders -that the place should be netted, and "stops," &c., sent out, and then -went and beat it, but to my great surprise found scarcely anything. The -keeper was utterly puzzled too; we tried all the likely spots round -with no result, and I came to the conclusion that some poachers must -have beaten the wood very early that day. However, as we were going -off, the quick eye of my keeper detected a pheasant running in an old -grassy lane near, and we resolved to try this; and well it was we did; -every bush and tuft of grass seemed to hold a pheasant, and we made a -capital bag, killing all but one, to my keeper's great satisfaction. -Several more were got than the number he had mentally put down for the -cover to yield; however, in this case we at length detected the way -they had got out. The end of the wood had been netted, and a "stop" put -on one side where there was an old ditch; but on the other a little -grip with long grass in it, leading from the cover across a field to -the old lane, had been left unguarded, as the net was thought to have -been fastened down so closely that nothing could get out; but the -pheasants found the weak place, and undoubtedly strayed by it. - -To insure a good day's pheasant-shooting, thoroughly trained beaters -are absolutely necessary; and it is equally needful that the guns -should remain where they are posted, or if they are to move, only do so -exactly as the head-keeper directs. Nothing is more annoying, both to -master and keeper, than having a good day spoiled because two or three -of the guns will get together to hear or tell the last new story, and -consequently let the pheasants escape by not being at their proper -posts. If you have the good fortune to be placed by the net at the end -of the beat, you will find that, besides having the best place for -sport, great amusement can be derived by noticing the behaviour of the -various kinds of game as they come up to it. Soon after you have taken -your position, the rattle of sticks is heard, showing that the beat has -begun, and shortly a suppressed shout indicates that a rabbit is up; -for the best-trained beaters in England cannot resist giving a shout at -the sight of one, and if they are a scratch lot, the yells that greet -its appearance could not be exceeded if half a dozen foxes had been -unkennelled at once. They will allow a pheasant or woodcock or, in -fact, any other kind of game, to get away silently; but a rabbit is too -much for them--why, I do not know; but such is the fact. In a short -time something may be heard coming very rapidly towards the net, and in -a minute a splendid old cock-pheasant appears, who runs right up to it; -then, suddenly catching sight of you, back he goes like a racehorse, -and you hear the whirr as he rises on meeting the line of beaters, and -the cry of "Mark back," succeeded as a rule by two rapid shots, -sometimes only by a single one, followed by a crash as he comes down -through the trees. Next a lot of hen-pheasants come pattering along, -crouching as they run with outstretched neck. These come up very -quietly, and begin to examine the net closely, walking along it, trying -whether they can find a place to pass underneath, and, if they do, they -infallibly lead all the rest away; but, failing this, they squat down -and become at once almost invisible; so exactly does their plumage -assimilate itself to the dead leaves that, unless you happen to catch -their eye, you would never detect them. Then come a lot of young cocks -in a terrible flurry, running here, there, and everywhere, occasionally -twisting round like teetotums; these, too, at length squat, picking out -tufts of brake or grass, where their dark heads are covered, and their -back and long tail-feathers just match the stuff they are lying in. -Presently some hares come along, and these are all listening so -intently to the beaters, and looking back as well, that they blunder -against the net, greatly to their astonishment; for they sit up and -stare at it, and then trot away to see if they can make off by one of -their visual runs; failing in this, they lie down in some of the -thickest cover, hoping to escape by this plan. Numerous rabbits come -hopping along, and, meeting the net, turn and hide themselves in stumps -or any other place they can find. And really, as the beaters come -nearer and nearer, you would never imagine the quantity of game there -is; a novice would at once declare there was none, so absolutely -motionless does it remain until it is forced up; and then, although you -have been at the post all the time, the quantity seems quite -astonishing. Pheasants begin to whirr up, at first by twos and threes, -and then almost by scores at a time, and the firing is incessant; it -seems now that every tuft of grass or piece of fern has a pheasant -under it; but in spite of the beaters, several old cocks run back -between them, being far too clever to rise and be shot at, knowing that -a beater may almost as well strike at a flash of lighting as at an old -cock running. - -I may here remark that some of these old cocks will often escape being -killed season after season by some dodge or other. In a cover of my own -there was an old cock-pheasant who lived between six and seven years, -always escaping the guns. We used to drive this cover regularly to the -same point, and just before the beaters had finished, this old fellow -would get up close to the outside hedge, rising above the underwood as -if he would give an excellent shot; but, just as you thought he was as -good as bagged, closing his wings, he would drop into the field close -to the hedge, turn round, and run back like a racer, hopping over the -fence again into the cover just behind the beaters. He practised this -dodge successfully for several years; but at length the keeper -complained so much that he disturbed the cover, and would not let any -other bird come near, that I had to devise means to kill him, which was -effected by driving the cover the opposite way to which he was -accustomed. The old fellow was so bewildered that he rose, gave a fair -shot, and was killed. A more splendid bird than he was could scarcely -have been seen--in full plumage, a broad and perfect white ring round -his neck, and spurs an inch long, and as sharp and hard as if they had -been made of iron. - -Very amusing it is, too, to watch the shooters. There stands one man, -picking his birds, and dreading a miss for the sake of his reputation; -here is a greedy shot, firing at everything, blowing much of his game -to pieces, for fear anyone else should get a shot; and again, there is -the keeper's horror and detestation--a man who sends off his birds -wounded, as a rule hitting them, but very seldom killing one clean, -with the exception of those that he utterly annihilates. Lookers-on are -apt to laugh at sportsmen for missing pheasants, so large do they look, -and such apparently easy shots do they give; and until a person tries -himself, he has no idea how fast they really do fly, or how easy it is -to miss them. - -Rabbit-shooting is capital sport; indeed, none can be better for -affording sport to a large Christmas-party in the country. Everybody -enjoys it, and brightens up at the idea, from the schoolboy home for -the holidays--who has been in and out of the house scores of times -already to see how the weather looked, whether the beagles would be -ready, or on some other wonderful pretext--to the old sportsman, who -did not know whether he should come, but cannot resist the temptation, -merely trying at first to save his dignity by saying he should just -come and see if any woodcocks were sprung, and ending in being as -enthusiastic about it as the youngest. The "form" displayed by the -shooters is diverse. There is the elderly gentleman who gets away by -himself to a quiet corner, and is found at lunch-time with three or -four mangled rabbits, none of them having been more than a couple of -yards from his gun when they were shot. Then there is the man who will -always fire both barrels; if he misses with the first, of course he -tries with his second; but if he does hit the first time, discharges -the second barrel as a sort of salute in honour of his successful -first. And here is an amateur--this one usually a schoolboy or 'Varsity -man--who fires at whatever he gets the slightest glimpse of; a robin -flitting about amongst the brambles is safe to have a shot fired at it; -and indeed the dogs, keepers, and shooters have all, in their turns, -very narrow escapes from this gentleman: the position he has held is -well and distinctly marked by the cut-down underwood and well-peppered -trunks of trees. Then there is the sportsman, generally a great swell, -who fires at everything he sees in the distance, and claims all game -killed within a radius of a quarter of a mile. He cannot be induced to -shoot at a rabbit or any game within a reasonable distance, his excuse -always being, "Choke-bore, my dear fellow--blow it to bits;" the fact -being that he never hits anything except by accident, and fancies by -this plan that he is not detected. - -I once saw a capital trick played on a person of this kind by a couple -of mischievous schoolboys. They procured a dead rabbit, and fixed it -firmly in a lifelike position by means of sticks, &c.; then tying a -long piece of string to each foreleg, they went and ensconced -themselves behind two large trees in the cover, one on each side of the -road, about seventy yards from the gentleman's stand. Putting down the -rabbit, one of them drew it slowly across the road, the other giving a -shout, which made their friend look round and immediately shoot at it, -when the string was jerked and the rabbit fell on its side. Whilst he -was reloading and fiddling with his gun, the rabbit was drawn away, and -in a short time the game was played again; in the end about twenty -shots were fired at it by the victim, not one of which touched it, and -the string was only cut once. When lunch-time came, and the keeper went -round to collect the rabbits, he was saluted by the gentleman with: - -"Well, Smith, got my eye in to-day. Never saw such a gun; killed at -least thirty rabbits straight off crossing the road up there. Must have -been one of their regular runs." - -Off went the keeper to pick them up, and of course detected the trick -at once. His good manners would not allow him to laugh there; so he had -to make a bolt for it, and, to my great surprise, I saw this staid and -serious head-keeper burst through the cover into the ride I was in, and -begin to shout with laughter in the most uproarious manner. For a -moment I thought he had gone mad, and on walking up to him could get -nothing out of him, except between his fits of laughter, "Beg pardon, -sir, but them 'limbs,' them two 'limbs!'" At last he got sufficiently -calm to tell me what had occurred, and I need hardly say that I laughed -almost as heartily. The indignation of the victim was great when he -discovered the trick, and he stalked off to the house at once; and -perhaps it was well that he did, for the two young scamps' account of -the whole thing was enough to send anyone into fits. It is needless to -say that they ever after occupied the foremost place in the keeper's -affections. - -It is, indeed, a very pretty sight to see a pack of beagles working in -cover. How they try every tuft of grass or rushes! Soon you notice that -they are working more eagerly, and some begin to lash their tails, and -suddenly out bolts "bunny" from his seat, sure to be saluted by a hasty -shot from some one, not the least to its detriment, but a very narrow -escape for the leading dogs. Away go the pack, making the woods ring -with their tongues. Excited individuals race after them, often with -their guns on full cock, and their fingers on the trigger. What their -ideas may be in this performance is difficult to say, but I suppose it -is the effect of that temporary insanity that seizes many people at the -sight of a rabbit. As a rabbit invariably runs a ring, and returns to -its starting-place, there is not the least use, except for the sake of -the exercise, in trying to follow it; and the first one put up is safe -to run his ring, as the good shots will not fire at him, that the -youngsters may have a chance, and the indifferent shots are sure to -miss the first through excitement. You hear plenty of shots whilst the -dogs are running, as other rabbits, frightened by their noise and -passage, bolt from their seats and scuttle about everywhere. Besides -these, a few old cock-pheasants, who have strayed from the preserves, -are sure to be found and shot. You shortly hear a shot from the cover -the rabbit was found in, followed by "Who-whoop!" showing that the -hunted one has been killed. - -The keeper then begins to draw afresh, and you may notice that certain -of the older sportsmen are very attentive to the hounds whilst drawing, -the reason being, as is soon evident, that they hope a woodcock may be -flushed, and their hopes are usually realised. If you mark one beagle -poking about by himself, sniffing along, evidently on scent, yet not -opening, you may be pretty sure he is on a woodcock. But very soon -another rabbit is found, and away goes the pack, this time not quite so -steadily, as the number of rabbits up tempt the younger hounds after -them. However, this adds (except in the opinion of the staid elders) to -the sport; and soon, by the noise of the beagles' tongues and the rapid -shooting, it appears as if every hound had a rabbit to himself. There -certainly must be some "sweet little cherub" sitting "up aloft," who -protects rabbit-shooters and beagles, so reckless does the shooting -always appear. Here you see an excited youth fire at a rabbit not a -yard in front of the dog. How he manages to miss both seems -incomprehensible, but he does. There another rushes round a corner, and -blazes both barrels at one, just in a line with another gun, and only a -few yards from him; but he escapes too. In a word, rabbit-shooting with -beagles is one of the most amusing, but at the same time one of the -most dangerous, sports going. - -The advance of civilisation and cultivation has almost entirely spoiled -snipe and wild-fowl shooting. In the districts where, thirty years ago, -ducks might be found by dozens and snipe in swarms, the former are -extinct; and as for the latter, if there happens to be one, it flies -off before you are within half a mile of it, as if it was ashamed of -being seen in such a place. I well remember the capital shooting I used -to get in Berkshire. There was a large swampy common of several hundred -acres, all rough sedgy grass and rushes; on one side was a wide ditch -full of twists and turns, with high reedy banks, and at the further end -a narrow tributary of the Thames, with beds of water-rushes on both -sides; and on the other side were acres of small meadows of from six to -ten acres, divided by high hawthorn hedges and deep wide ditches. It -was a real "happy hunting-ground" for anyone fond of the sport, and -many have been the long days that I and my retriever passed on it. The -common itself was invariably full of snipe, and they behaved themselves -properly in those days, not rising and going off in whisps directly you -appeared, but trying to be shot at decently, like respectable birds. -Then the ditch and river were sure to hold ducks; and after you had -hunted the common, it was very exciting work, creeping up the various -well-known curves and turns in the ditch, where the ducks usually -remained, my dog creeping after me, quite as much interested as I was -myself, and showing most wonderful intelligence in avoiding stepping on -any little pieces of thin ice or anything that would make a noise; then -the careful look over the bank, and if the stalk had been successful, -the rapid double shot at the ducks, as they rose with a rush, followed -by the drop of killed or wounded, if the shot had been lucky, and the -subsequent hunt after the cripples, if unfortunately there were any, -for nothing on earth is so difficult to get as a wounded duck. The way -they will dive, and the time they can keep under water, only rising and -putting the tip of their beak up to get air, and the extraordinary -places they get into, will puzzle the best retriever, and weary out his -master's patience, unless he has a very large stock of that, or -obstinacy, in his composition. But very often, when I peered cautiously -over the bank, the ducks could just be seen swimming away down a -further reach of the ditch, making for the larger stream below, and -then it was a race as to which should get there first, as the cunning -birds knew as well as I did that if they once got there, and into the -reed-beds, they were comparatively safe. It was no joke, running as -hard as you could go, in a stooping position, for several hundred -yards; and often they would escape me, an unfortunate step on a piece -of thin ice, or a stick, making them rise, and I then had the pleasure -of seeing them fly off and drop into a reed-bed half a mile off, which -I could not get at. - -I had often been warned that the ditch was dangerous, and proved it on -one occasion, very nearly to my cost. Some ducks dropped into a rushy -pool in a field on the opposite side of it, and as I should have had a -walk of a mile to get round to them, I determined to try and cross, -fortunately for myself selecting a place where there was a stout young -willow; so putting down my gun, and catching firm hold of the tree, I -put one leg into the ditch, and soon found, though it passed down -through the mud above my knee, that no bottom was to be found, and on -trying to withdraw it, discovered that my leg was fixed as if in a -vice. Fortunately the willow was strong, and having one leg on the -bank, after pulling until I thought the other must be dislocated, I -succeeded in extricating myself. - -But the meadows on the further side were where the best sport used to -be got. These, as I have said, were divided by large hawthorn hedges -fully twelve feet high, and intersected by deep ditches full of reeds, -with an open pool here and there. The meadows, too, had narrow gutters -cut in them to act as drains, I believe, and these abounded with snipe; -and after you had flushed the common ones, if you hunted carefully a -good many jacks could be found. The ditches were very good for ducks. -By help of the hedges you could get up to them unperceived, and many a -fine mallard I got here. Hares were also fond of the rough grass, and -partridges might usually be found in the middle of the day. I remember -bagging one December day six and a half couple of ducks, eleven couple -of snipe, besides some jacks, three hares, and three and a half brace -of birds. This does not sound much, but to me it was a thoroughly -enjoyable day. No keeper following at one's heels, full of advice, but -just going where and how I pleased; then the successful stalk after -ducks, and the unexpected luck with partridges and hares, in addition -to the snipe, have indelibly impressed this day on my memory. Being in -this neighbourhood a short time ago, I went down to look at my -favourite ground, and found that the large marshy common, with a few -donkeys and some wretched cows trying to get a living off it, had been -drained, and subdivided by neat post and rail fences, and sheep were -grazing where snipe used to abound. The only thing unchanged was the -old ditch. I suppose it is all right, but I prefer the ducks and snipe. - -Many years ago very fair duck-shooting, and some snipe as well, might -be got on the Thames between Marlow and Windsor, and this was a very -luxurious kind of wild-fowl shooting; for all you had to do was to hire -a punt and a good puntsman who knew the river well, and, wrapping -yourself up comfortably in a warm coat, drop down the river, going into -the quiet back waters and round the eyot-beds. In favourable weather a -good many ducks might be found, and it was curious to notice how they -would hide themselves under the banks where they were undermined by the -stream, and the roots of the osiers hung down. An old mallard would -constantly stay until fairly poked out; and often when you thought you -had tried them thoroughly, after you left an old fellow would rise and -go quacking off. The eyot-beds were favourite places for snipe; but you -could not do much with these unless with a steady old dog, who would -poke slowly all over the place, the stumps and stalks of the osiers -entirely preventing any walking. But now, I believe, this style of -shooting is at an end. - -My last attempt at duck-shooting was very exciting, in fact rather too -much so. A friend, who knew my weakness for it, wrote and asked me to -come to his house, as I could get capital flight-shooting close to his -place. Of course I went, and in the evening we started for the river, -which was much flooded, and embarking in a boat, I was soon landed on a -small mound in the middle of the floods, about twelve feet square, and -was told it was a first-rate place, as the ducks, in their flight from -some large ponds about five miles off, always passed over it. I was -also told I might be sure to know when they were coming by the flashes -of the guns of other wild fowlers on the banks some miles away. A -whistle was given me to signal for the boat when I wanted it, and I was -left alone in my glory. It was very cold, and my island was too small -for exercise. Soon a flash caught my eye, and then the report of a gun -fired some miles off came to my ears, soon followed by a succession of -flashes and reports from gunners posted along each side of the river. -The effect was very pretty, and I admired it greatly, until an idea -struck me that there might be guns posted on the bank behind. Just then -some ducks came along, and I fired rapidly at them; almost -simultaneously came two reports from the bank, and some heavy charges -of shot cut up the water all round; in addition something weighty -struck the ground just in my rear, covering me with mud. Instantly -blowing my whistle, the boat soon came, and on landing I saw two men, -one of whom coming up asked me where I had been. I told him "on the -mound"; to which he rejoined, "Was you, really? Lor, now, if I didn't -think it was the miller's old donkey! and, thinks I, if the aggravating -old beast gets there, a shot or two won't hurt un, and teach him not to -get there again; so I lets 'goo' when the ducks comes along. There, and -so 'twas you, sir; lor, now, to think of that!" and the old fellow went -off into a series of chuckles. - -His gun was an extraordinary one--a single barrel, something like four -feet long, about eight bore. I asked what charge he put in, and he -showed me a measure that held at least four drachms of powder, and -another that would contain about three ounces of number two shot. This -was how he loaded, and in addition, he said, he always put in a couple -of pistol-shots--"they did bring anything down so sweet that they hit." -So these were the pleasant things I heard strike the ground just behind -me. I went home at once, thankful that I had not been bagged. - - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Sporting Society, Vol. I (of 2), by Various - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SPORTING SOCIETY, VOL. I (OF 2) *** - -***** This file should be named 40301.txt or 40301.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/0/3/0/40301/ - -Produced by Suzanne Shell and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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