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diff --git a/41436-8.txt b/41436-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index e01df1f..0000000 --- a/41436-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7914 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's The Sportswoman's Library, Vol. 1 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: The Sportswoman's Library, Vol. 1 of 2 - -Author: Various - -Editor: Frances E. Slaughter - -Release Date: November 21, 2012 [EBook #41436] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SPORTSWOMAN'S LIBRARY, VOL 1 *** - - - - -Produced by Julia Miller, Josephine Paolucci 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.) - - - - - - - - -The Sportswoman's Library. - -Vol. I. - -[Illustration: _THE MARCHIONESS OF WORCESTER._] - - - - -THE SPORTSWOMAN'S LIBRARY. - -EDITED BY FRANCES E. SLAUGHTER. - -VOLUME I. - -[Illustration] - -WITH ILLUSTRATIONS FROM PHOTOGRAPHS AND OLD PRINTS. - -WESTMINSTER: -ARCHIBALD CONSTABLE & CO., -2, WHITEHALL GARDENS, -1898. - - * * * * * - -DEDICATED -BY PERMISSION TO THE -MARCHIONESS OF WORCESTER -A KEEN SPORTSWOMAN AND WIFE -OF ONE OF THE FOREMOST -SPORTSMEN OF THE AGE. - - -BIRMINGHAM: - -PRINTED AT THE GUILD PRESS, 45, GREAT CHARLES STREET. - - - - -THE SPORTSWOMAN'S LIBRARY. - -Vol. I. - -Contents. - - -Preface. - -1. Englishwomen and Sport The Editor. - -2. Fox Hunting Mrs. Burn. - -3. Hare Hunting The Editor. - -4. Shooting The Hon. Mrs. Lancelot Lowther. - -5. Fishing for Tarpon Mrs. Murphy-Grimshaw. - -6. Archery Mrs. Berens and Miss Walrond. - -7. Skating Miss May Balfour. - -8. Golf Miss Starkie-Bence. - -9. Croquet Mrs. Spong. - -Appendix A. Golf Rules and Glossary. - -Appendix B. Croquet Rules. - - - - -PREFACE. - - -When I look at the completed MSS. of the first volumes of the -_Sportswomans' Library_, I feel deeply grateful to the many good -sportswomen who have aided me in my work, not only for the great stores -of practical knowledge they have brought to bear on the several subjects -of which we have treated, but for the way in which they have -collaborated with me. For this my warmest thanks are due to them one and -all. - -The object we have placed before us, is to give women the information -and help they are not likely to find in those books, which are written -chiefly from a man's point of view, and we have therefore avoided, as -far as possible, trenching on ground that has been already adequately -covered by those who, to sportsmen and sportswomen alike, are the best -authorities on the various subjects. If, therefore, our writings -sometimes seem to be wanting in completeness, it is, I venture to -think, to be attributed to this cause. - -When I first gathered round me the body of contributors, some of whom -were personally unknown to me, I could but feel that the many threads I -held in my hand might prove to be a very "tangled skein," before the -work was brought to completion. This foreboding, however, I am glad to -say, was entirely without foundation, for each writer threw herself into -her part with such genuine determination to do the best she could for -the _matter_ of her work, that the minor details as to the _manner_ in -which it should be given to the world, did not assume undue proportions, -and there has been nothing to throw the slightest shadow over the -harmony in which we have worked. That the effort we have thus jointly -made to give some help to our sister-sportswomen may be successful, is -to wish the writers the best reward they can have, for the labour they -have bestowed. - -Besides my fellow workers, I have a debt of gratitude to discharge to -all who have so kindly assisted me in my work. Foremost among these I -must acknowledge the valuable help given by Lady Gifford, Mrs. -Pryse-Rice, Mrs. Cheape, and Miss Lloyd, of Bronwydd, without whose -assistance I could not have ventured to write on the subject of -Hare-Hunting: by Mr. T. F. Dale, author of _The Game of Polo_, whose -great practical knowledge of sport has made him an invaluable referee on -many important questions: by another good sportsman, Captain the Hon. R. -C. Drummond, who generously gave me the benefit of his advice on matters -which have been a life-long study to him: by Elizabeth, Lady Wilton; -Lady Theodora Guest, Lady Gerard, Lady Dorothy Coventry, Mrs. Wrangham, -Mrs. T. E. Harrison, Miss Serrell, Mr. C. H. Bassett, late Master of the -Devon and Somerset Staghounds; Mr. Ian Heathcoat-Amory, Master of the -Tiverton Staghounds; Mr. W. L. Wyllie, A.R.A.; Miss Maud Earl, Miss -Walrond, Mr. Cuthbert Bradley, Dr. Lewis Mackenzie, Miss Florence -Ritson, and Mrs. Dudley Smith. - -I must also acknowledge the help so readily given by Mr. Charles -Lancaster, and Messrs. Holland and Holland, on the sport with which -their names are so closely connected, and I must thank those -photographers who have exercised their skill on our behalf, viz.: -Messrs. Lombardi and Co., who, from the first, have helped us largely; -Messrs. Lambert Weston, J. Weston and Son, Stuart, Becken, and A. -Debenham. - -My thanks are also due to the Proprietors of _Baily's Magazine_, _The -Field_, _The Gentlewoman_, and _The Lady's Pictorial_ for the use of -blocks which have been re-produced in their pages. - -Lastly, I must discharge the debt of gratitude I owe Messrs. A. -Constable and Co., for the unfailing courtesy I have met with at their -hands, and for the hearty way in which they have thrown themselves into -the interests of the book. - -Whether we have all succeeded in our object, viz., to give clear, -practical directions to women in the several out-door recreations of -which we have written, it is for our readers to determine, and on their -verdict will depend the extension of our plan to other branches of -sports and pastimes. - -To the great body of sportsmen, who so far have held almost undisputed -sway in the realm of sporting literature, I would plead: - - "Softly, my Masters! - Do me this right--hear me with patience." - - The Editor. - -Beeding, -March 31st, 1898. - - -[Illustration: _Lombardi and Co. 13, Pall Mall, East._ - -MISS FRANCES SLAUGHTER.] - - - - -ENGLISHWOMEN AND SPORT. - - -In all ages of the world's history, women have taken part in the -out-door recreations in which men have ever delighted, the extent to -which they have joined in these health-giving exercises being regulated, -by the amount of freedom and independence allowed to the sex, by the -unwritten laws of the spirit of the age. In a consideration of the -subject that is rather suggestive than attempting to deal with the -matter in any final sense, we can perhaps trace in the easiest way the -position held by women in the world of sport, at different epochs of our -history, by seeing how the subject was regarded by the authors of the -period. - -[Illustration] - -In the romances of the middle ages--to go no further back in our -researches--sport for all divisions of the upper classes of society was -regarded with a favourable eye. The nobles, the superior clergy, and the -dames of high degree had their deeds of prowess in the field extolled by -the literary lights of the time. For a noble not to care for hunting was -considered nothing less than a disgrace, while the clergy were expected -to require the relaxation of the chase, and to them was given the right -to hunt in their own parks and enclosures. Of this privilege they seem -to have availed themselves to some purpose, as at the time of the -Reformation the see of Norwich is said to have possessed no less than -thirteen deer parks. The wives of the nobles and those who ruled over -the religious houses for women, seem to have had an almost equal amount -of liberty in sharing in these recreations, and in organising hunts for -themselves. The doings of these gay dames--for the religious habit seems -to have made but little difference--are extolled by the poets, and if -the feats recorded of them are true, they must not only have been -accomplished horsewomen but very keen and determined huntresses. On -many occasions, we are told, they organised hunting parties, "winding -the horn, rousing the game and pursuing it by themselves." Nor, in spite -of what it is the fashion of the present time to say of that period of -our history, do the stay-at-home embroidery-loving dames come in for the -same share of praise at the hands of the old writers. - -In hawking especially women were proficient, and one scribe even tells -us that they excelled their husbands and brothers in the knowledge and -exercise of the art of falconry, from which, however, he deduces the -ungallant conclusion that the pastime was to be regarded as "frivolous -and effeminate." - -At the time of the great revival of letters, the art of falconry was at -the height of its popularity, and both in England and in other countries -of Europe it was the rule for women of noble birth to train, handle, and -fly their own hawks. It was the seventeenth century which saw the decay -of this sport as a royal and aristocratic amusement, for though in the -early years of the age it was still the most popular form of recreation -in the field, by the time the following century had dawned it was all -but extinct. - -After this, during the eighteenth century, there is no doubt that the -prowess of women in the field suffered an eclipse, and the few bold -spirits who from time to time broke through the trammels that restrained -their less enterprising sisters, were regarded with a certain amount of -suspicion and distrust. To come to the days when the writings of Sir -Walter Scott opened up a new field of enchantment to his readers, we -know that his creation of Di Vernon needed excuse at the hands of the -author for her sport-loving tastes, as the presumption was against her -being a true specimen of the "womanly" woman, in the best sense of the -word. - -Whyte Melville, entirely devoted to the chase as he was himself, is yet -doubtful of the place of his heroines in the hunting field, and in his -well-known novel, _Kate Coventry_, he seems to consider it a reasonable -condition on the part of the man Kate is about to marry, that she should -give up hunting when she becomes his bride. In the pages of Surtees, -which give such a vivid picture of the fox-hunter's life in the first -half of the century, the woman who hunts is nearly always an -adventuress, while in the social sketches of Trollope sport has no place -in the life of his otherwise charming heroines. - -[Illustration] - -But gradually and surely women once more made good their position in the -realm of sport, one of the early books to take a decided line in this -matter being, I believe, a little-known novel entitled _A Matched Pair_. -In this book which was published anonymously, a young man and woman who -have kindred tastes, are brought together through their common love of -hunting, and an amusing instance of the prevailing spirit, is given at -their wedding breakfast. When the hour is drawing near for the departure -of the bride and bridegroom, news is brought to the latter that the -M.F.H. of the country has met with an accident, which will keep him from -the saddle for the remainder of the season. The lady of course is told -the news, and she receives the suggestion that their honeymoon should be -given up, in order that her husband may stay and hunt the hounds, with -the most obliging readiness. This incident I give from memory, as it is -now many years since I have seen the book. The strangest thing about the -incident, perhaps is, that such a truly sporting couple should not have -delayed their marriage till the end of the hunting season. - -It is during the last ten years that women have come to be reckoned as a -power in the land, in the matter of sport, and it is now a matter of -course for the novelists of the day to make their leading -women-characters of almost all classes, join in some one or more form of -out-door recreation. Vivid pictures of the hunting-field, the banks of -the salmon river, the croquet lawn and the golf links, show the love of -the nineteenth century maid and matron for the healthy out-door -exercise, which has given to the younger generation a physique that -would have been regarded with wondering awe, not unmixed with -disapproval, by their gentle and delicate great-grandmothers. - -In a bird's-eye view, too, of the course of our history, we may note -that at the time of the absence of the great body of the nobles in the -Holy Land in the days of the Crusades, the women, so many of whom had -been left in charge of the castles and lands of their lords, came very -prominently forward in the domain of sport, as well as in the social -life of the period. On the return of the warriors, this liberty seems in -some degree to have been curtailed, and whether this is to be attributed -to any undue exercise of freedom during their time of independence, or -to the fact of the minds of their lords and masters having been effected -by the Oriental ideas as to the conduct of women, does not seem very -clear. - -[Illustration] - -The restraint however was but temporary, and when the highest place in -the land was filled by a woman, and "Queen Bess" ruled her subjects with -a judicious determination none could gainsay, her humbler sisters shared -in the reflected glory of her fame. Elizabeth herself, as we all know, -was an ardent sportswoman, and took the keenest delight in a run with -hounds, or a trial of skill with the cross-bow, long after she had -passed the age, at which even modern Dianas are wont to retire from an -active share in the fatigues of the hunting-field. - -The reign of Queen Anne on the other hand, although the Sovereign -herself and the members of her court were lovers of the chase, seems to -have had a distinctly depressing effect on the independent position of -women. It was not till the present century, when our beloved Queen by -her conduct on the throne, and in her private life, gave such a stimulus -to the position of her sex, that women came forward to take their share -in the sports, as well as in the more serious duties of our national -life, in a way that was new in the world's history. - -That the young Queen whose every act was eagerly copied by her girl -subjects, could have ridden after hounds as she did in the early years -of her reign, without having many followers, is not to be supposed. Thus -indirectly--for Victoria's early succession to the duties of a sovereign -left her but little time for the enjoyment of the lighter side of -life--Her Majesty's example has probably had not a little to do with the -increased love of sport among the women of the present day. - -In the history of sport, therefore, as in other departments of our life -as a nation, the name of Victoria will be remembered as the great -benefactor of women, by having given them larger, truer conceptions of -life, and by opening to them spheres of usefulness and pleasure which -the deadening influence of the eighteenth century, seemed to have closed -to them for ever. - -The Editor. - -[Illustration: _Speight. Rugby._ - -_MRS. BURN._] - - - - -FOX HUNTING. - - -"My dear young lady, you would enjoy your hunting so much more if you -would _only_ watch the hounds!" I once heard a Master of Hounds say to -an eager young woman whose only aim and object seemed to be to get on. -Such indeed was her anxiety to do this that she was quite oblivious of -the fact, she was meanwhile riding the hounds off the line. The M.F.H. -quoted being one of the finest huntsmen in England, I have remembered -his words. For it is simply wonderful to think of the hundreds upon -hundreds of people in Great Britain, who hunt regularly week after week -in the season, and who never "watch the hounds!" Talk and chatter when -they draw, gallop of course and jump--most probably--when they run, but -"know what they are doing?" _No._ - -And yet to anyone who is really fond of hunting, the greatest charm of -all is in watching the hounds and in taking an intelligent interest in -the hunt itself. Not that this interest is given to all, for crowds come -out, some because they can afford it and it is the right thing to do, -some to see their friends, and others to _ride_, and lastly some, not -many, to _hunt_. - -These last have generally been "bred to it," as a man would say, and -have the love of hunting born in them, and so they are able to enjoy -themselves when others do not. For even though the scent be bad, and -they "cannot run a yard," these few will take a pleasure in watching -hounds really hunt, and will hug themselves with delight as they -distinguish old Rhapsody feather up a furrow away from the rest till she -can assure herself that it is right, and then with a note like a bell -bring all the others flying to her cry, till one after another they pick -up the line and proclaim that it is good. - -Part of the charm of hunting is the beauty of its surroundings. I know -nothing prettier than the different scenes of a hunt. To watch the -hounds put into covert, to stand at a corner and see down the ride the -huntsman's red coat and all the hounds round him, among the brown -leaves on the ground and the dark trees in the background is simply a -picture, and time after time in each hunting day such pictures appear, -and delight the eye. Then the joy of listening to the cry, and not only -the cry, for it does one good to hear the huntsman cheering the hounds -in covert, especially if he has a good voice and can blow a good note on -his horn. - -Even the smell of the dank leaves turned over as the hounds rustle -through them is delightful, and like all loved scents it brings back -more than anything else the days of long ago. - -I never go out cub-hunting now without that scent bringing back to me -the old days at Brigstock, when my father[1] hunted the Pytchley hounds. -In Spring and early Autumn we always went to the Woodlands, for the -Woodland Pytchley had not then become a separate pack, and I once more -seem to see him, long of leg and lithe of limb on the raking chestnut -mare, and hear his cheery voice drawing those great woods. And as I -listen to his view halloa I feel a thrill run through me, and in fancy I -see them striding down the broad grass ride, while the hounds fly to him -from every side, and with an "over, over, over, over," which simply -make one shiver, he cheers them over the ride, while they swing to the -right and crash into the covert with a glorious burst of music like a -chime of silver bells. It is odd how these things remain in one's heart. - -[Footnote 1: Colonel J. Anstruther-Thomson.] - -"Wire and silence" will be the end of hunting, so he says; he being my -father whom on all things venatic I firmly believe. - -I suppose hardly one "hunting" woman out of every hundred who go out, -ever know how many couple of hounds there are out, or think of counting -them while the Master sits outside the covert blowing them to him. Yet -this is interesting in itself, and if you know the hounds personally all -the more so, as you watch them come tumbling through the fence by ones -and twos and go smiling up to their huntsman's side, with a satisfied -expression as if they were saying "here I am anyhow." - -[Illustration: _ELIZABETH, COUNTESS OF WILTON, ON WILLOUGHBY._] - -Hunting in the provinces has that great advantage over the shires, that -you have fewer people out, and consequently you really can take an -interest in the hound work and watch what they are doing, and when they -run you can keep your eye on them all through, and ride to them, whereas -in a fashionable country you get cramped up at a corner of a covert with -three or four hundred people hemming you in, behind a narrow gateway may -be, hardly wide enough for one horse to get through at a time. Your -horse probably gets frightened in the thick of the fray, and tries to go -backwards instead of forwards, the man's horse in front of you has his -ears back and a ribbon in his tail, while those behind keep cramming on -with cries of "_Get_ on, _do_, or else let _me_ come," so by the time -you have sniggled yourself through this turmoil, hounds have slipped -away and are out of sight. You may then ride for all you are worth, but -you probably will never see the _hounds_ again until they kill, or at -any rate check. So you must e'en be content with galloping in the wake -of somebody else's back, and trust to luck that he is going the right -way, but it is dull work compared to picking your own places and using -your own head to get to hounds the shortest way. - -Of course the country in the shires makes up for almost anything, and to -stride away over the pasture lands of Leicestershire or Pytchleydom, is -truly the realisation of the "Happy Hunting Grounds." After you have -once learned to find your way over a cramped country, intersected with -lime and mortar walls and barbed wire, in Scotland, or after you have -scaled the heights and fathomed the depths of the banks and drains in -Ireland, then to go down for a hunt in the shires is a holiday worthy of -the name. "Call this a ditch?" you exclaim inwardly as you flick over an -English fence, after encountering those gruesome dykes in Meath. True, I -only hunted in Meath one season, but my private verdict at the end of -the time was, "a splendid education, but an awful experience as far as -the fences are concerned." But then I do not like a ditch I cannot see -the bottom of, especially when it has sheer cut-out sides which every -person in front of you makes bigger and bigger. I also have a vivid -recollection of seeing several top hats (nothing else) wandering up and -down on the level of the ground, as other brave souls went at those -ditches and cleared them and their contents, human, equine and all. This -was on a pleasant spot in Meath, known as the "Bush Farm," and I don't -mind saying that for appalling fences I have never met its equal, and -devoutly trust I may never come in contact with its superior, unless I -am mounted either on a bird or a balloon. But for sport it was -undefeated, and the beautiful old turf was a pleasure to ride on. A -great blessing too it is having no ridge and furrow, for really -sometimes in England, the Bay of Biscay "is jokes" compared to the -ground you ride over. The continued galloping up and down is so hard on -horses, and though of course one knows the dodge of taking them -slantways, still it is not half such fun as swinging away over smooth -grass. - -One thing about Ireland--and when I say Ireland, I am thinking only of -the county Meath, for I have never hunted with any other pack over -there, barring one day in Kildare--is that a pony can get over it. It -will creep about and jump like a cat, and cross the country as it never -could in England. Then, too, people do not seem to hurt themselves so -often when they fall over there, and that no doubt is because they ride -_slowly_ at their fences, but then how one misses the gates. It is -almost impossible to believe at first that there really are not any, but -the cruel fact is proved time after time, till at last you are forced to -own that it is only too true. - -Scotland, some years ago, before so much wire crept in, was as good a -school as need be to teach anyone how to get to hounds. You sometimes -had to crawl and creep, and sometimes to jump a bit of timber standing, -perhaps uphill in a corner, or an awkward place under a tree, with -generally a wire somewhere through it or standing handy by, and it is a -great thing to _learn_ where there are difficulties, for it teaches you -to use your head, which is as important out hunting as it is in daily -life. Yet how few people seem to hunt with their heads. As long as they -can gallop and jump in sight of someone else's coat tails, there are -many who seem to be quite content, and will assure you they enjoy their -hunting immensely. - -But this is not the _real_ way. - -To use your own judgment, to have a quick eye to hounds, and as they -turn and swing to cut off the corners, to save your horse by choosing -the weak places in the fences and the best going in the fields, this is -the science of riding to hounds. Yet very few know how to do it, and -fewer still have the gift of being able to make a horse gallop. In a -crowded country where everything depends on your getting a start much -also depends on this. - -To be _strong_ on a horse is given to few, to ride light to very few, -and yet to be a really good horsewoman one ought to be both. It is -pretty to see a really good man or woman riding to hounds. How they keep -flitting along to one side of the pack, never seeming in a hurry, but -always moving on, down the furrows and over the gaps, and those who try -to catch them will find they are always in front and generally clean. - -One great thing to learn, and especially I think for a woman, is to go -quietly and not to splash. One hates to see the women of a hunt always -on the gallop, going from covert to covert across the fields. It looks -so much better, and _is_ so much wiser to trot quietly over them than to -go helter skelter past everybody else, probably squelching muddy water -over them as you go, and incurring the condemnation of the opposite sex, -who, if they are sportsmen of the right sort, will seldom be seen -bustling between times. - -Not only to ride your horse quietly, but to _be_ quiet yourself is also -an advantage. I shall never forget once in Leicestershire, after an -almost blank day, the whole field was drawn up to one side of a small -spinney by the road, and all our hopes of retrieving the day lay in our -getting a fox away from the far corner of the wood. All who understood -the importance of keeping quiet were dumb, and we could not help feeling -a little bit bored by one good lady, who in strident tones gave an -exhaustive history of her aluminium watch. Her listener would evidently -have gladly cut her short had his manners been less good, and the rest -of us wished heartily that both she and her watch were at the bottom of -the sea. Poor lady, she hunted with the greatest regularity several days -a week, but she had never learned the _why_ of things out hunting. - -Then there are what may be called the "let _me_ come" women--those who -have to gallop at their fences because they dare not go at them slower, -and if anybody happens to be before them think it necessary to shout. I -know, of course, that opinions differ as to riding fast or slow at a -fence, though personally I hold to the latter, and cannot help thinking -that people who always ride at them fast are afraid to do so any slower. -Certain it is that a horse will jump a place more surely and more -cleverly if you give him time to see what he is going at, and most of -them can jump very much bigger places even standing than people -generally give them credit for. If you take a pull to steady your horse -when you are a little distance from your fence, you will probably -arrive at the other side far more collectedly, and be striding away -again over the next field, before others who allow their horses to -gallop on right up to the fence are near you. They are going too fast to -notice the grip before they arrive at it, and consequently their horse -takes off from the wrong leg and lands like a star-fish in the next -field, then stumbles, pecks, and recovers again before he is once more -set in motion. All this takes time and tires the horse, moreover should -the luckless animal thus ridden fail to recover from the stumble and -peck, he will give his rider a far worse fall than if he had gone at it -slower. - -"Hands" of course have everything to do with the niceties of riding, and -"hands" cannot be taught. But, after all, _thinking_ has a great deal to -do with good riding, and if people would but remember that horses are -not machines, that they _do_ feel and their poor mouths _are_ sensitive, -it would go far towards improving their horsemanship and hands. I am -sure that half the falls we get are due to our own faulty riding, though -we all know how we say if our horse falls with us he is a stupid brute -for doing it, yet if the same mishap should occur while a groom is on -his back, it is then _he_ who gets that title for letting him down. We -read sometimes about people "lifting" their horses, but I do not know -what that means. One must _trust_ them to a great extent, and any -interference at the critical moment is most likely to land them head -over heels. - -I remember hearing a well-known coper say to a friend of mine who could -ride a runaway horse without being even pulled, "Ah, but then you've got -the fingers." I once tried to explain to my sister that she must "carry -her own hands," and she laughed at me for telling her to try and make -them be like souflés. "Anything will pull if you pull at it," I have -often been told, but it is _not_ easy to be like a souflé when you are -going forty thousand miles a minute, skew-ways on at a double wire fence -with a river in between. - -How women long ago could possibly ride across country without a third -pommel is a mystery to me. Yet we are told they went well. I cannot -credit their having been able to ride anything but patent safety horses, -for one needs all the strength the third pommel gives to steer an -awkward horse along, though of course one's knee should hang below it in -the ordinary way of riding. I believe the great tip in women's riding is -to ride off the right leg. So much strength is to be got out of pressing -the leg against the saddle flap, and it is noticeable what a much -prettier seat those have who rise in trotting off the right thigh than -others who laboriously rise out of the stirrup. - -[Illustration: _LANCER, IRISH HORSE._ - -(_Property of Mrs. Burn._)] - -Another thing that often strikes me is how few women carry their stirrup -foot in the right place. The proper position for the left foot is to -hang in a straight line from the knee, with the foot easy in the -stirrup, not pressed against it, but home in it _I_ think, though I see -many who only touch it with their toes. It is pitiful to ride behind a -woman and see the sole of her foot sticking up at the back, yet some -find they get their grip in this way, so they tell me, the grip which -_should_ come from the pressure I mentioned before, of the right leg -against the saddle flap. - -A well-known woman to hounds was once pointed out to me as a wonder on a -horse. So she was, very good; _but_ if she had ridden with a spur she -would have been killed long before, for she rode with her toe out and -her heel pressed against her horse's ribs. Why many women have not -broken their necks before now I do not know. Those who ride with a loose -rein, for instance. I once saw a gallant girl galloping hard across a -heavy plough, with her reins hung over one finger. It may have been -smart, it certainly was brave, but the sad thing was it showed her -ignorance so patently that one pitied her from the heart, and her horse -still more, for had he not been one of the cleverest in England he must -have tumbled her head over heels. - -Women out hunting should take their chance with the rest, and never -trade on the chivalry of the opposite sex, for this is what makes them -unpopular in the hunting field. - -If they are not brave enough to take their own place at a fence, they -must be content to wait their turn at the gap or gate. If they are wise -they will keep on the very _outside_ of the crowd in a gateway, as they -will pass through quicker like that than if they go straight into the -mass of struggling humanity, which will probably jam them out the more -they try to get in front. - -If you hunt, be ready to help other people, "and do unto all men as you -would they should do unto you." - -Don't let a loose horse gallop past you, because you happen to be a -woman, but _catch_ him. Always do what is wanted promptly. If the -Master says "hold hard," or only holds up his hand, "stop." It would be -very bad form for a woman to lead the way on such an occasion by going -on, as the Master cannot so well tell _her_ what is in his heart, as he -probably would if the delinquent were a man. If you should make a -mistake and earn a reproof, hold your tongue, and remember an M.F.H.'s -life is not a happy one, and there is more to worry and aggravate him -every hour of every hunting day, than his field ever dreams of. So -instead of feeling angry at his speaking to you, be sorry that you have -deserved it. Remember too that most people out hunting are exactly like -a flock of sheep, so if you show the way over a seedfield for instance, -or by unnecessarily jumping fences when hounds are not running, your -example is very likely to be followed, and the result will be damage -done and consequent trouble. - -Women are more generally accused of riding jealous than men, but real -good sportsmen of either sex will never think of such a thing. Of course -being "alone with the hounds" is a pleasure that cannot be denied, and -there is an uncontrollable feeling of joy when one happens to be among -the favoured few who get well away. But that is more because it gives -you a better chance of being with hounds, and more room to ride, than -when you are surrounded by hundreds of people hustling and bustling all -over the place. Live and let live, is just as sound a maxim out hunting -as elsewhere. - -Always make way for the huntsman at a gate, over a gap, or wherever it -may be. Let him pass, for it is his proper place to be with his hounds. -Always too, wait for dismounted men. If anyone has to get off to open a -gate or break down an impracticable place, cut a wire, or for whatever -cause it may be, pull up and wait till he is on again. For remember no -horse will stand still to be mounted while others are galloping past -him, though strange to say few people seem to think of that. It is -rather hard on a man after letting you through a gap or gate to see you -gallop away, leaving him to struggle with his impatient horse which -assuredly will give him little chance of getting on again in a hurry. -Possibly you might be able to help him by holding his horse's head till -he is up. There are so many little things like this that can be done -quietly, by a woman being quick to see what is wanted, and just being -helpful without being officious. - -If you arrive first at a gate, open it, and swing it back for the -others, that is to say, if you are sure you won't make a mess of it, and -only keep the whole crowd waiting while you fumble helplessly between -your whip and the latch. If you think you cannot open it, do not try, -but pull back and let somebody else do it for you, and so save time. No -one will thank you for it if you get in the way, and then only fumble. - -It always distresses me to hear men saying, as alas, they often do, and -very often I fear with every excuse, "a woman of course," or, "a lady as -usual," when a hound has been kicked or a man jumped on. It is so -unnecessary, for why should not a woman use her brains as much as anyone -else out hunting. - -I remember once hearing of a lady, who had not much experience, and was -mounted on a kicking horse. She stood among the crowd in a gateway with -her horse kicking viciously at everybody near, till at last an -exasperated man could bear it no longer, and remonstrated, saying, -"Really, Mrs. Smith, do you know your horse is kicking most -dangerously?" "Oh, yes," she replied with an innocent smile, "I know, -but I assure you I don't mind." Such innocence is sweet, but out -hunting it is as well to remember to turn your horse's heels to the -hedge, and his head to the hounds when they are coming past you, and if -your horse kicks to keep out of the crowd. For the sake of all other -women who hunt, do not risk their reputation by doing a stupid thing, or -not doing a kindly action whenever you get the chance, and try never to -give anyone an excuse for wishing that women should not come out -hunting. That warning shout of "seeds," or "young grass," in an agonised -tone from the Master himself, is too often unheeded by the hard riding -woman who has not taken in the fact, that in her anxiety to "show them -all the way," she is careering alone across a newly-sown field, while -the rest of the people have gone round on purpose to avoid doing damage -to the land. It is extraordinary how few people take such a state of -things in, but it is as well to know young grass or sown wheat when you -see it, and having seen, to avoid riding over it as much as possible, -also to shut the gates behind you if you can, and in all ways to try to -keep friendly with the farmers, for on them depends the continuance of -hunting. - -Now a word on the disagreeable subject of falling and getting into -difficulties. In the latter case I hold with the words of Solomon, who -said, "Their strength shall be in _sitting still_," and he generally -talked sense, though perhaps he was not thinking of hunting when he made -the remark. Anyhow, the best thing under difficulties is to keep your -head and sit still. Take your foot out of the stirrup, so that you may -get clear away as soon as opportunity offers and good sense dictates. A -good thing is to kick your foot free of the stirrip before you get into -the mess, if you think it at all likely to occur. It is well to be as -free as possible, and not to meddle with your horse's head, for he will -probably be as keen to set himself straight again as you are, if he only -gets the liberty to do so. - -One can but speak from experience, and my own is this, that since I -learned to ride slow at my fences, I have not had one-third of the falls -I used to get before. By riding slow, I mean taking a pull about three -or four lengths from the fence, and getting your horse to go steady and -_look_. When once you are over, you can go striding away again as fast -as you like, and so not lose your "pride of place." Indeed you are far -more likely to keep it in that way, than if you gallop over your -fences, for before long the _over_ will relapse into _through_, and then -it will be only a question of time how soon you will measure your length -on the ground. - -Of course one is bound to fall sometimes, however good the horse, -however good the horsewoman. Blind fences, wire, a wide place on the far -side, or the sun low so that it catches your horse's eyes, are all -pretty well bound to knock you over, and then the main thing is to fall -clear. Nowadays we are mercifully seldom hung up, thanks to our safety -skirts and safety stirrups, without both of which no woman should, in my -opinion, be allowed to hunt. It is wise to minimise the dangers of -hunting as much as possible, and I think that in one's clothes and -saddlery for hunting, everything should be as plain and as _safe_ as -possible. - -[Illustration: _COMET._ - -(_Property of Lady Gerard._)] - -I believe myself in Champion and Wilton's safety stirrup, and dislike -hunting on a saddle without it, though some people "crab" them, and say -they come off at the wrong moment. If indeed this does happen, the -stirrups must require mending, or else the movement of the rider has -caused the leather flap which protects the bar to rise, which of course -will set the stirrup leather free. But this is obviously not the -stirrup's fault. I also like the arrangement on the off flap, so that -you can tighten your own girths, for it is nonsense to say that women's -girths should "never need tightening." They need it far more than men's -as a rule, and if you can pull them up a hole or two after a gallop, -yourself, it is a great convenience, and much better than making some -unfortunate man, or his groom, fumble about at a buckle covered with mud -below the horse's body, as on other saddles. - -As for the safety habits, I believe in the apron skirt, for in that you -must fall clear. I have tried several so-called safety habits, and have -been hung up both on the near and the off side, but since I took to the -apron I have had no more danglings. Of course the drawback to the apron -is its appearance off the saddle, when it is certainly too scanty to be -becoming. I have, however, overcome that difficulty by having an extra -"modesty," made of the very thinnest serge, which I always carry under -the near flap of my saddle, so that it does not show, and yet when I get -off to ease my horse's back, I can put it on and feel quite independent -and happy. I therefore commend this plan to others, as being far -handier than buttoning the extra covering inside their habit skirt, and -much nicer than going without altogether. - -Women, as a rule, are not particular enough about the way they put their -boots on. Though they would be very much surprised if they saw a man out -hunting with the tags of his boots sticking out, they seem to forget -that anything wrong in the way they are put together, is sure to be -noticed, and that it is only when our clothes are right that they -attract no attention. One should always study, therefore, to be neat and -clean-looking beyond everything. - -I know many men assert that no woman should ever wear a spur. Of course -they are chivalrous enough to add, because women should never ride a -horse that needs one. Such a state of things would indeed be delightful, -but as there are some in the world still, who would rather go out on -anything than not go out at all, and that "anything" is as often as not -a refusing brute of a hireling, as cunning as a monkey, I cannot agree -with the opinion. In saying this, however, please note I do not mean by -a spur, that horrible sort of a dagger which works with a spring, and is -commonly sold as a "lady's spur," for of all the dangerous and cruel -inventions, that is about the worst. I mean the ordinary small man's -spur, with the rowels blunted, and of course this should only be worn by -those who know how to use it, never by a beginner, or indeed by any but -a really fine horsewoman, for if the foot is not carried in the right -position you are sure to touch your horse with it unwittingly, and if -you make a mistake you will probably have to pay for it. If your horse -is very hot and eager, too, you will be better without it. - -One of the most useful things for a woman to learn, is to be able to get -on her horse off the ground by herself. If you cannot do this, you are -so utterly dependent on the kindness of the long-suffering man. It is -very easy to learn, if you have any spring in your body. You simply put -your left foot in the stirrup, catch hold of the cantle of your saddle -with your left hand, and the pommel and reins in your right, and up you -go. Be careful, however, not to knock up the flap over the stirrup bar, -if it be a safety, in doing this, or out it will come, and down you will -flop again. Of course the main thing is, that your horse should stand -still and allow you to mount. A horse is generally so tactless about -this, he will fidget and dance and never give you a chance, but, by -taking the off reins up short in your left hand, you have at least so -much control over his curvetting, that by pulling his head away, you -make him turn his body and saddle towards you. But mind in doing this he -does not trample on your toes, which he is very likely to do. - -Of course you should always try to get your horse on lower ground than -yourself, and if he is still too high, you must let down the stirrup -until you can reach it. Always try and sandwich your horse between -yourself and a fence or house, so that he cannot revolve round and -round, as they are so fond of doing at the critical moment. Try, also, -not to tickle or kick him with your toe, after it is in the stirrup, as -that will probably induce him to kick you off before you are safely on. - -It is really a marvel how few men can jump a woman on to her horse -properly, and how few women go up as they should. The operation is quite -easy, if only the man can be persuaded to _stand still_ and merely give -his hand a little heave upwards. The majority of men who do not know, no -sooner feel the foot on their hand than they count hard and run -backwards towards the horse's head, carrying the unfortunate woman's -foot with them. Thus, instead of sending her up, dragging her down till -the whole thing ends in a wild struggle, she clinging round the pommels -with her chest, chin, and arms. Too degrading an exhibition. If the man -will stand still and take it quietly, and if the woman will just spring -off her right leg and straighten her left knee, she will arrive in her -saddle gracefully and lightly, and the man will not have felt her weight -at all. It is best to come to a thorough understanding with the man -before you begin, as to when he expects you to spring. If this is to be -when he counts three, or as soon as your foot is in his hand? Do not in -any case allow him to have hold of the hem of your skirt with your foot. -Unless this is free it will hold you down, and a sort of -Jack-in-the-box-performance will begin. You spring and the man's hand -remains inert, then he jerks up your left foot when you are standing -stolidly on the right, and generally the end of all is that you arrive -in a heap on your saddle, and finish by kicking the man in the face. - -How to have a quick eye to hounds? Yes, how? But I do not know. It is a -gift which few have, and most people have _not_. To keep looking out -for the hounds in front and all round if you are _not_ seeing them, and -to keep your eye on the leading hounds if you _are_ in that lucky -position, to notice every turn and be quick to turn with them, to cut -off the corners and go the shortest way, a sort of anticipation without -anticipating, that is all I can say about it. Never ride exactly -_behind_ the hounds, as if they check you are thus sure to hustle them -on over the line and incur the wrath of the huntsman besides spoiling -your own sport and everybody else's. Ride either to one side or the -other of the pack, down wind for choice, about forty yards in their -wake, so as to give hounds plenty of room to swing or stop, should they -come to a check. - -As there is hardly one woman in fifty or a hundred who can go her own -line and pick her way all through a run--or perhaps it would be more -courteous to say _I_ do not _know_ many who, if put down in a country on -an ordinary hunter alone with the hounds, could find their way into and -out of ten fields in succession; it is as well for most women to have a -pilot. First, though, ascertain that the man is willing to accept this -onerous position. Then be careful _to give him room_, not to ride in his -pocket or get in his way, and above all things to give him time at his -fences to land _or fall_ without jumping on him. - -[Illustration: _MISS SERRELL ON COLLEEN._] - -When you have once chosen your pilot, obey him. If at a gate or in a -crowd, or for any other reason, even if you do not understand it, he -should want you to go first, _Go!_ Nip through quickly and quietly, and -don't keep others waiting whatever you do. Take your turn whenever it -comes, and take every chance that offers without hanging back, which -hinders other people, and without hustling, which annoys them. In fact, -if after you have achieved being _quiet_ out hunting you succeed in -being quick, you will have begun to grasp the situation. - -It is as well for your own comfort and that of other people to ride sane -horses as far as in you lies. I once had a ride on an insane one, and it -was far from satisfactory. It was perfectly immaterial to that horse -whether he arrived at his fence with his head or his tail foremost. Now -it is not a pleasant sensation to waltz round and round, or to find -yourself bounding backward towards an impenetrable black bullfinch and -at the last moment to whip round and swish through or over as chance -befalls. It was rather like having a hunt on a wild cat, for I never -knew where or how he intended either to take off or land, but he would -not fall, though the bridle _behind his ears_ was a mass of mud and -grass, after one double distilled peck into a boggy field. - -Of course a woman has not half the strength on a phlegmatic horse that a -man has to "gar them gang," as we say in the North. A man can squeeze a -half-hearted one over a fence, where a woman would be simply powerless -to do anything, and I think the worst sort of a horse a woman can ride -is a refuser. It is bad for her in every way, for body, temper, and -nerve. One can forgive a horse everything if he will but try, but a -sulky or funking brute, who grows more and more slack as he nears each -fence until he collapses at the brink, is too high a trial, especially -when the fight which must come generally ends in rearing, which is of -all things most dangerous for a woman. - -I once had a racehorse given me, which had been spoiled in training, -with the temper simply of a fiend. In racing, he never would try, but -always shut up just when he ought to have won with ease, for to give the -devil his due--and he _was_ one--he could gallop. That horse out hunting -was simply purgatory; he could jump like a stag, which was the most -irritating part of the whole thing, and sometimes he would gallop and -jump with the best for a few fields, then all of a sudden collapse, -stop, dig in his toes, and that was the end of my hunt, for no power on -earth after that would induce him to go _forwards_. Backwards he would -go all round the field, with intervals of rearing. I saw him fall -backwards twice in one day, when one of the whippers-in was riding him, -because he refused to go through an open gate. - -Riding a refuser does I think teach one to be strong on a horse; but is -it worth it? You can always acquire strength to a certain degree by -riding different horses, which is a far more agreeable form of -education, and much more interesting than always sticking to two or -three of your own. For a beginner, of course, it is necessary she should -above all things have confidence in her horse that he will carry her -safely, so that when she finds one she had better stick to him. A made -hunter in the prime of life with nice manners, easy paces, and good -temper is the horse for her, for he will carry her safely without -fatigue, and for that there is nothing like the action of a -thoroughbred, whose low, slinking stride hardly makes one rise. A woman -should not ride too big a horse for her size, as a great stride is very -tiring, especially when hacking on the roads. One of the greatest -luxuries is a smooth hack, and if you wish to keep warm on your way to -the meet, then, instead of driving, to canter along the grassy sides of -our English roads on a thoroughbred polo pony, is one of the most -delightful sensations in life. - -The ideal hunter would be neither too young nor too old. For the young -one will be too brave, if he is bold by nature and ridden by a keen -beginner, he will with his rider probably come to grief through want of -discrimination. The old hunter will fall short, in the sense of being -too cunning to jump one inch bigger than he need; moreover when he falls -he will not pick himself up as quickly as he might. Therefore if, when -riding him he falls, you do not happen to be "top side" your peril will -be prolonged, though mercifully horses are mostly kind and really try -not to tread on one or hurt one if they can avoid it. - -It is more than foolish ever to jump a tired horse, it is unfair, for it -he is fond of hunting, horses mostly are, he will jump as long as he -can, so if, after a long run he refuses a place, _take the hint_ and go -home. - -No one knows better than I the lonely feeling of being obliged to pull -up in the middle of a good run because one's horse is beat, "while the -merry chase goes heedless sweeping by." But if you have only one horse -out, it is hopeless to compete with more fashionable souls who are on -their fresh second horses, so it is really wiser to make the best of a -bad job, and though you feel it hard, go home. Your horse will come out -again the oftener, too, and you can enjoy a hunt but little, if you know -you are asking more of your horse than you ought. A tired horse, too, -makes a tired rider, and _that_ makes a sore back, and then--where are -you? Talking of going home and tired horses, reminds me that if you are -at all far from home it is best to put your horse in a public, or some -friendly stable on the way, and give him a drink of gruel, for this will -freshen him up and make your ride home all the pleasanter. Perhaps it -would be as well to mention how the gruel should be made, in case you -should ever have to do it yourself. Thus, place two double-handfulls of -oatmeal in a bucket, pour boiling water over it and stir until it -becomes a thick cream; then pour cold water till cool enough for the -horse to drink, which will be when it is about blood heat. Should your -horse be very done, add a pint of ale or a little gin, to revive him. - -The ride home is now shorn of some of its terrors, by the saddles which -let you sit downhill. What a boon these are, for one used to suffer -anguish, jogging for miles on the old-fashioned saddle whose pommels -rose higher than the seat, so that your knee was almost under your chin, -and the consequence was a pain between the shoulder blades, which made -you long for rest. Oh! those long jogs home. Miles and miles at hounds' -pace, on a rough or tired horse. How I used to pull up and walk, and -then gallop to catch up my father, he jogging even on, even on, all the -time. I can hear him now answering my complaints with, "nonsense, child; -it rests one all the way." - -[Illustration: _GONE TO GROUND._ - -(_PORTRAITS OF FOUR B.V.H. PRIZE WINNERS._) - -(_From a picture by Basil Nightingale, in the possession of Lady -Theodora Guest._)] - -Perhaps I am a Sybarite, but I do like to drive both to and from -hunting, and to have a second horse out completes my joy. An open cart -with a polo pony to drive, is to me better than all the broughams in -Christantee. To drive on in the morning through the soft damp air that -smells like hunting, with hopes running high for the sport to come, -seeing the tiniest second horseman jogging on with the biggest of -horses, everything makes one feel the joy of life. And when the day is -over, to slide off your horse and send him home, and turn in yourself to -a bright fire, and tea and poached eggs, at some little Inn by the way, -is most comforting. Then you wrap yourself up in your fur coat and -woolly gloves, and tuck yourself in to the rugs, and bowl away home in -the twilight, with the stars twinkling above you, and the blackbird -chuckling his good-night, while the pony trots his best in the -anticipation of oats to come. A pleasant sense of healthy tiredness is -upon you, which serves to make you appreciate the comforts of your -drive, as you sit there cosy and warm, dreaming of the happy day that is -done. - -R. M. Burn. - -[Illustration: _Elliott and Fry. 55, Baker Street._ - -_LADY GIFFORD AND HER HARRIERS._] - - - - -HARE HUNTING. - - -This sport has a peculiar interest for women inasmuch as they are able -to take a leading part in it. With foxhounds, the duties of the huntsman -are too arduous, even though a woman M.F.H. has not been unknown in the -past. But to the Lady Salisbury of venatic fame who hunted the fox -manfully over Hertfordshire, we may refer as the exception that proves -the rule, for few women would feel they had the physical strength for -the task. - -With harriers, however, the case is different, for in the first place -the little hounds are very handy, and the hunting of the hare is a sport -which should above all things be conducted quietly. The less holloaing -and noise there is with them the better, for the hounds should be -trusted to work out the puzzles set them by the hare, with as little -interference as possible. Of course hare hunting may be turned into a -poor imitation of fox-hunting, by racing a hare to death with 22-inch -foxhound bitches, but this is not true sport in any sense, for it gives -the quarry little chance of saving its life, and should be -discountenanced by all lovers of the chase. Apropos of this subject, -there was in a certain harrier country a great, flat-sided, long-legged -hound which attracted the notice of a sport-loving stranger, as being -evidently too fast for the pack. In all innocence this visitor remarked -to the Master, "I suppose you will draft that hound?" To his -astonishment the Master, with an expression of horror and indignation, -exclaimed, "Draft him, why he is the best hound I have. He kills more -hares than all the rest put together." The visitor said nothing, but he -knew the kind of sport that lay before him. - -To leave the travesty of honest hare hunting, let us turn to the more -pleasing subject of how the chase should be carried on, and here at the -threshold we may pause to recall the names of those women, who of late -years have carried the horn and hunted their own hounds. Mrs. Cheape, -the Squire of Bentley, has shown good sport for many a year, first with -the Wellfield Beagles, and since 1892 with the Bentley Harriers with -which her name is so intimately connected. Mrs. Pryse-Rice became M.H. -only two years later, having started her pack in 1894, and last season a -third name appeared in our hunting lists, when Lady Gifford took the -field and carried the horn with her harriers. Great success has attended -both the kennel and field management of these enterprising sportswomen, -and when we come to consider the history of their efforts, we shall see -that they have proved the fitness of women for the duties in which they -themselves have excelled. Lady Ileene Campbell too, before her marriage, -proved herself fully equal to the hunting of her brother Lord -Huntingdon's celebrated pack in Ireland, the Duchess of Newcastle at the -present time enjoys the pleasure of hunting her little pack in the -neighbourhood of Clumber, while Mrs. Briscoe in Ireland whips in to her -husband's hounds, and Miss Lloyd of Bronwydd does the same to her father -Sir Marteine Lloyd's famous pack of beagles in South Wales. - -As we have already said, there should be no fuss and bustle in the field -with harriers. When hunting them you should never interfere with them -unless they are entirely at fault, and then you should have some -definite idea of where the hare is gone, and should know, or think you -know, something the hounds do not. There is no cracking of whips wanted -in this sport. A touch on the horn, or, better still, a low whistle--if -you possess this accomplishment which to many good sportswomen is -denied--should bring your pack round you, and you should then slowly -trot off in the direction in which you think you will pick up the line. -If you view the hare, as you often will, squatted close to your horse's -feet, do your utmost to prevent the hounds getting a view, for it is the -destruction of good sport with harriers for them to view the hare till -within a few moments of the end. The hunting should be done fairly and -honestly, inch by inch, till the quarry has been run down. Any hound, -therefore, that is given to staring about for a view, I would draft, or -make a present of to one of those packs which holloa, mob, and course -hares to death. - -[Illustration: _MRS. PRYSE-RICE'S KENNELS._ - -(_WOODMORTON CHARITY AND WILFUL._)] - -Foot people who as a rule come out largely with harriers will of course -holloa, and in some cases when they receive no encouragement to do so, -but their too noisy zeal should be steadily discouraged, and while you -show every willingness to let this part of the field see sport, you -should let it be known that you wish for, and expect silence from them. -If your wishes are not respected, I should then advise you either to -take hounds home, or trot right away for two or three miles before you -look for another hare. No woman should attempt to hunt hounds who has -not the resolution to keep her field--both mounted and unmounted--in -proper order. You may indeed--for it is very hard for some men to -believe that a woman can understand hound-work--be troubled by -suggestions from your field, which they would never dream of offering if -a man were carrying the horn, but most women will know how to meet such -cases with the courteous indifference which will protect them from -further interference. An instance of this has lately come to my -knowledge. A lady M.H.'s pack was drawing for a hare on some moorland, -and it was evident to her that hounds were on a very stale line, but -were slowly working it out foot by foot. This was not very amusing to -her field, and at last the farmer who owned the land went up to her and -said that hares never worked the way hounds were going, and asked if -she would not cast them up the moor. The M.H., however, answered quietly -that while she felt sure the farmer knew the run of his hares, she -thought the hounds were close on their's, and that in another moment or -two it would get up in front of them. The words were scarcely spoken -when up got the hare, and the worthy mentor had to sit down and ride for -all he was worth, for she ran as only a moorland hare can, and hounds -had a fast forty-five minutes before they ran into her in the open. - -Quietness and trust in her hounds are the two qualities without which no -woman can hunt a pack successfully. This brings me to the subject of the -hounds themselves, and though it may seem rather like putting the cart -before the horse, to speak of hunting them first, yet it is certain that -no one will find the hounds of much use until she knows how to handle -them. The first point of course to decide is the kind of hounds you mean -to have, whether dwarf foxhounds, stud-book harriers, or the old pure -harrier. - -[Illustration: _H. E. Coles. Redditch._ - -_BUXOM, BENTLEY HARRIER._ - -(_Winner of Champion Cup, Peterborough. 1897._)] - -The pure harrier has undoubtedly the advantage in tongue, but though -good music is a charm it is not so necessary with harriers as with -foxhounds, as the former are generally in sight. As against this they -have, unless very carefully bred, a lightness of bone and a tendency to -splay feet and flat sides. Here again, however, we shall see presently -what the experience of those who have taken the matter in hand has been. - -Dwarf foxhounds are only to be recommended in countries where hares are -bold and strong and go away like foxes, for most countries they have too -much drive, and will be continually flashing over the line, and if you -compare the hunting of one of these packs in an ordinary country with -that of good stud-book harriers, the balance of sport in the long run is -sure to be with the latter. What the foxhounds gain in speed they lose -in the tendency to over-run the line. And now we must face the question -of what a stud-book harrier is. A pure harrier, with an infusion of -foxhound blood some generations back, so that now the hare-hunting -instinct of the former, and the good feet and shoulders of the latter -are combined in the shapely, compact, little harrier to be seen taking -the prizes at Peterborough, is, I suppose, about as good a description -as we can have. The nose and the patience characteristic of the good -old-fashioned hare hunting hound are necessary to good sport, and that -power of hunting a cold scent down a road, which they transmit to their -descendants, is a most useful one. But the make and shape which will -enable them to stay through a long day's hunting, and a certain amount -of drive which adds greatly to the sport, come from an infusion of -foxhound blood. Then, after at least three generations devoted -exclusively to the chase of the hare, we may hope to get the happy mean -between the drive forward on the one hand, and the pottering and towling -on the other, in which lies the pleasure and success of hare-hunting. - -When you have got over the preliminary difficulties of starting a pack -you should draft down your hounds till you have as level a lot as -possible, 18-19 inches being about the general standard. Larger hounds -than these will smother the hare, and smaller ones cannot get over the -fences of any ordinary country. The ultimate aim of everyone is, of -course, to have a level pack, as otherwise, no matter how good the -hounds may be, they can never have the smart appearance in the field so -dear to the sportswoman's heart. I would always prefer to have even two -or three couples short, than to spoil the look of the pack by having out -hounds either too large or too small. It is not in any case desirable -to have out a large pack to kill hares, from eight to fourteen couple -being quite enough for any country. Some twenty couple of good stud-book -harriers then in kennel, will be enough for you to have a smart -workmanlike lot of the requisite number in the field, two days a week. - -There are no hounds so full of faults, both of make and disposition, as -harriers, and it is never an easy matter to buy a pack ready made. The -best way, therefore, to begin is with unentered drafts from known -kennels, such as the Boddington, the Aldenham, and the Bath and County, -and then to breed and buy as opportunity offers. - -I would remorselessly draft hounds that do not throw their tongues, and -this in spite of the fact that mute hounds are often good in other ways, -and the rest of the pack will fly to a trustworthy one directly it -begins to feather on the line. This recalls the amusing hypothesis -recently made by a brilliant writer on sport, that hounds have a system -of signalling with their sterns, analogous to the "flag wagging" of our -army. Did the original idea of signalling, this writer asks, come to -some gallant officer while he was watching hounds feather on a scent? If -not, many will agree that the system _might_ have originated in this -way. - -But to return. Worse hound faults, even than muteness, are jealousy, -skirting and babbling, any one of which should be at once met by -drafting. The last--babbling--is incurable, but the other failings often -appear in good hounds after they have lost their pace. As these habits -are very catching, the only remedy is to draft the hounds directly they -show symptoms of them, and you will find that you need to be constantly -drafting from the head and tail of your pack, and you will be wise to -keep few hounds over four seasons. - -The first thing in the training of hounds is to get them perfectly handy -and under control, and to do this will mean time and trouble. You must -win their affection, and consequently must spend much time with them, -both in the kennel and on the road. In this way you will soon get to -know the character of each hound, and you will take out the docile ones -first in couples, and then when you can trust these, the wilder and more -headstrong hounds. You should take notice of the hounds continually on -the road, speaking to them of course by name, and your whipper-in -should be ready with his thong whenever it is wanted. Not that the whip -should be much used, this will not be necessary if you study your -hounds' dispositions, and treat each one according to the peculiarities -you have noted. But all the same, chastisement should be prompt for any -attempt at rebellion after due warning given, and then you must harden -your heart to the piteous cries that will follow. Always keep a watchful -eye on the hounds when you have them out, and never let them break away -if you can possibly help it. If, however, such a thing does happen, it -will add greatly to your comfort it the ringleaders be transferred at -once to another kennel. At the same time when on the road, or out for -exercise, you should give hounds plenty of room, for it is bad for them -and certainly does not look well, to have them packed close round your -horse's heels. - -Never under any circumstances take a pack into the field before you are -sure that their discipline is perfect. Till the hounds know you -thoroughly you should drill them whenever you go into the kennel. Let -them greet you while you make much of them, for it is thus that you will -win their hearts, but, this over, it is a good thing to make them "lie -up," and not to let them venture to leave the bench till they are called -by name. Then you will call first one and then the other, making much of -the obedience and readiness shown, and rewarding the hounds with -biscuit. If you mean to hunt the hounds yourself, you must go to the -kennels daily, and in any case it is always well to see that the -servants are sufficiently careful in preserving perfect cleanliness and -sweetness, both with the hounds themselves and in the kennels. It cannot -be too much insisted on that cleanliness rigorous, absolute and -complete, must always prevail. This is quite practicable, and no excuse -should be accepted as to its failure in any one particular. A good -disinfectant such as Jeyes' Fluid, and constant vigilance on the part of -the kennel-man, are all that are required. - -[Illustration: _WOODBINE, WELLFIELD, BUXOM, - -BENTLEY HARRIERS._ - -(_W. West_, K.H., _with Three Champion Winners_.)] - -If you have a good kennel-man, it is not necessary for you to feed -hounds yourself, but you should frequently inspect the food, as even the -best servants are apt to be careless in this matter. If, however, you -study economy and only have a lad in the kennels, then you or some -member of your family should always see to the feeding of the hounds. -The food may consist of horseflesh and old oatmeal, with a few biscuits -and some bone-dust, and this diet I should say would be found the best -and cheapest in the end. This, however, is a matter in which each hound -owner will use her own judgment. There are of course various ways of -cheapening the diet, but I cannot honestly recommend any of them. On the -care in the kennel depends the sport in the field, and without health -and condition in the hounds you can hope for no good days. Far better to -have a less well-bred pack, or an inferior country, than hounds which -are out of sorts and condition. This reminds me that whenever you go -into the kennel you should have a watchful eye for the slightest -symptoms of a dull or heavy look in any hound, and order such to be -separated at once. A healthy hound should be clear of eye and bright of -coat, as well as bright and cheery in manner. If you are in doubt about -the health of one of your pack, remember that the pink of the mouth is a -great sign of health, while paleness and yellowness about the gums is -the reverse. - -Quite the worst part about keeping harriers, in my opinion, is the -constant drafting of the hounds. Perhaps in the case of some old -favourite which you know has taken to skirting and hanging on the line, -you overlook the faults and refuse to part with him. But what is the -result? You find the younger hounds are becoming demoralised, and -reluctantly are forced to recognise the truth of the verdict, that -harriers should be drafted in their fifth season. It is only the few of -exceptional constitution and strength to whom this does not apply, and -so you have constantly to be hardening your heart to send some old -favourite away. - -There are only two points on which I need touch further, and these are -your assistants in the field, and the treatment of the quarry. For the -first you should have two whippers-in, one an amateur and one a -professional, and though as long as things go right they will not be -needed, they should always be ready in case of riot, or when hounds are -nearing forbidden territory. For though harriers will do no harm in a -country if they are properly managed, it is well to remember that -M.F.H.'s are tenacious, and covert owners are ready to take alarm. - -A question that has to be faced is, what to do with the hare when your -little hounds have caught her, and my advice is to let hounds break her -up themselves without any fuss, as the Badminton hounds do their foxes. - -And now to turn to the interesting topic of the experience in kennel and -field of our present lady M.H.'s, and all will doubtless like to know -something of the methods in which each of these pioneer sportswomen has -built up her pack. - -In South Wales, where Mrs. Pryse-Rice has her kennels, the conditions of -sport are very different to what they are in the southern counties of -England. In the first place, the spare little black-backed mountain -hares of Wales, have a turn of speed beyond the powers of their better -fed English fellows, and are very hard to kill. Instead, too, of -circling round and round when before hounds, they will generally go -straight away and will often give a five mile point as bravely as any -fox. The reason of this fitness is to be found in the fact that they are -constantly being coursed by the farmers' cross-bred greyhounds and -collie dogs, which are often scantily fed and badly in want of a dinner, -and they have far to go themselves for food, as they have no nice fields -of roots at hand like the more luxurious lowland hares. - -It is evident then that the hounds to follow these speedy little hares -must be quick in getting away and have plenty of drive, and I cannot do -better than quote Mrs. Pryse-Rice's own words on the subject, as to how -she has succeeded in building up such a pack. - -"I started my harriers in 1894, being much helped in the first instance -by gifts of hounds from my father-in-law, Mr. Vaughan Pryse, who hunted -his harriers for forty seasons, and is one of the oldest Masters in the -kingdom. To these I added a few couple of the Woodnorton pack when it -was given up by the Comtesse de Paris, and some small foxhounds chosen -from my husband's pack, which he had given up the season before.[2] The -first year I ran a small pack of twelve couple, and though the hounds -were perhaps not a very level lot, they gave us a very good season's -sport. Now after four years of breeding, buying and drafting, they run -up well together, and are a Stud-book pack of twenty couple of 19-20 -inch hounds. - -[Footnote 2: Mr. Pryse-Rice was Master of the Tivyside -Foxhounds.--Editor.] - -[Illustration: _Elliott and Fry. 55, Baker Street._ - -_MRS. PRYSE-RICE AND HER HARRIERS._ - -(_MR. PRYSE-RICE AND A. MANDEVILLE_, K.H.)] - -"Although I am of course keen to breed a Peterborough winner, still my -great ambition is to own a pack that will hunt and drive. I am not in -favour of the slow, sure and persevering type of hound, for though these -may hunt and constantly kill their hare, they will by giving her time, -allow her to run round and round in the country she knows, instead of -_driving_ her out of her beaten track. I like hounds to get away on the -back of their quarry and if they drive her into a strange country she -will be almost certain to go straight. If hounds do this and possess -plenty of drive without flashiness, they will often _make_ a good scent, -when otherwise they would find an indifferent one." - -As an apt commentary on the remarks of this very successful M.H., we may -note that Mrs. Pryse-Rice's hounds had some really extraordinary runs -last season.[3] For instance early in December they found a hare in the -heather, and after running her down wind for nearly two miles, they -turned and went at a pace that tried their followers for a five-mile -point dead up wind, killing her in forty-five minutes from the start. In -the same month another mountain hare gave them a good five-mile point, -and on January 12th the hounds were two hours and forty-five minutes -going at a good pace, and travelling over a great extent of country, and -they did not reach kennels after this, their best run of the season, -till 7.40 p.m. - -[Footnote 3: 1897-98.] - -It is clear, therefore, that Mrs. Pryse-Rice is to be counted among -those who have attained more or less to the ideal they have set before -them in breeding, and she has beside scored high honours at -Peterborough. The noted Harrier Stud-book bitch, Aldenham Restless, a -veteran of pure foxhound blood, by the Whaddon Chase Tarquin--Oakley -Sarah, is now in the Llandovery Kennels. This bitch won the Champion Cup -at Peterborough in 1893, and three years later took the Silver Cup for -the best brood bitch,[4] after which she became the property of Mrs. -Pryse-Rice. - -[Footnote 4: I must express my regret that it has not been found -possible to reproduce the photograph of this famous hound, though it was -most kindly sent me by Mrs. Pryse-Rice.--Editor.] - -The stock of Restless are well to the fore, for last year--1897--no -fewer than nine of her descendants were winners at the Peterborough -Show. - -Rigby, a fine upstanding hound, of pure harrier blood, by Eamont -Barrister--their Russet was second for the Champion Cup in 1897, and as -he was unentered and was shown against old dog-hounds, this was a -remarkably good performance. - -To quote once more from Mrs. Pryse-Rice's own words: "We have never," -she says, "had a big count of hares killed. We--my husband acts as my -first whip and A. Mandeville is K.H. and second whip--are quite content -to come home having accounted for one hunted hare, or when we kill a -brace in this way, it is quite a red-letter day for us. I do not see any -fun in either chopping them, or in killing three or four hares that only -run a few fields, though of course this does make up the count." - -Touching on the subject of the introduction of the foxhound cross with -harriers, Mrs. Pryse-Rice says that she is "in favour of an infusion of -foxhound blood, in moderation, into the harrier kennel." - -The country hunted by Mrs. Cheape lies round Redditch, and extends into -Warwickshire and Gloucestershire. In 1892, when "The Squire" inherited -the Bentley estates from her father, she bought the well-known pack of -harriers belonging to Captain Spicer, of Spye Park, and several couple -of the Herondon Hall harriers. The Bentley pack of the present day -includes many Peterborough winners, and deservedly ranks very high among -the harrier packs of the land. The hounds, however, have not been bred -for show purposes only, but for nose and tongue, and to show sport. At -the Peterborough show of last year (1897) the first prize for dog -hounds, under 19 inches, was taken by Mrs. Cheape's Wellfield and -Gainer. The former of these is by Lord E. Somerset's Dancer--Woodbine, -and through his dam, which was the winner of the champion cup for bitch -hounds not exceeding 19 inches, at Peterborough in 1893, strains back to -the Aldenham Restless. Gainer, on the other hand, is a home-bred hound. -A grand three couple, which took the silver cup in 1897, are Buxom -(Wellfield--Bracelet, dam by Boddington Borderer--Breconshire -Lightstone) also winner of the champion cup; Gadfly, home-bred; Verity -(Aldenham Valiant--Their Restless); Waterwitch, home-bred -(Waggoner--Woodbine); Warlike, also a son of Wellfield; and Dahlia, home -bred (Druid--Worry); the sire of the last (Ashford Valley Pillager--H. -H. Dewdrop) being one of the winners of the first prize for best couple -of entered hounds, not exceeding 19 inches, in 1894, at Peterborough. - -Truly a triumph of breeding and selection of which any woman may be -proud. - -[Illustration: _BRACELET_, _WATERWITCH_, _VERITY_, _WOODBlNE_, -_GENEROUS_, _WORRY_. - -_MRS. CHEAPE AND HER PETERBOROUGH WINNERS._ - -(_Best Three Couple under 19 inches, Peterborough, 1896._)] - -[Illustration: _DULCIMA, PURE HARRIER._ - -(_Property of Lady Gifford._)] - -Lady Gifford began by having a small pack of beagles, but as she found -it impossible to keep with these hounds on foot, she gradually changed -to harriers. The ideal she then placed before herself was to get a level -pack of 17 inch hounds of pure harrier blood. In colour, too, Lady -Gifford is particular, her fancy being to get her hounds as dark as -possible, with golden-red tan on their heads, but, as she truly says, -though a smart appearance is much--and such hounds are very smart--"when -you get a good-shaped hound it does not do to quarrel as to colour." In -starting her pack Lady Gifford has gone a good deal to Mr. Allgood's -kennels, and Dulcima, a very beautiful bitch by his Durable--Darkeye, -has perfect colouring and good bone, and, moreover, an excellent nose, -and will gallop all day without tiring. Her owner naturally regrets that -owing to the fact of Mr. Allgood not being a member of the Association -of Masters of Harriers, she is not able to show hounds bred by him, -although Lady Gifford herself has joined the association. - -The country over which Lady Gifford hunts is the moorland near her home -in Northumberland, and she finds the little hounds of 17-18 inches -beautiful to ride to over the open grass land, and very quick to get -over the stone walls and the heather. That they need to be speedy after -a heather-fed hare there is no doubt, for such an one is stronger than -most of her kind, and will usually go straight as a good fox, after a -ring or two to start with. The open land, too, generally carries a fine -scent, and even though you have harriers before you, you will find you -need to be riding a horse with a good turn of speed to enable you to -live with them. - -In kennel management Lady Gifford takes the keenest interest, and her -system appears so excellent, that all engaged in hound breeding may find -something to learn from it. "I always think," writes Lady Gifford, "that -when hounds are in work, they are often given their food too wet. This, -I am sure, is a mistake. I give my hounds the best oatmeal that can be -got, and too much care cannot be given to the making of the porridge. It -must be boiled just right, or it is worse than useless. There is a -biscuit known as bread biscuit, which I find extremely good for hounds, -though it is a little difficult to get. It is made, I understand, from -the dinner rolls and bread left at London parties, and so you may be -sure it is made of the best meal. I always find, however, that my meal -merchant is anxious for me to have _any_ kind of biscuit except this. -The washing and grooming of hounds is, I think, a point in the kennel -not sufficiently thought of. All the summer months I have my hounds -thoroughly washed with soap and warm water, and of course thoroughly -dried, and though no doubt this takes a long time, the result well -repays you. If hounds are well groomed every day, they will keep twice -as healthy, and their coats will have a shine like satin, exactly like -a well-groomed horse. As to exercising, I take them out on the road -every morning about six o'clock, for two hours, and in consequence they -never really get out of condition, but by the time August comes round -they are quite ready for 'cubbing' so to speak." - -Another point on which Lady Gifford gives information which others may -find valuable, is concerning a cure for that "kennel dread," distemper, -which she learnt from the great veterinary surgeon, Professor Pritchard. -She advises a preparation of coffee and milk in equal parts, exactly as -you would have it made for your own consumption, then to drench the -puppy continually with it, allowing him to touch nothing else, and while -the treatment lasts to keep the puppy in an even temperature. The -results of this treatment, in Lady Gifford's kennel, has been all that -could be wished, and though previously she had had heavy losses from -this cause, she has never since lost one that she has tried it on. Is it -possible that as this simple remedy becomes better known, we may find -that cruel scourge, distemper, disarmed of its terrors? - -[Illustration: _MRS. PRYSE-RICE'S KENNELS._ - -_ALDENHAM BITCHES._] - -_Beagles._ Beside the harrier, there is sport and good sport too, to be -had with the beagle after hare, and those who are young and active and -to whom the merry cry of hounds is a delight, will find a never-ending -source of interest in hunting with these little hounds. This sport has -too the advantage of being inexpensive, for it not only requires but a -small outlay to start with, but necessitates a very moderate sum for the -keeping up of the pack. Of course there are degrees of expenditure both -in the management and hunting of beagles, to be determined by the means -at your command, but a sportswoman can have a good and efficient pack of -beagles in the field for very much less than she could have other -hounds. - -The first necessity, if you wish to hunt your own beagles, is to have a -country to hunt over, and you must get leave to pursue your quarry over -a farm or farms where there is a fair proportion of hares. The number of -hares, indeed, need not be very great, as not very many will fall before -beagles. Neither do you require a large extent of country to hunt over, -as a hare is not likely to be driven right away, but in a majority of -cases will circle round the place where she is found. Yet there is a -charm in beagling, which lies in the open air, the active exercise, the -music of the hounds, and the working out by them of the puzzles set by -the hare. - -When you have secured a country--or before, if you are so inclined--you -will need to get together your pack. If a good pack of beagles should -come into the market, you would do well to buy them, provided you do not -mind the expense to start with. If, however, you do not object to -trouble, and do mind the outlay, then, even before you think about -country, you will buy some well-bred bitches and set to work to build up -a pack. In any case, if you mean to have beagles, _have them_, and do -not have dwarf harriers. The Beagle Stud-book will help you in your -choice of strains. Go to good beagle kennels such as those of Sir -Marteine Lloyd, or the Caledon, and having decided on the type for which -you intend to breed, keep true to it. - -Having succeeded, either by buying or breeding, in getting a pack, you -will then have to keep your hounds up to a certain number. From about -six to twelve couple will be all that you will want to take out, but -this of course will mean that you want at least two couple more in -reserve. You should breed a certain number of puppies every year, and in -this you must be regulated to a great extent by the walks at your -command. You might keep one couple at home, giving them a free run of -the stables, yards and paddocks, and though you will find them -troublesome and as mischievous as monkeys, their small size will prevent -them being the unmitigated trouble that foxhound puppies undoubtedly -are. Still, the infant beagle has a marvellous appetite for sponges, -brushes, and all sorts of indigestible household requisites, and he will -besides be credited by the servants with even more mischief than he -really works. You will find some, or perhaps most of your field, ready -to undertake the charge of a few couple--and those who come out -regularly ought to look upon this as a duty--and for a small payment you -can secure homes in cottages, with those who will look after the puppies -carefully and intelligently, and who will, indeed, treat them so well -that you will not improbably have a very sulky lot of little dogs to -deal with, when they first come under kennel discipline. - -Perhaps it may be thought that I have touched too lightly on the very -difficult question of breeding beagles true to a type, for except it be -the Clumber Spaniel there is no dog more likely to give you trouble -than the beagle. Still it can be done successfully, and if you choose -your bitches in the first instance and are careful in you selection of -the sires, constant care, scrupulous cleanliness, careful feeding and -regular exercise will do the rest. - -The most charming and graceful type of hound, as well as the most likely -to be useful in hunting, is one that corresponds in miniature to that of -the foxhound. There should be the same alertness and good carriage, the -good shoulders and straight legs of the larger hound, and any puppies -that fall below the standard in any particular should be immediately -drafted. To a certain extent you must be guided by the sort of country -over which you are to hunt, for if this be fairly open, without thick -coverts, stout fences or wide drains, then you will find a small -lightly-built hound, of some fourteen or fifteen inches, the best, but -if on the other hand, you have much plough and strong fences, you will -require a beagle of the heavier and larger type, standing about sixteen -or seventeen inches. With beagles as with other hounds, muteness is a -fault which should immediately be met by drafting, and I would strongly -advise the same even for great economy of tongue. Skirting or any -suspicion of falsehood will meet with the same fate, as well as the very -slightest symptom of jealousy, for the little hounds should score to cry -at once. - -There was in a pack I used to know well, a certain very handsome little -bitch, aptly enough named "Fallible," which, when she found the hare, or -touched the line first after a check, would hunt with the best, but if -another hound was before her, she would scour away at right angles to -the line, throwing her tongue vigorously when she had nothing whatever -before her. So good was this hound _when she pleased_, and "such a -pictur'" to look at, that it was a great wrench for the Master to part -with her. It was found, however, that it was a choice between letting -her go and having the whole pack demoralised, so "Fallible" carried her -gifts and her failings elsewhere. This instance will also serve to -remind you, that good hounds are not easily parted with from any kennel, -and, therefore, it behoves you to be very careful in the choice of those -you take into your own. - -The kennelling and feeding of beagles is a comparatively simple matter, -cleanliness, warmth and wholesome food being the great requisites. On -the building of kennels you need not expend any great amount of money, -as almost any out-buildings you may have can be adapted for the purpose. -The cardinal points to be considered are: - - (_a_) Freedom from damp. - (_b_) Freedom from draughts. - (_c_) Good ventilation overhead. - -Then the hounds must on no account sleep on the floor, but have the -usual benches provided, and there should be a palisaded or walled-in -run, into which they can go from their sleeping room. If these points -are attended to, the workmanship of the buildings may be almost as rough -as you please, but above all things you must not let the use of the -limewash brush be spared. - -The scraps from the house boiled up with vegetables--with care that -everything is perfectly sweet and fresh--and any good dog biscuit, will -be found to answer for their food. No hounds will do well on biscuit -only, and it should be remembered that rice is not nourishing food. Meat -and vegetables are needed, and of the latter I should advise a certain -amount of cabbage to be given. The amount of food, and this specially -applies to meat, should be carefully proportioned to the number of days -you hunt in the week, and the length of days you make. - -It is a great mistake to feed hounds either too high, or too low. If you -have not an experienced and trustworthy kennel-man, you should see the -hounds fed yourself, and then observe the appetite and needs of each -hound in the pack. - -Hounds should have plenty of exercise before hunting, and as much on the -road as you can give them when they are not hunting. They should be -trotted out with horses if possible, and out of the season eight miles a -day or even ten, will be found necessary to keep them in condition. - -Since the establishment of the Association of Masters of Harriers and -Beagles--which body I would strongly advise any woman interested in -hound-breeding to join--and the foundation of Stud Books for both -classes of hounds, immense strides have been made towards the perfection -of the respective types. The competition for the prizes at Peterborough -consequently becomes keener every year, and the glory of success is -proportionately greater. - -No one has done more for the improvement of the Beagle than Sir Marteine -Lloyd, whose pack known as the Bronwydd Beagles, is the best, as it is -one of the oldest packs in the land. A feature of this hunt, specially -interesting to women, is that Miss Lloyd, Sir Marteine's daughter, takes -an active part in the management of the hounds, and in the field acts as -whipper in to her father. Miss Lloyd has been kind enough to write the -following short account of her father's hounds, in which all beagle -lovers will be interested. - -[Illustration: _Elliott and Fry. 55, Baker Street._ - -_SIR MARTEINE LLOYD -AND SOME OF THE BRONWYDD BEAGLES._] - - - - -THE BRONWYDD BEAGLES. - - -This pack was started in 1864 by my grandfather, the late Sir Thomas -Lloyd. Next to the Royal Rock (started by Colonel Anstruther Thomson in -1845) they are the oldest pack of beagles in the kingdom. They measure -15-1/2 inches, and we generally have fifteen couples. They are pure -bred; dwarf harriers never being admitted. In 1892, the Bronwydd "Nigel" -won the Champion Cup at Peterborough, for the best dog-hound, and in -1894, the Cup was won by our "Merryboy." The Harrier and Beagle Show was -started at Peterborough in 1889, as though before this there were rules -laid down for foxhounds on the show bench, beagles had not been given -similar attention, and it was suggested by my father and a few kindred -spirits, that it was time to stop the continual drafting of dwarf -harriers into beagle packs, regardless of rule or standard. My father -consequently appealed to the Peterborough Committee, asking them to form -a show for Harriers and Beagles upon the same principle as that on which -the Fox-hound Show was based. In 1896, the Bronwydd Beagles celebrated -their Jubilee. They have not been hunting this season. - -[Illustration: _SO BORED!_] - -"Sir Marteine succeeded to the Mastership in 1877, but he had begun to -hunt the hounds himself in 1867 at the age of sixteen, when the old -huntsman, John Walters, retired. George Davies commenced his career as -whip at the same time and I was added to the staff as whip a year ago." - -I have only to add to this that the photograph of Sir Marteine Lloyd is -taken on his mare "Grand Duchess," and that four of the hounds with him, -named "Liberal," "Favourite," "Comical," and "Comely," are special -favourites and excellent workers in the field. - -Frances E. Slaughter. - -[Illustration: _Lombardi and Co. 13, Pall Mall East._ - -_THE HON. MRS. LANCELOT LOWTHER._] - - - - -SHOOTING. - - -In these few words on Shooting for Women, I must begin by saying that as -this is my first attempt at writing, I hope any faults I may make will -be lightly treated. It is only within the last few years that the idea -of a woman being able to see a gun without screaming, much less fire one -off, has even been thought of, but now I venture to say that there are -many women who are just as good shots with both gun and rifle as men, -and perhaps some better. I do not mean to infer that we can count -amongst our number anyone who can take the place which Lord de Grey, -Lord Walsingham, and a few others take amongst men, but as shooting -becomes more popular, and is more practised among women, I daresay we -shall in years to come see some of the latter just as good even as those -I have named. - -I am afraid it will take some time for men to get over the terror which -the sight of a woman with a loaded gun in her hand always gives them. -The reason of this is that they think we are much too careless to be -trusted with such a dangerous weapon, and that we think no more of -carrying a loaded gun than if we had a walking-stick in our hands. The -first thing, therefore, that a women who takes up shooting has to -remember is, that as an Irishman once said about a gun, "loaded or -unloaded, she's dangerous." One cannot be too careful in handling either -a gun or rifle, always to have it at half cock when not actually -shooting, and always to take out the cartridges when getting over or -through a fence. Accidents happen quite easily enough without Providence -being tempted by the neglect of these simple precautions. - -A woman requires a light gun if she is to carry it all day. There are, -of course, as every one knows, a variety of different bores. I will -mention the ones mostly used, which are the 20, 16, 14, and 12-bores. -The 20 and 16-bores are mostly made for women, but personally I prefer a -12-bore double-barrel hammerless gun. Of course it must be made rather -lighter than for a man. I have always myself used one of these that was -specially made for me, weighing exactly 6 lbs., both barrels medium -choke, and a thick india-rubber pad at the end of the stock to prevent -all recoil. The cartridges I use are made with Schultze powder 35 -grains, and seven-eighths of No. 6 shot. I have found this a perfect -gun, and one I should always recommend. It is not too heavy, and is -first-rate for shooting pheasants, partridges, pigeons, etc. - -The great thing in ordering a gun is to have it very well balanced, a -thing which is hard to describe but which is easily told apart, as no -one who has tried the two can fail to appreciate the well-balanced gun -as against the badly-balanced one. It chiefly consists in having the -muzzle and stock of the gun to divide their weight, neither one nor the -other being a half ounce too heavy. When choosing a gun, it is necessary -to put it several times quickly to the shoulder at an object level with -the eye, and if the sight taken comes fair on the mark aimed at, the gun -will probably suit. Another thing to remember and guard against, is -having cartridges loaded too heavily for the gun, as it makes the gun -"kick," and nothing puts you off shooting so much as expecting every -time you fire to have your shoulder bruised. This is beside very -dangerous for a woman. If, however, a gun fits you properly, and the -charge of the cartridges is proportionate to the size of the gun, a -"kick" should never happen. - -You must also be particular to have the stock exactly the right length, -so that it can be brought up quickly and easily to the shoulder. It must -be held firmly against the shoulder, with the left arm extended as -straight as possible from the shoulder and the right hand behind the -trigger guard. - -More accidents happen by _following_ game with the gun than by any other -means. There are very strict rules of etiquette to be observed in -shooting, as in hunting or any other sport, and nobody is more hated and -feared than a jealous shot. These are indeed a source of danger to -everyone, as they are always so anxious to add another bird to their -score that they never give any thought to their neighbours, or think of -other people. For a person, whether a man or woman, who is beginning to -shoot, the best thing is to go out with some experienced shot or keeper -who will thoroughly explain the art of shooting, and show how to load -and unload a gun and how to hold it. To quote from the excellent article -on Shooting in the _Badminton Library_: "A beginner should at first -start with a small charge of powder and be taught to fire this off at -small birds, every attention being paid to his handling his gun with -safety as if it were loaded. He may next shoot at small birds with a -half ounce of shot. If he succeed pretty well, and is above all things -careful in the way he manages his gun, he can next be permitted to fire -at pigeons--with their wings slightly clipped, so as not to fly too -fast--from under a flower-pot or out of a trap, at a distance of fifteen -yards." - -[Illustration: _CLAY PIGEON TRAP._ - -(_Used at Charles Lancaster's Shooting Grounds._)] - -You must remember that accuracy of aim will only come by practice. When -you are fairly sure of yourself the next step is to go out to walk birds -up, but you must get it carefully explained by an authority what birds -you ought to fire at, and what are to be left alone, and on no account -should you, if walking in line, fire across a neighbour's gun, or at -birds that strictly belong to others from their having got up nearer to -them than to you. It is always better to fire a yard too far ahead of -flying birds or running game than too far in the rear. In the former -case, the shot is more likely to meet the mark, in the latter it never -can. In the former if it does count a hit it means one in a vital part, -the head, in the latter at most it means a wound in the extremities. It -is utterly impossible to measure distances in the air in front of a -flying bird or running game; instinct, aided by practical experience, -will alone teach the hand and eye to obey the brain in this respect, and -to give the correct distance at which to aim in front. - -If a rifle is required for small game such as rabbits and young rooks, a -300-bore Holland rook rifle would be useful. Rifle shooting is a far -more difficult thing, and requires more practice than shooting with a -gun. You must have a very steady hand and straight eye to be a good -rifle shot. It has often been remarked that a woman as a rule shoots -better with a rifle than a gun. I do not quite know why this should be -the case, but so it is. When shooting with a rifle one must never forget -that a bullet from even one of the smallest rifles goes a very -considerable distance. - -I used, as a girl, to have many an enjoyable evening's sport with my -rifle in the park at home, stalking "Brer" rabbit, of which there were -any number, but the difficulty was to get up to them, as they were very -shy from being constantly shot at, and at the slightest noise used to -scurry off and disappear like lightning down their burrows. Some -evenings I used to bring home two or three rabbits, though oftener than -not, none at all, but whatever the result, it was all the same a very -pleasant way of spending a summer's evening, and there was a good deal -of excitement about it. Then another great amusement of both my -brother's and mine was rook shooting. Most people, unless they have -tried it themselves, would think there couldn't be much sport in -shooting at a young rook sitting quietly on a branch of a tree unable to -fly away, but let them once try rook shooting with a 300-bore rifle, -when there is enough wind to blow the trees about, and they will find it -requires no small amount of skill to fetch down a young rook from the -top of a high tree which is gently swaying to and fro. There are two -difficulties in this particular form of shooting which affect a woman -perhaps more than a man. The strained attitude in aiming, necessitated -by the height at which the rooks build their nests, causes serious -stiffness at the back of the neck, which soon communicates with the -muscles of the shoulders and obliges one to rest awhile. Again, and -this more especially occurs when the tree-tops are moving, the tiny -target a young rook makes when peeping out of its nest, will soon become -indistinguishable among the twigs and branches around it, unless the -sight taken is both instantaneous and accurate. Many a time has it -happened to me to gaze and gaze down the barrel of my rifle vainly -attempting to draw a bead upon the swinging rooklet, until everything -becomes blurred and blotted, and I was perforce obliged to bring the -rifle down in despair. - -I may say at once that I have a decided preference for the rifle as -opposed to the gun, though I should be the last to minimise the -pleasures of pheasant and partridge shooting. I am not one of those -women who prefer the excitement of a regular "battue" to the more sober -joys of a quiet pot-hunt. To begin with, there is no doubt that a woman -is a great bore at anything like an organised shooting party. It would -do the intending lady-shot good to see the faces of the men on hearing -that they are to have the honour of her company during the day. The -smothered grumbles of the younger sportsmen are drowned in the more -forcible ejaculations of the older generation. But apart from this, and -I am not for one moment assuming that it is the duty of women to -consider exclusively the whims of the sterner sex, there always seems to -me to be some special enjoyment in sallying forth with the object of -replenishing an exhausted larder, and with the certainty of having to -work one's hardest to accomplish the task. Every shot then becomes of -importance, and the comparative scarcity of the prey redoubles one's -vigilance and activity. Should the wily partridge elude your aim on -these occasions, you feel as if some tremendous disaster had occurred, -and your spirits do not recover their normal condition until some -special success has rewarded your efforts, and a long and difficult shot -has added another victim to the bag. In shooting, as in so many other -pursuits, it is quality not quantity that should be sought. - -[Illustration: _From a Painting by Miss Maud Earl._ - -_POINTER ON PARTRIDGE._] - -One of the most amusing day's shooting I ever remember was a hare drive -in Austria. We left the house at one o'clock and drove about eight miles -through a very flat country to the "rendezvous," where we found a -perfect army of beaters who were chatting volubly in an unknown tongue. -I discovered later that they were talking Polish, which is the common -language of the peasants in that part of Silesia adjoining the -Austrian-Russian frontier. The men were mostly barefooted, but in other -respects resembled the average English beater. The keepers were -distinguished by their green livery and Austrian conical hats. They -carried horns slung from their shoulders, and when a line had been -formed some quarter of a mile in length, the signal was given by the -head-keeper on his horn and was taken up by his subordinates. An -excellent method was observed in allotting a certain number of beaters -to the care of each keeper, who was then responsible for their -maintaining a good line and preventing stragglers. - -The ten guns were of course distributed at intervals along the line, and -we started across level fields of potato and beet-root sugar roots which -took the place of our turnips, and were much easier to walk through. -There were no fences, and the fields were divided by ditches and low -banks. Game was plentiful, and although we only shot for about -two-and-a-half hours, we succeeded in killing about two hundred hares -and several partridges. The beater who carried my cartridges was greatly -excited whenever I was fortunate enough to kill a hare, and jabbered -away in his native tongue. I have never heard anything approaching that -language. It is a fearful and wonderful thing, and I wished I could have -brought some of it away with me to use on special occasions in England. -The only drawback was the weather. It rained cats and dogs, and while I -was glad to note that England has not the monopoly of inclement weather, -I must confess that the Austrians think no more of a wet jacket than we -do. At five o'clock we gave up, and returned home wet to the skin, but -none the less my husband and I have the pleasantest recollection of our -first day's shooting in Austria. - -Before closing this article I must refer shortly to the subject of -dress. The first thing to remember, is always to have a dress of some -dark or neutral tinted material that will not be conspicuous on a moor -or when birds are being driven, and which will also keep out the rain. A -short skirt, breeches, thick boots, and either woollen stockings or -gaiters, and a double-breasted loose coat are the most convenient as -well as the most sportsman-like. But the coat must be loosely made, so -as to allow one to bring the gun up to the shoulder quickly and easily, -otherwise it will seriously interfere with the shooting. - -Gwendoline Lowther. - -[Illustration: _From a Painting by Miss Maud Earl._ - -_IRISH SETTERS._ - -_CHAMPIONS SHANDON II. AND GERALDINE._] - - * * * * * - -A friend, whose name I may not divulge, has kindly given me the -following notes, and I venture to think that their excellence will make -them acceptable, even though the writer prefers to remain -unknown.--Editor. - -Shooting is a sport which requires neatness, accuracy, and the most -persevering practice. Its real pleasure lies in successful shots rather -than in the number of slain. Of course this does not mean that you -should chance doubtful shots, but rather that you should gain the skill -enabling you to kill a driven grouse, or partridge, or rabbit crossing a -ride, or a high-flying pheasant, neatly, instantaneously, and with -scarcely the loss of a feather or fluff of fur. To do this, constant, -steady and unremitting practice will be necessary. - -With regard to the choice of a gun I have little to add to Mrs. -Lowther's remarks. Many people would say that you might begin practising -with a common gun, but my strong advice is to get a good weapon to learn -with, for you will overcome difficulties much more easily if you have a -really good gun, and one that fits. The good shot, indeed, may do -fairly well with a less perfect gun, but in my opinion a beginner should -have the best possible weapons to her hand. Bad shooting will not spoil -a good gun, but an uncomfortable ill-fitting, too heavy gun, may spoil -the novice as a shot for ever. - -Having chosen a suitable gun, the next thing to do is to learn to shoot. -If the gun fits you well, this is no difficult matter, at all events up -to a certain point. Aim should be constantly taken at a small paper -target set up in a room, and regular practice should be had every day at -bringing the gun quickly up to the shoulder, with the sight on the mark -at which you aim. Thus, fixing the eye on the imaginary point at which -you are shooting, and holding the gun lightly and firmly, bring it up to -the shoulder so that as soon as it is in position you could fire at the -object without delay. As soon as you find you can do this, the gun still -unloaded, should be the companion of your walks, and should be brought -up to the shoulder in the same way at birds, rabbits, or any mark -animate or inanimate that you please. This practice will have the double -advantage of training your eye and hand, and accustoming you to the -weight of the gun, which though not great, will yet be felt after you -have tramped a good many miles. - -Then you need to learn to judge distance. A good plan is to fix on an -object in front of you when out for a walk, and after saying to yourself -how far it is off, to pace the distance. Another good plan is to cut out -of cardboard a rough figure of a bird, pheasant, or partridge, and -fasten it to a tree. Then measure forty yards, thirty-five yards, and -twenty yards, for you should never shoot at birds much nearer than that. -After this begin at twenty yards and move slowly back, aiming every yard -or so and making mental notes of the size of the cardboard bird as it -appears to you. Half the missing, and more than half the wounded birds, -come from a want of power to judge distance. Fortunately continued -practice is very easy, and you should be always measuring distance when -you are out walking. - -Boys when they learn to shoot either go out with the keeper or get shots -at jays, hawks, or other vermin in the woods, or they surreptitiously -prowl about the hedges and shoot at anything that moves. But there are -objections to both these plans for women, who may not have woods in -which to range, and it is hardly necessary to say that the shooting of -small birds is not to be encouraged. So for the next step I would -suggest the clay pigeon. I have found that practice at these is very -useful, and the flights are so ingeniously arranged that plenty of -variety is given to the shooting. If there are several shooting people -in the house, it will be possible to organise little competitions and -sweeps which will improve your shooting by the spirit of emulation. I -may add, by the way, that in country houses a clay bird shooting -competition is a capital thing to fill up the day in the cub-hunting -season, when after an early morning's sport, the rest of the day -sometimes hangs heavily on our visitors' hands. - -The next step is to the rabbit, though bunny is a most difficult and -deceptive animal to shoot, having been made by nature at least six -inches too short. The best way for a beginner to shoot rabbits is to go -out with the ferrets, and get shots at them as they are bolted. I prefer -shooting rabbits in this way for quite a beginner, to stalking them in -the open when feeding near their holes, as until one is pretty sure of -killing them, there is always a danger of wounding them, and then they -creep away into their burrows to die miserably. Never shoot at a rabbit -going dead away from you, and learn from the first to aim well forward. -Of course the easiest of all shots for a beginner is at a hare crossing -in covert, but hares are hardly numerous enough in most places and often -are more or less preserved for harriers or coursing. By the time you can -hit a wood pigeon and bowl over a rabbit neatly, you will have made some -progress, and will be able to take up the various kinds of shooting in -turn. - -I will speak of grouse first, because these birds afford the very best -shooting possible. For women who have the opportunity, there is no doubt -that driven grouse are in some respects more suitable to their powers -than the birds to be obtained after a long fagging tramp over the moors. -With the universal popularity of driving, both with shooters and the -owners of moors, such opportunities are likely to come frequently in the -way of women, whose means enable them to shoot in Scotland. Driving is -popular with owners because it is better for the moors, a larger -proportion of old and therefore useless and injurious birds being -thinned out by this method, than when a moor is shot over dogs in the -ordinary way. With shooters it is popular, because driven grouse afford -perhaps the finest shots of any known game, with the possible exception -of the Himalayan pheasants, as they sweep with their grand rush down the -sides of the mountains. - -There are certain points which all shooters of driven grouse should bear -in mind, one being that the eyes should be, so to speak, working in -front of the gun, which should come to the shoulder with one movement, -and the trigger be pulled at once. It is this instinctive action in -shooting which makes the constant practice, on which so much stress has -been laid, so necessary. It cannot, so far as I know, be acquired in any -other way, but if a woman has the perseverance and keenness necessary, -she is likely to acquire it more quickly than a man. - -Birds, it must be remembered, coming at the pace of driven grouse, fly -into the shot, and therefore the shooter must aim further in front than -would be the case with birds going at a slower pace. But the angle at -which the birds are coming, their height, and the inclination of their -flight, all make a difference. Infinite variety is the characteristic of -shots at driven birds, and it will need all the coolness and steadiness -of nerve of the shooter to meet each occasion as it arises with -promptness and success. When the birds are coming within shot, the -gunner should fix on the bird she means to shoot at first, this being -the one which is easiest for her, that is to say, the one which offers -the sort of shot at which she is best, and at which, therefore, she can -fire with the most confidence. Then keeping her gun at the shoulder, she -will take the second available one. There is no necessity to look to see -if the first one has fallen, for if you have missed you can do no more, -and if it is dead you should waste no more time on it. This is -undoubtedly the method of shooting grouse most suitable to women. It -gives the minimum of fatigue with the maximum of skill, and it is to -skill rather than bodily force to which a woman must look if she would -excel in sport. For however young, strong, and active she may be, it -must never be forgotten by the prudent sportswoman, that we _are_ the -weaker sex. - -If, however, the moor on which the woman has the chance of shooting is -not suitable for driving, and some far northern moors yield better -results to dogs, then she may try her luck over the pointers and -setters. Very delightful you will find this, but it is well not to -overtax your strength, not only on your own account, but also to avoid -being regarded as an encumbrance by the male members of the party. Beats -near the lodge, if possible, should be chosen, and luncheon should, in -my opinion, be the signal for the prudent sportswoman to retire. - -When I turn from the grouse to the partridge I shall probably have a -much larger public, for partridge shooting is, next to the rabbit, the -most easily attainable form of sport. It varies in quality of course, -but is always enjoyable, though it requires very much smaller -expenditure than the grouse. Almost every girl that can use her gun, may -hope to get a shot at partridges. The partridge is little inferior to -the grouse, or perhaps I may say, it is only inferior in its -surroundings. In its pursuit the wild romantic scenery of the moor, will -be exchanged for the tamer but not less beautiful landscape of the -manor. There are three ways of shooting partridges, the drive, walking -up, and shooting over dogs. The first of these is only suitable for -large estates, and is not therefore within the reach of many women. I -well remember the first time I saw one. The friend to whom I owe most of -my shooting, whom I will call Mrs. Robinson, had herself learned to use -her gun in order to accompany her husband who was very fond of the -sport, and when the management of the estates fell into her hands, she -threw herself enthusiastically into the improvement of the shootings. -Mrs. Robinson does not drive her estate, as she holds that walking up -and shooting over dogs is more suitable for her ground. But she has a -neighbour, Lord B., who does, and it was when I was staying with my old -friend, that the latter asked us both over for a "drive." - -I was all excitement at the prospect, novelty having ever a charm for -me, though I was a little nervous too as to how I should acquit myself. -My friend offered some earnest advice. "I have told Lord B. you are a -capital shot, so do keep cool, and remember that the birds fly much -faster than when you are shooting over dogs or walking, and, therefore, -the allowance must be greater. In the first drive you will probably find -yourself placed about twenty yards from a high hedge. Stay where you are -placed, and watch the top of the hedge, and try to shoot the birds as -they appear in sight over it. There are a good many red-legs on the -estate, so you may expect plenty of single shots. If you should be near -Colonel A. watch him, for he is one of the finest shots in England, both -for style and results." It was with a decided feeling of nervousness -that I found myself, as my friend had said, stationed about twenty yards -or more behind a high and rather thick hedge. "You will get some really -sporting shots here," said Colonel A. as he went on to his own station, -which I saw was near to mine. As it happened he got the first birds. I -saw his gun go up--quickly but without flurry--and he fired as it were -all in one motion. Two birds were topping the hedge, and a brace of dead -partridges dropped, killed neatly and instantaneously. Almost -immediately afterwards I got my chance at a single bird. My performance -was not so neat, for the bird went on, towered, and fell behind us. I -need not go into a long history of the day's performance, suffice it to -say I came away thoroughly delighted with partridge driving. The number, -variety and sporting character of the shots, made it a most exciting -day, and when at the close the slain totalled up to 123 brace, I felt -that we had had a really fine shoot. It was not that I took actual -pleasure in the numbers killed, but I had never before seen so many -birds which afforded such sporting shots. I have been almost inclined -since that experience to put partridge driving, for actual skill -displayed, at the head of shooting. - -As an illustration of shooting partridges by walking up, I may give an -account of a day's shooting over some of Mrs. Robinson's best ground. -Our party consisted of our hostess, Lord B. and his son, the rector of -the parish and myself. To each of us was assigned a man and a dog, and -in the dogs I took the greatest interest, as they had been bred and -broken by my father and myself. But of these more anon. They were three -good dogs, and one super-excellent one, named Dinah, a black retriever. -There was also a brace of pointers, to save time on the turnips. Mrs. -Robinson adopted the formation of beaters and guns recommended by Mr. -Stuart Wortley in his delightful volume on the Partridge--which every -shooter should read and re-read--that is, of a semicircle, with a gun in -the centre and one on each flank. This is undoubtedly the best plan, for -more, and I think better, shots are obtained than by walking in a -straight line. In root crops we left the beaters, and let loose the -pointers, which is a saving of time, and is far the most effectual. Two -guns went with each dog and took the points in turn. The root crops -finished, the pointers were called up and the beat resumed. Then we used -to walk up the partridges on the various beats. The estate was well -preserved, the keeper being both popular and efficient. - -But I think perhaps the days I liked best were those on which my friend -and I went out alone, with two steady pointers and my dear old Dinah, -and picked up what birds we could. Of course it is difficult now to make -large bags over dogs, even where birds are plentiful, as they do not lie -to dogs in the shaven fields of modern times as they used to do in the -days of stubble fields, nevertheless, we were generally able to pick up -four or five brace in a morning, and a few rabbits. Hares were preserved -for a pack of harriers, much affected by the farmers on the estate. -Sometimes too, we would beat the hedgerows with a brace of good clumbers -for rabbits, or stray pheasants, and once, in a little copse or spinney, -we found, and I shot, a woodcock. - -In turning to the subject of pheasants I have not a great deal to say, -the opportunity of shooting them in these days coming but rarely to -women. There are many reasons why a woman is out of place in big shoots, -and as pheasants now are not often shot in any other way, it is not easy -to get much practice at them. Nevertheless, there are one or two places -on my father's property where, with a steady old setter, I can generally -find a brace of pheasants or more. A pheasant flushed in a hedgerow, is -no doubt sometimes an easy shot when you are in practice, but it is good -for beginners, as is everything that gives you confidence in yourself. -When you shoot your first pheasant and he comes down stone-dead, you -feel you really are a sportswoman, and a new confidence which brings -success in its train, springs up in your heart. In woods, of course, the -birds give a greater trial of skill, as you must as a rule make longer -shots, for they will be travelling much faster. - -I seem to have said but little about pheasants which are after all the -most important game, but the principles of shooting are the same in all -cases, and with such pheasants as come in your way, you will be able to -deal, if you read and put in practice the general precepts I have given, -not forgetting to attend to the list of "Don'ts" to be found at the -end. - -We now come to rabbits, which are very important from one point of view, -for the woman who can get nothing else can often get shots at "Bunny." -There are so many ways you can get him. You may bolt him with ferrets, -you may stalk him with a rabbit rifle or a gun, you may drive him out of -covert with fox terriers or beagles, or you may make him the occasion of -a big shoot of his own. There is one thing about the rabbit which is -invaluable, he hardly ever offers you an easy shot, and very often he is -one of the hardest animals in the world to hit. Rabbit shooting in -company, unless that company be one of the most select, is decidedly -dangerous, for more stray, careless and excited shots are made at -rabbits than at any other form of sport. I am somewhat solitary in my -sporting tastes, and much as I love the _chasse aux lapins_, I like it -in solitude, or at all events with one trusted companion. - -The form that I really prefer is that which in my younger days prevailed -in Sussex, of bringing the rabbits out of their haunts with a small pack -of rough beagles, the charming cry of these little hounds adding greatly -to the pleasure of the day. About four couples are quite enough, and -they should be well under control or you may find yourself toiling -after your vanishing pack as they run the line of a hare, or even a fox. -Beagles which are wanted for this kind of work should be kept strictly -to rabbits and well exercised, so that they may be steady. Some -preparation is desirable for a day of this kind, and in order to keep -the rabbits above ground it is wise to run muzzled ferrets through the -burrows a day or two before. The rabbits will then lie above ground. -There is near my home a hill covered with patches of gorse, which we -keep for this kind of shooting. We are very careful about our invited -guns, as a careless shot easily mistakes a beagle for a rabbit. Indeed -this sport requires great care and steadiness. But to my mind it is one -of the most exciting and enjoyable of sports, the cry of the little -hounds, the ringing shots, the dart of the little brown forms with their -snowy patches of white down, the pleasure of success as the -neatly-killed "bunny" turns over dead in his tracks, make up a most -delightful whole for the enthusiastic gunner. The same kind of sport can -be followed by spaniels, free-tongued dogs of any race being the best. -Spaniels are better than any other dogs for working thick hedgerows, -into which rabbits have been previously bolted by ferrets. Some people -use terriers, but I only advise these when you have no other dogs handy. -It is most difficult to keep terriers above ground. They should at any -rate never be taken out in the spring, if you know of an earth in which -a vixen fox may have lain up, or into coverts where foxes are. - -If you wish to enjoy the pleasures of deer stalking on a small scale, -take out a small rifle and stalk rabbits. You will find it a most -entrancing sport, calling out all your knowledge of woodcraft, and -teaching you much you did not know before. You will not shoot many -rabbits, but those you do get will be well earned. Remember, however, -that bullets from these rifles travel a long way, and that you should -always know what is behind the rabbit when you shoot. By the time you -can kill a rabbit fairly often, at from fifty to sixty yards with a -bullet, you will be a good shot. - -[Illustration: _From a Painting by Miss Maud Earl._ - -_FLAT-COATED RETRIEVER._ - -_CHAMPION DARENTH._] - -Of other kinds of shooting it is not necessary that I should write much, -for if you can shoot easily and well under the circumstances I have -spoken of, you will be able to fire at anything with a fair and -reasonable chance of hitting it. One form of shooting is both difficult -and interesting, and that is catching wood pigeons on the return flight -in the evening. Many a time have I waited an hour or more for a few -shots, though often returning home empty-handed after all. But when -successful, I have had the greatest possible pleasure in getting only -one or two pigeons, which have been due to really creditable shooting. - -_Dogs and dog-breaking._ This is a subject on which I can speak with -enthusiasm, and with a certain amount of practical knowledge. Everyone -knows that in these days landowners have to consider all ways possible -of utilising their land, and of making money. Some years ago our home -farm came back on our hands in a very poor state. Never very good land, -the last tenant who had been insolvent for years, had not been able to -afford to keep the stock required, much less to use artificial manures. -My father and I decided to take it in hand ourselves, and to use it -partly as a game farm and partly as ground on which to break our dogs. -The cultivation of the farm was carried on in such a way as to form -covert for all sorts of game, and I may say that by care and personal -management, the farm is now one of the most profitable on the estate. -We always had some good retrievers, and we decided to increase the size -of our kennels, and to raise and break a certain number of retrievers -and setters for the market. My father and I reckoned that there was now -a real market for good thoroughly broken retrievers. I had seen enough -of keepers and their ways with dogs, to feel sure that very few of them -understood and cared for dogs, and I determined to see to the breaking -process myself. - -We have never shown, because we think the show bench and judging ring -are not good for dogs which are really meant for business, but we use -many of the leading prize strains. "Dinah," the best retriever I ever -had, and a bitch which seems to have the power of transmitting her -virtues to her descendants, is a black retriever of a well-known strain. -She is a model of intelligence and a beautiful worker. She watches the -birds fall, and is wonderfully good in marking the spot where they come -to the ground. No bird ever escapes her, unless it goes to ground, as -pheasants will sometimes, and you can call her up at any moment. I -attribute her obedience and docility to the fact that she has been my -constant companion, for retrievers cannot be too much with their -owners, and the first thing in training is to make friends with the -puppy, and get him thoroughly in hand before his field education begins. -Nothing is more fatal than a headstrong disposition, which I am -convinced is often the result of bad treatment. "In for a penny, in for -a pound," seems to be the reflection of a retriever, when looking back -at his raging master and evidently understanding that he will be beaten -in any case, he goes off for an entrancing chase after a hare, thus -perhaps spoiling half a day's sport for you. And vice once contracted is -most difficult to eradicate, indeed it was my bitter experience on this -point which led me to undertake the education of my retrievers myself. - -As soon as I had attained to some skill in shooting, it was my custom to -take my gun with me whenever I went out for a walk. Now, there is a -small river which runs through our grounds, and at a part of its course -feeds a number of ponds in which probably were fish stews in the time of -the monks, who were our predecessors. There are one or two small islands -on these ponds. One day I had out with me a new purchase, a good-looking -black dog. He came to heel, and retrieved a rabbit I shot, fairly well. -It so happened, however, that not far from the river an old cock -pheasant got out of the hedgerow, and as it was late in the season and -we had done covert shooting, this was a chance for me, so I fired and -hit him. The bird, however, went on, towered and fell into one of the -ponds. Directly I gave the word off went my dog, and I began to think I -had got a treasure. He went straight for the water, plunged boldly in, -and swam direct to the bird, but then to my horror, he went off to the -island, and taking the pheasant ashore proceeded to eat it. - -It was then and there that I determined to break my own dogs, and such -success attended my first efforts that we have since done it on a large -scale. "Dinah" was my first attempt. It so happened that a friend of -ours who used to breed retrievers for show purposes, took me to see a -wonderful litter of champion-bred puppies. There were eight, all black -except one which had a white star on her chest. This last, the owner -said, he was going to drown. "Oh! give it to me," I said, moved to pity -for the little round sleek victim. "Well, if you will take it away now, -you can have it." So I carried off "Dinah," and brought her up by hand. -From very early years I was able to teach her obedience, and to fetch -and carry, being greatly helped in her training, by her affection for -me. She has always lived in the house, and consequently understands a -great deal, and I had but little trouble with her. Her lessons in -seeking for hidden bits of meat were a delight to her, but I was very -careful never to allow her to chase. I believe if a dog once does this, -it is most difficult to cure, and that the vice is always liable to -break out again. - -I break all the dogs to my own voice and whistle, being attended by a -kennel boy who manipulates the check cords. As to punishment, I carry a -small dog whip, the crack of which is generally sufficient. If a young -persistent offender requires a blow, three stripes will be found enough, -but my experience is that if I cannot break a dog without beating, he is -beyond my powers. The great secret of breaking, however, is -companionship, my retriever for the time being never leaves me, and I -have the kennel dogs in my company as much as possible. Above all, I -always take them out for a run, at least once every day. - -The cardinal rules for retriever breaking are: - -(_a_) To get the dog thoroughly obedient and under control. - -(_b_) To make them perfect at the down charge before you attempt to -shoot over them. - -(_c_) To make friends of them. - -(_d_) To check faults at once, and never pass them over. - -(_e_) If a dog shows real vice to get rid of him. - -(_f_) To be patient, and not confound a headstrong disposition with -vice, for some dogs that are troublesome to break, turn out the best. - -I believe in high feeding for sporting dogs, and hard work. The fewer -dogs you have and the harder you work them in reason, the better. The -kennel food of our dogs is really the same as that of a pack of hounds, -viz.: good Scotch oatmeal, after it has been kept for a year, horseflesh -or mutton--I dislike beef--with a certain proportion of cabbage boiled -up with it. Once a week I give a _raw_ bone to each dog. No biscuits, -except as rewards. - -As to the best kind of retriever, we have had of all kinds, and perhaps -the best after "Dinah" herself, is a cross-bred between her and an Irish -water spaniel. But we do not now keep cross-bred dogs, as they are no -use after the first generation, though you may often get very good ones -then. We now use curly and flat-coated blacks, bred from prize strains. - -The grooming of sporting dogs, especially of setters and retrievers is -most important, and cleanliness, assisted by a good disinfectant, will -be found after all the chief element in kennel management. - -I have not said anything about the breaking of pointers and setters, -because there is nothing to add to General Hutchinson's system. -Patience, kindness and perseverance will lead you to success, but the -patience required is often great, for it is sometimes not till the third -season that a dog is really at its best. On the other hand there is much -pleasure in it and some profit, and as time goes on, it becomes much -easier, for the young dogs not only inherit the capacities of their -parents, but learn a great deal from them in the field, especially from -their mothers. - -_Books._ The general topics concerning shooting have been so ably dealt -with in several recent books, that it may be well to give a short list -of those likely to be of service to the beginner. I would especially -recommend - -_The Art of Shooting_, by C. Lancaster. The diagrams in this book are -most valuable and practical, and there are many useful hints. - -The Badminton Library, _Shooting_, 2 vols. The chapters dealing with -Pheasant shooting are particularly good. - -The Fur and Feather Series, _The Partridge_, a book as delightful to -read as it is useful to study. - -Hutchinson on _Dog Breaking_, a book which has never been approached, -much less surpassed. - -Daniel's _Rural Sports_, to be found in most country house libraries, a -thoroughly useful and practical book from which many subsequent writers -have borrowed. It deals of course with sport from an old-fashioned point -of view, but is none the worse for that. - -Tegetmeier's _Pheasants_, a first-rate standard work, by an expert. - -Now let me give a few useful cautions to young shooters: - -Don't point your gun at anything but the game you wish to shoot. - -Don't risk a shot if you have doubts as to its safety. - -Don't fire at birds when too near. - -Don't try long gallery shots. It is cruel. - -Don't fire at your birds, but in front of them. The exceptions to this, -are birds coming direct to you or going away. - -Don't potter in your aim, but aim and fire quickly. - -Don't, if you can help it, shut either eye. - -Don't wound. If you can't kill neatly, don't fire. - -Don't fire at a pheasant's tail feathers, but try to intercept his head. - -Don't climb over stiles with a loaded gun. - -Don't keep your cartridges in the gun, except when actually waiting for -game. - -Don't talk when shooting, or if you must do so, let it be in a low -voice. - -Don't fire at fur going directly from or to you. - -Don't talk about shooting except to sportsmen and sportswomen. - -Don't stay out too long and get over-tired, or some or the foregoing -warnings may be forgotten. - -[Illustration: _MRS. MURPHY-GRIMSHAW._ - -(_With a Tarpon caught at Fort Myers. Weight, 147-lbs. Length, 6-ft. -7-in. Time, 1 hour 25 minutes._)] - - - - -FISHING FOR TARPON. - - -Whether there be any truth in the saying "that opportunity makes the -thief," it is decidedly the case that it makes the sportswoman, for -although I now find myself in such goodly company, low be it spoken that -until I went to Florida I had never fished in my life. Such being the -case, it will easily be understood that when I found myself one blazing -day in a very small boat, with a sturdy rod in my hand, listening to a -very black guide retailing many wonderful stories of what tarpon did -when they were hooked, my feelings were chiefly those of trepidation. -However I was destined to have a large and varied experience with -sharks, jew fish, bass and many other monsters of the deep, before the -eventful day arrived on which I killed my first tarpon, and here let me -advise anyone who may be meditating an expedition to Florida for tarpon -fishing, to beware of going to Punta Gorda. - -This most charming and picturesque place was once a very favourite haunt -of the tarpon, but owing to works which have been recently started, -which entail a constant passing of steamers up and down the river, the -fish have quite deserted it. We fished there for six whole weeks, -starting often at 5 a.m. and generally staying out till 7.30 or so, and -we never saw one fish the whole time. We proved a fruitful source of -revenue to the guides and boatmen who had ever some fresh reason for our -non-success, and we had on the whole a charming time, for the hotel is -comfort itself and is a perfect paradise of flowers. We had lovely -expeditions up the river, and any amount of bass, sea trout and other -fishing, but neither we nor anyone else ever saw a tarpon. We got tired -of this at last and decided to move further down, to a place called Fort -Myers on the Caloosahatchie River. This we found to be an extremely -pretty little town, with low white-painted houses, nestling in roses and -magnolias, surrounded by gardens full of brilliant-coloured flowers and -luxuriant orange plantations, with however most primitive arrangements -in the shape of an hotel. We were fortunate in securing the two best -guides on the river and a good sailing boat, and at last our luck -changed. - -We always followed the same routine. Breakfast about 6 a.m., sometimes -earlier, then we sailed down the river towing our tarpon-boats (for each -person has his own guide and boat), till we found some place where the -fish was feeding, when we anchored the sailing-boat and went off each on -our own account. I wish I could convey the charm of those early morning -sails, the crisp, exhilarating feeling in the air, before the heat of -the day began, the brilliant sunshine, the pale blue vault above, -reflected in the shining depths beneath, where we and our snow-white -boat seemed to be floating in some delicious ether in a crystalline -bowl. Or again it might be a cloudy grey morning, when the heavens above -and the wide expanse of river below, were all one lovely pearly -opalescent haze of pinks and greys and soft indefinite blues, suffused -with a warm light, telling of the golden glory of the sun which would -presently melt the clouds away; and all the teeming population of the -river seemed to be rejoicing with us in having awakened to another long, -happy, busy day. The solemn pelicans decorating every post and -sand-bank, too intent on their breakfasts to notice us, excitable -flocks of little black duck which would rise scolding and chattering -like a crowd of school-children to settle, still volubly objecting to -us, a few hundred yards or so further on, gaunt fishing-eagles and -turkey buzzards, leviathan-like porpoises gambolling round our boat, and -everywhere the flash of the silver mullet as they leapt and played; both -the bird and animal life being an incessant source of amusement and -interest to watch. - -When we arrived in Florida on the 6th of March, we found the weather -just like that of a perfect English summer, cool mornings and evenings, -in which a thick cloak was always acceptable, for the air on the water -was invariably fresh, then blazing hot in the middle of the day. One's -poor face suffers terribly from the glare off the water, and till you -get hardened it is quite painful from the intense burning, though at -last you settle down to a uniform tomato-red or brick-dust tint. So far -as clothes are concerned, you require the very loosest form possible. -Thin silk shirts, and light serge or holland skirts for fishing, and -thin, very high boots, for when you land on sand banks or on one of the -fascinating little islands which dot the river, your ankles will be -devoured by what is euphoniously named "the red bug," and then you will -be driven nearly mad with the irritation. Indeed one English woman I met -in Florida had been quite lamed and laid up for weeks from these bites, -after having walked in low shoes along the beach. Then you must have a -large and shady hat, or do as most of the American women do, and wear -sun-bonnets. I adopted the latter plan, as the sun-bonnet shelters the -back and sides of the neck, which otherwise suffer from the heat. Then -for days when you are not fishing, you will want the thinnest of white -frocks, and for the evening or sitting on the piazza, where it is always -deliciously cool and shady, being surrounded by orange trees and a -tangle of roses, I found some muslin tea-gowns which I happened to have -with me, the greatest comfort. - -Last, but most important of all, you must be well provided with the -thickest leather driving gloves, at least one size too large, indeed -men's gloves will be found the best, as otherwise your hands may get cut -to ribbons by the line swishing out. I have had all the fingers of one -hand cut to the bone through this, and it is of course most painful. A -leather tarpon belt such as is sold at the Army and Navy Stores, is -also quite necessary. The rod I killed most of my fish on was a bamboo, -about 7 feet long. In choosing a rod, remember it must not have too much -spring, and you will require from 150 to 200 yards of linen line. But -all requisites of this sort are to be found at the Army and Navy Stores. -The great difficulty is to find a really satisfactory hook. We tried all -kinds and varieties, but I think the chief thing is to be sure that they -are made of the best steel, with good large eyes. The hooks are attached -to the line by a raw hide snooding, which is far better than wire or any -other kind, though it is true that sharks, which very frequently take -the bait, can bite through that much easier than piano wire. - -The bait used, is the soft part of the silver mullet, and the providing -of this bait was one of the greatest troubles we had. Each person -requires at least one dozen mullet a day, and the natives are very lazy -about catching them. We used to be down on the pier sometimes, with the -tide just right for starting, only to be told that the bait had not -come, and then we had to wait, fuming and fussing, for nearly an hour -perhaps, with all our chances of getting off on the flood tide -disappearing. At last a coloured man would come sauntering along with -the long-looked-for bait, and would meet all our remonstrances with the -most hopeless and exasperating good humour, and probably the same thing -would be repeated the next day. At Fort Myers however, we had less -trouble about it, our guides being white men, who very often caught the -mullet themselves. Such nice, cheery fellows these guides were, most -amusing and interesting companions, and real sportsmen. - -After we had been at Fort Myers a few days, I caught my first tarpon. He -was a fine fellow, 6 ft. 7 in. long, and weighing 147 lbs. He gave me a -very hard fight indeed, lasting for an hour and twenty-five minutes. I -never felt so sorry for anything in my life as I did for that tarpon as -I played him. He made such a plucky struggle for life, and was worthy of -a better antagonist, for he could not know that it was no skill on my -part that finally conquered him, but a sheer determination to get the -better of him. I was thankful indeed when at last I succeeded in working -him near enough for Santi to gaff, for my arms and thumbs were -absolutely numb with the enormous weight and strain. One very quickly -learns the knack of playing the fish and tiring them out, and I rarely -took longer than twelve or fifteen minutes, and sometimes less, in -killing my fish after a little practice. - -The tarpon were late in coming up the river the year we were there, -owing to the water being very cold after the dreadful "freeze" which -devastated so many flourishing orange plantations, so that the fishing -was not really good till about the middle of April. From then till we -left, however, about the 15th of May, we had splendid sport, killing -forty-eight tarpon between us, of which seventeen fell to my share. My -husband's biggest kill in one day was five, mine was three, and I found -that quite enough, for though it does not take long in point of time, to -kill your tarpon when once he is hooked, the strain on all your muscles -is enormous. It calls all your faculties into play, as may be imagined, -to kill a 150 lbs. fish on a small rod, and a line no thicker, if as -thick, as a salmon line. The one thing to avoid is letting your reel -over-run. If that happens, and it easily does, for the reels are on ball -bearings and run at a touch, your fish is practically lost, you can -rarely clear the line again. - -I was miraculously lucky in never losing a fish through breaking the -line, but the danger of letting your reel over-run has been very -strongly impressed on me, and you quickly find out how much strain you -dare put on the rod. The great point to be remembered is always to keep -the rod as upright as possible, and your thumb on the brake. - -I think very few things can equal the keen excitement of playing a -tarpon. You may have been sitting in the boat perhaps for hours, on the -look-out for the bubbles on the water, and the sound of the "puff," -which show a tarpon is feeding near. Your line, of which twenty yards or -so have been coiled loosely in the bottom of the boat, suddenly begins -to creep out, gently, almost invisibly. You think, as you see it, "it is -those wretched cat-fish again," but no, it is too determined and -continuous for that. You watch the line, breathless with excitement, -till nearly all is gone, and the pace gets quicker and quicker, then you -take the rod up carefully, so as not to interfere with the line, for at -this stage the very slightest jerk or stoppage of the line will cause -the tarpon instantly to spit the bait out. Now the line is whizzing out. -You strike with all your might and main, and have a confused feeling of -having hooked an avalanche, an earthquake and a thunderbolt all in one, -for instantly a huge mass of shining silver leaps yards high into the -air, falling with a mighty splash, to leap again, and again, and again. -Your reel is screaming as the line whistles out, but long before the -tarpon has finished his first leaps the guide has hauled up his anchor -and is away, rowing with all his strength down on the fish, which soon -settles down to a long, steady, dash downstream. You do your utmost to -make him leap again and so exhaust himself, by reeling up a yard or so -of slack at a time, then pausing with both thumbs hard on break and line -as he throws himself wildly out of the water. But away he goes again, -taking out perhaps every foot of line on the reel, and again you reel -up, working him hard. Slowly and by degrees his leaps become shorter and -fainter, you work him nearer and nearer the boat till he lies exhausted -on his side, but with one wary eye on the gaff, ready to slew round and -make another dash for life and liberty. But you hold him tight. One -skilful blow with the gaff, and another gallant fish has met his fate. - -[Illustration: _MRS. MURPHY-GRIMSHAW_ - -_ON BOARD THE TARPON BOAT._] - -A rope is passed through his gills, and in triumph you return to the -sailing-boat, there to tie him up. This all sounds very simple and -straight forward, but there is no end to the tricks of which a tarpon is -capable. He will dash backwards and forwards beneath the boat, till you -think no power on earth can ever prevent your line becoming hopelessly -entangled with yourself or the oars, he will double up and down, and -round and round, he will even leap clean over the boat, often -threatening to land himself inside it, and so swamp you. On one occasion -a fish I had hooked started away up stream, then suddenly turned in his -tracks, met the buoy of our anchor, took three clean turns round it, and -continued his mad career towards the Gulf. I thought all was over, but -Santi by some marvellous _tour-de-force_ somehow unwound it, shouting as -he did so "Let your line out as hard as you can," and away we went. All -this with a tide running about seven knots an hour, and the boat -swinging wildly in mid-stream. We killed that fish, which greatly -surprised us both. - -One hears wonderful stories of fishermen being towed many miles by -tarpon, and one Englishman we met had been over four hours one day -having a desperate fight with a very large fish, which I believe he -lost in the end. After we had been at Fort Myers some time, we heard -great accounts of the sport to be had at a place called Captiva, an -island in the Gulf of Mexico. We were also told it was a very dangerous -form of tarpon fishing there, as the place where you fish is a very -narrow pass between two islands, where there is always a tremendous sea -running, so that you are liable to be swamped. They also told us it -would be quite impossible for a woman to attempt to land a tarpon there, -as owing to the rapid tide you must land in order to play your fish, and -this entails running up and down the beach after him, which is very hard -work with a heavy fish. All this naturally made us much keener to go, so -we made our preparations, which had to be considerable, as the only -accommodation on the Island consisted of two or three fishermen's huts. -We laid in a couple of small camp bedsteads, while sheets, pillows, -blankets, and the ever necessary mosquito curtains were lent us by our -host at the hotel. We also invested in a tin plate, mug, knife and fork -each, a few cooking utensils, the largest tin bowls we could find to tub -in, a large supply of tinned provisions, chickens, ice, in fact, all we -could think of. Then we found a coloured cook, a vast and very cheery -young man, who turned out an excellent _chef_. Finally we started, with -our guides and tarpon boats--and towing our sailing-boat--on the steamer -which plies every other day between Punta Gorda and Fort Myers, and -which passes within a mile of Captiva Island. - -Captiva is a dream of loveliness, lying like a pearl on the -sapphire-blue, ever changing waters of the Gulf of Mexico--an enchanted -garden where all the ordinary troubles and cares of life seem to have no -place. As we landed for the first time on its snowy beach, where the -brilliantly green trees and vegetation come down almost to the water's -edge, and cast intense violet shadows on the low-growing cactus, with -its yellow, starlike blossoms and redly purple fruits, and gazed out on -the wondrous waters of the Gulf, where every exquisite shade of palest -and brightest emerald green gradually deepened into softest yet most -vivid blue, we felt we had indeed chanced on the Land of the Lotus -Eaters, and that here we could spend our days in dreaming blissful -dreams, far away from the multitudinous cares of civilisation. Life was -so simple there, one's requirements narrowed down in a remarkable way. -The climate is so exquisite, with the blazing sun tempered by breezes -from the Gulf, and the hut we had was a simple structure of two or three -poles thatched with palm leaves, into which you entered by a square hole -in the wall. Guiltless of furniture was the hut, beyond two trestle-like -tables, on one of which I erected my bed, to escape the numberless -cockroaches which infested the thatch. - -Our meals we had in the other hut, where cooking went on, and what -delicious repasts they seemed to us. They generally consisted of fish, -soup or chowder, a sort of "olla podrida" of bits of chicken, -vegetables, green corn, anything our _chef_ could lay his hands on, or -fried fish fresh caught, and such delicious varieties of these there -were too, and bananas fresh or cooked. We always marvelled at the -inventive genius of our coloured Soyer. But in reality you never think -of being hungry, or thirsty, or tired, or anything else at Captiva, you -feel quite superior to all bodily wants. - -We used to bathe at night in the mystical moonlight, when the air was -heavy with scents, a belated mocking bird's song perhaps mingling with -the soft rush of the tide on the shelly beach. Then we would sleep -sounder than we had ever done before, till 4-30 or so, and awake keen -and eager for another delightful, long, busily lazy day. It used to be -my greatest delight to get out on the beach, before any of the old -sailors even were about, and watch the daily miracle of the sunrise over -the shining waters of the gulf, when the air seemed stilly waiting for -the wonderful moment when the golden glory of the sun should flood land -and sea, and chase away the dreamy evanescent hues of greys and rose and -blues, which had clothed the world but a moment before. - -The island is about three miles long and one mile wide, curved rather in -the shape of a letter S, which made the most fascinating little bays and -inlets. We used to spend all our spare time rambling about and exploring -it. It is quite uninhabited except for four or five old Spanish -fishermen, who have their little settlement of two or three huts and a -drying shed for the fish, on the beach where we landed. The whole island -is covered with trees and a thick undergrowth, with here and there open -spaces covered with flowers of all varieties. The butterflies are -another great feature, of every size and colour imaginable, and the -mocking birds make the air ring again with their lovely plaintive note, -so like our nightingale. On the beach the shells were a never ending -interest to collect, so wonderful and varied they are. With all these -different amusements we never found time too long, for when we were -tired of investigating the hidden nooks and corners of our Garden of -Eden, we could always sketch, and occupy ourselves in vainly -endeavouring to reproduce the ceaselessly changing and indescribably -beautiful tints of the Gulf, with its waters rippling gently on the -golden shore at our feet, or the picturesque old fishermen in their -faded blue garments, as seen against the dim background of the drying -shed, where the fish were a mass of irridescent mother-of-pearl and -jewel-like hues, and where huge, green glass demijohns for water made -yet another note of brilliant light. - -[Illustration: - - _7-ft. 0-1/2-in._ _6-ft. 7-in._ _5-ft. 4-in._ - _156-lb._ _136-lb._ _80-lb._ - -_A GOOD BAG OF TARPON._] - -At Captiva you fish on the flood tide, which when we first arrived -there, chanced to be about 6 p.m. so we had all the day at our disposal. -About 4-30 p.m. would see us setting forth in the tarpon boats, bigger -and deeper ones than those used on the river, so as to minimise the -danger of capsizing. Gently pulling down to the fishing ground, half a -mile or so away, we would take up our places as near a tide-rip as -possible, for that is where the fish love to feed. The pass is very -narrow, about a quarter of a mile across, so we and any other boats that -might be there would be at very close quarters, indeed the swinging of -the tide frequently brought about collisions between neighbouring boats. -There we anchored, a somewhat difficult business, as the bottom is so -rocky it is very hard to get an anchor to hold. - -While waiting for the tarpon to begin to bite, we would pass the time -catching smaller fish for the next morning's breakfast, red grouper, -with their cavernous rosy-red mouth, very excellent eating; black ones -of that ilk; king fish, an extremely difficult gentleman to catch, as he -is very active and game for his size, and in colour and shape rather a -cross between an eel and a mackerel; sea trout always welcome for the -pot, or some unhappy fisherman perhaps would discover he had hooked a -jew-fish, which would mean either hours of hauling and much expenditure -of bad language and energy, or cutting the line and sacrificing hook and -snood. The jew-fish is a horrible looking thing like a large pig, a -dirty yellow in colour, covered with scales so minute that they look -like a skin, and with a huge head. These fish generally weigh over 200 -lbs., and fishermen naturally dread them, for they are absolutely -unsporting and just bore down and down on the line, never jumping or -showing any fight, but steadily resisting all efforts to raise them, -till it is like trying to lift an elephant. But whenever or wherever you -throw a line, a catch of some sort is a certainty, for the water simply -teems with fish, and you probably get a different one every time, which -adds greatly to the interest and excitement. - -In bottom-fishing, as it is up the river, the more rods you have out the -more chances of bites, but at Captiva the fish bite so voraciously and -so incessantly that two rods are as much as you can do with, one for -yourself and one for the guide. Even then if you hook one fish out of -every ten strikes, you do well. In bottom-fishing you wait for the fish -to gorge the bait before striking. At Captiva you must strike the very -instant you feel a bite, or otherwise the tarpon spits the bait out on -feeling the line, and you must strike with all your strength too, for -the tarpon's vast mouth is lined with a perfect coat of mail, in which -there is but one soft spot, an inch or two in length, where the bones -divide. The hook is put into the bait about two inches from the end, and -the shank, seized to the end of the bait, is connected with the line by -three feet of piano wire, which replaces the raw hide snooding in this -Pass fishing, where there is so much strain on everything owing to the -difference in the way the fish take the bait, and the tremendous tide -running. You need a rather more limber rod too, to help you keep a tight -line on your fish, no easy matter in very rough water. The fish are in -innumerable thousands in the Pass, which they must all enter on their -way up the river, and it is a fine sight to see the water literally -alive with these splendid fish, all leaping and playing like minnows in -a pond. - -I must say I felt very nervous at first as to my chances of landing a -tarpon at Captiva, having been told it was so impossible a feat for a -woman to achieve. Great therefore was my delight and pride, when, the -second day after our arrival, I landed a fine one, weighing 126 lbs., -and measuring 6 ft. 5 in. It was a thrilling moment, when, after many -futile strikes, I at last got one on safe, and saw his huge silvery bulk -leaping wildly into the air, while Santi threw out his buoy and we -started down towards the Gulf. I strained every nerve to keep a tight -line on the fish, working in the slack by a foot at a time, while -keeping the tip of my rod high in the air. By very slow degrees we edged -towards the shore, and at last felt the welcome grating of the keel on -the beach. I scrambled out, knee deep in water, and then the real tug of -war began; for it is a very difficult matter to run up and down a -shelving, shingly beach with nearly 130 lbs. fighting for dear life at -the other end of your line, threatening every instant to snap it, or to -make a wild dash out to sea. After about twenty minutes of this, when I -was very nearly exhausted, I felt to my great relief that the tarpon's -struggles were becoming less effectual. We could see him occasionally, -and at last I hauled him close up, Santi made his usual clever stroke -with the gaff, not however till after many attempts, and much splashing -and objecting on the part of the tarpon. I was decidedly thankful when I -saw him lying high and dry on the shore. - -My husband had two great battles in one night. He hooked an enormous -tarpon which ran straight out to the gulf. He and his boat disappeared -entirely from sight, and when after about two hours we went in search, -we discovered him breathless and exhausted but triumphant, having just -gaffed his fish, which measured 6 ft. 10 in., and weighed 180 lbs.! The -second one measured 6 ft. 8 in., and weighed 175 lbs., a fine kill for -one day at Captiva. These two, with mine, looked splendid specimens -lying side by side in the moonlight. - -It is if possible even more exciting to fish in the dark than during the -day. When you have it all to do by "feel," it is a weird sensation, to -struggle with an invisible foe, the only outward signs of which are the -showers of phosphorescent spray, as the tarpon leaps and falls again. Of -course on a moonlight night you can see all that is going on, and the -tarpon looks like a dream fish as the silvery light glitters on his -gleaming sides. - -After ten days or so of fishing in the Pass we heard they were getting a -good many fish at Port Myers, so we returned there, quitting our idyllic -life at Captiva with much regret. It is a lovely trip by steamer between -these two places. The river is thickly studded with islands of all -shapes and sizes, some flat and low, covered with an impenetrable -thicket of mangroves, others larger with a few houses and probably an -hotel. We called at two or three of the more important ones, always -finding the same scene, a dilapidated wooden pier, constructed on -slender piles standing far out into the river, where most of the people -gathered for the event of the day, the arrival of our boat. A -queer-looking motley crowd they were, coloured people of all shades of -blacks and browns and dirty yellows, languid, lazy-looking "crackers," -as the native Floridians are called, with here and there a pretty girl -in a sun bonnet, flirting with the lanky and very leggy young men in -shirt sleeves and sombrero-like hats. All were lounging in the sun, most -of them with a line, pulling up cat-fish, sea-trout, jack-fish, or -sheepsheads, as fast as they put the bait in. - -The sea is a wondrous emerald green, and we lean over the side of the -boat watching the rolling porpoises, some of which follow us for miles, -and catching an occasional glimpse of an evil-looking shark, or again -passing through huge shoals of stingarees, like enormous submarine birds -with their flapping wing-like sides. The day wears on in warm drowsiness -till at last we approach Fort Myers, and are met at the dock with eager -enquiries and congratulations on our successful expedition to the Pass. -By the 15th of May the weather had become very hot, and the mosquitos -very bad, and all the other fishermen having already taken their -departure, we felt our time had also come. It was only a few days before -we left, that I caught what was supposed to be a record fish in point of -length, 7-ft. 1/2-in., weight, 156-lbs. - -On a blazing morning we lingeringly and regretfully bade farewell to -Fort Myers, where we made so many pleasant friends, and had such -glorious sport, and we had a blazing ten hours passage on the _Laurence_ -up to Punta Gorda, so that we hailed the evening cool with thankfulness. -At Punta Gorda the big hotel was closed, and the visitors and fishermen -had all fled long since, but we found a room in which to pass the short -time that elapsed till the train was ready to start for Jacksonville. -There we arrived after twelve hot weary hours in the cars. We waited -there two nights for the boat to New York. Jacksonville is the chief -town in Florida, and a most bustling and amusing place to see. - -We had an exquisite passage to New York, five days of absolutely calm -and glorious weather, with scarcely a ripple on the sea, or a cloud in -the intensely blue sky. We arrived to find New York shivering in cold -winds and a prey to spring weather of the worst description, heavy -showers and dreary intermittent gleams of sunshine, a strange contrast, -indeed, to the perfect climate we had so recently left. Among our -luggage was a gigantic coffin-like case, in which reposed the body of my -first tarpon. I had insisted on having him stuffed and set up, as I was -quite convinced at the time I could never catch another one so fine, -though afterwards I rather regretted my haste, when I found I was -destined to even greater success. - -Hermione Murphy-Grimshaw. - -[Illustration: _Lombardi and Co. 13, Pall Mall East._ - -_MISS WALROND._] - - - - -ARCHERY. - - -There is probably no weapon in modern use which can boast a more ancient -and distinguished lineage than the bow, and so slight is the change it -has undergone during its lengthened career, that the bow of the present -day is in no-wise--save in strength and finish--dissimilar to the more -deadly instrument of far-off times. In dealing with the history of -Archery as relating only to women, a volume might be filled with the -stories of the marvellous military exploits of the warlike ladies who -lived in the East. - -But leaving these and coming to medieval times we are told of a stirring -incident, during the plundering of a village in Usbec Tartary, by some -soldiers belonging to the Emperor Aurunzebe's army. An old woman warned -the plunderers to desist, threatening them with the vengeance of her -daughter should they continue. Her words having no effect the marauders -collected their prisoners and booty and were retiring when a damsel rode -up carrying bow and arrows and mounted on a warlike steed. She boldly -summoned the soldiers to release their prisoners and return their -plunder, and promised that if they did so their lives should be spared. -Finding that no attention was paid to her, she then raised her bow and -shooting three or four arrows, emptied a corresponding number of saddles -among the enemy. In return the soldiers attempted to shoot her, but -finding that their weak Indian weapons were not equal to her Tartar one, -and that their numbers were being lessened by her incessant shower of -arrows, the veracious historian tells us they released their captives, -too late, however, for their own safety, as those who did not fall to -her arrows were put to death by the sword. Truly a remarkable episode. - -In Dr. Southey's _History of the Cid_, it is stated that Clorinda, a -Moorish Queen, "was so skilful in drawing the Turkish bow, that it was -held as a marvel," and it is said that they called her in Arabic, -Nugneymat Turga, which is to say, "Star of the Archers." - -Hansard, in the _Book of Archery_, writes of the Persian beauties of -the Harem, who were permitted to amuse themselves with Archery. These -oriental bow meetings he says, "take place within the recesses of the -Royal Gardens where, their black-bearded tyrant and a bevy of female -attendants excepted, no spectators are allowed to be present. The butts -consist of moistened sand enclosed in a wooden frame, and beaten into a -hard compact mass. These are set up in a slanting direction at the -boundary of some verdant alley, where the over-hanging branches of vine -and orange tree exclude the fierceness of an Eastern Sun. Consistent -with that gorgeous taste so prevalent throughout the East, the whole -exterior of this butt is covered with elegant scroll work and patterns -of flowers. Gold and silver intermingled with various pigments of the -most brilliant hues, are lavishly employed to produce this effect. A -female Abyssinian slave stands beside the mark, provided with a large -round pebble, to form and preserve an unbroken hollow in the centre, and -at this cavity every arrow is directed. She repeats the operation -several times whilst her mistresses are shooting: for the triumph of -Persian archery consists not merely in a central shot, but also in -making the arrow penetrate deeply into the sand at every discharge." - -Still more striking are the words of a French traveller named Gentil, -who speaks of a race of Amazons, seen by him in the retinue of an Indian -Prince. They were about a hundred in number, were well paid, lived in -the Palace, and accompanied the Prince when he hunted, or formed his -body guard in time of war. - -There are Prints and Records dating from the fourteenth century, which -show the fondness of the English women for sports. We find them in the -field with the men, sometimes taking part in shooting at the animals as -they were driven past them, and proving themselves no mean markswomen. -They are said often to have conducted a hunt entirely by themselves, -"winding the horn, rousing the game," and following it without any help -from the opposite sex. Strutt tells us that on these occasions, some of -them went so far as to wear divided skirts and sit their horses like -men, but we do not hear that the fashion became general. - -[Illustration: _From a Harleian MS. in the British Museum._] - -John Yonge, Somerset Herald, who attended Margaret Tudor, the daughter -of Henry VII., on her journey to Scotland for her marriage to James IV., -states under the date Alnwick, 27th July, 1503: "Two mylle from the sayd -place, the sayd Erle (Northumberland) cam and mett hyr well accompayned, -and brought hyr thorough hys park, when she kylde a Buk with hyr bow." - -In Sir II. Nicolas' _Household Expenses of Henry VIII._ we find these -entries: - - May, 1530. Itm the same day paid to Scawsely for bowys, - arrowys, shafts, brode hedds, bracer, and shooting glove - for my Lady Anne xxxiijs iijd. - - June. Itm the same daye paied to the King's Bowyer for iiij - bowes for my ladye Anne at iiijs iiijd, a pece xxiiijs - iiijd. - - June, 1537. Itm payed to Charles Morley for Bowes, Arowes, - a qwyver, wt other thinge for my lade g'ce xijs xd. - -These show us that archery was among the Royal amusements of this time. -Elizabeth is said to have been extremely fond of hunting, and to have -been expert with her bow. Roger Ascham, a great lover of archery who -wrote the first treatise on the pastime, and after whom the long -cupboards so well known to every archer are named, was Elizabeth's -tutor, though whether he initiated her in the mysteries of the art is -not known, but certain it is that during this Queen's reign archery was -a popular pastime among the ladies of the Court. - -When Elizabeth was being entertained by Lord Montecute at Cowdray, in -Sussex, it is stated in _Nicol's Progresses_ that "On Munday at eight of -the clock in the morning her Highnes tooke horse and rode into the -parke, where was a delicate bowre prepared under the which were her -Highnesse musicians placed, and a crossebowe by a Nymph with a sweet -song, delivered to her hands, to shoot at the deere, about some thirtie -in number, put into a paddock, of which number she killed three or four, -and the Countesse of Kildare one. Aug. 18th, 1591." - -It is stated on this occasion, that the Queen was surpassed in skill -with the bow by her favourite Lady Desmond, the latter, however, -courtierlike, avoided giving her mistress any cause for jealousy, by -judiciously missing her quarry occasionally. Again Robert Cary, Earl of -Monmouth, speaking of events which happened in 1596 says "the Queen came -to dinner to Enfield House, and had butts set upon the park to shoot at -marks after dinner."[5] - -[Footnote 5: Memories of Robert Cary, Earl of Monmouth.] - -Lady Berkeley is said to have "used the longbow, and was in those days, -among her servants, so good an archer at the butts, that her side by her -was not the weaker, whoes bowes, arrowes, gloves, braces, scarfe, and -other ladylike accomodation, I have seen and heard herself speak of them -in her elder year."[6] - -[Footnote 6: MS. Memoirs of the Berkeley Family.] - -Lady Shrewsbury also was an adept in the use of the bow, as we find Sir -F. Leake writes to her husband: "My right honourable goode Lorde,--Your -Lordeshyppe hath sent me a verie greatte and fatte stagge, the welcomer -beynge stryken by your ryght honorable Ladie's hande; I trust by the -grace of God, he shall be meanlie eaten at thes assizes, when your -Lordeshyppe and my ladie shall be often remembered. My bold bucke lyves -styll to wayte upon your Lordeshyppe and my Ladie's comyng hyther; -howbeit I knoe her Ladishipp takes pitie of my bucke sense the last tyme -yt pleases her to take the travell to shote att them. I am afræyde that -my honourable Ladies Alathea and my Ladie Cavendish will commande their -aroe heades to be verie sharpe: yett I charitablé trust that such good -Ladies wyt be pittifull." (1605). - -From this time until the revival of archery at the end of the last -century, its practice among women appears to have been gradually -abandoned. - -The first Archery Society to be established in 1781 was the Royal -Toxophilite, but this consisted only of men. Shortly afterwards many -other societies were started, among them in 1787 the Royal British -Bowmen, and to them belongs the honour of being the first to admit -ladies as members, and very sociable, pleasant gatherings they seem to -have had. Other societies soon followed this good example, some admitted -ladies as members, and some like the Woodmen of Arden only as guests. -The assemblies at Meriden are still held every year, the old customs -being strictly kept up. - -[Illustration: _Hertfordshire Society of Archers_ - -_Dutchess of Leeds._ _Marchioness of Salisbury._ _Hon'ble Miss -Grimstone._ _Miss Seabright._] - -Women were not slow to appreciate the gracefulness of archery, and it -soon became a fashionable amusement, the Lady Salisbury of the time -being one of its most ardent supporters. Most of the societies adopted a -distinctive dress, in which white and green predominated. The Royal -British Bowmen adorned their Lady Patroness with a white feather in her -hat, the other lady members being compelled to wear black ones, while -their dresses were green with pink vandykes round the edge of skirt. The -Harley Bush Bowmen were so fond of the distinctive colour, that they -even had green boots, and it is pleasant to know that it was provided by -the rules these should be "easy fitting!" - -Archery was taken up very strongly in the closing years of the last -century, and of the doings of this period many interesting particulars -are to be found in the collections of Miss Bank Banks, daughter of Sir -Joseph Banks, which are in the British Museum. They give descriptions of -the various meetings, the balls given by the different societies at -which both ladies and gentlemen appeared in uniform, and one of the -anecdotes given may be worth quoting, as, if authentic, it shows greater -success with the bow than has been achieved by any woman in modern -times. "A match was shot at one hundred yards between Mr. Gilpin, Mr. -Wyburgh, and Miss Littledale, in which the last was victorious: during -the shooting, which lasted three hours, Miss Littledale hit the gold -four times, and, what evinces superior skill, the three last hits made -by Miss Littledale were in the gold." - -Though archery was taken up so warmly, it died out a few years later, in -consequence of the war, and it was not again taken up until the final -conclusion of peace, in 1815, when it was revived. Many new societies -were started and old ones restored, and from this time it has continued -to flourish, not only in England but in many other parts of the world, -notably in the United States of America, the Mauritius, and at -Melbourne. Space prevents my mentioning these at length. - -Besides these societies, which hold prize meetings at intervals, there -are five public meetings in the year, beginning with the Leamington and -Midland Counties' Meeting at Leamington, in June, where the -Championships of the Midland Counties are competed for. The Crystal -Palace Meeting follows, at which the Southern Counties' Championships -are shot for in July. The Grand National Meeting, where the -Championships of All England are shot for, and the Grand Western Archery -Meeting, at which the Championships of the West are awarded, come next, -either meeting being occasionally held before the other. The Grand -Northern Meeting for the Northern Counties' Championships is usually the -last held. These three meetings are held in a different place each year, -to encourage archery in local clubs. At the Grand National, in addition -to the prizes, badges and medals are given, and it is a great joy to the -young archeress to get her first "spider," which is a little brooch in -form of a target with three arrows placed through it. - -[Illustration: _Archery Dresses_ - -(_About 1832_).] - -If you wish to compete at a public meeting you pay a -subscription--unless you are an annual subscriber to that particular -society--and a target entrance fee, besides which each archer subscribes -sixpence a day, for the payment of the target boys. There are usually -five or six competitors at each target, No. 3 is the captain or scorer, -who has to keep order, instruct the boys how to pull the arrows out of -the ground, and see that the judge comes to measure golds, etc. She is -assisted in adding up and checking the scores at the target by No. 4, -the lieutenant. - -The first Grand National Meeting was held in 1844 but no ladies shot, -and it was not until 1849 that the Double National Round was first shot -by ladies, so that it is only possible to compare the shooting -subsequent to this date. On this occasion the highest score (189) was -made by Miss Temple, two years later Miss Villiers making 504 with 108 -hits, the second score being only 293. The number of 600 was first -reached by a lady in 1857, when Miss H. Chetwynd made 634, and this -score remained unbeaten till Mrs. Horniblow scored 660, which in its -turn was surpassed two years later by Miss Betham with 693. - -It was not until 1870, at Bath, that 700 was attained, that score being -made by Mrs. Horniblow. Mrs. W. Butt added 52 to this record in 1876, -and this remained the top score until 1881, when Miss Legh made 763. The -highest score made by any lady at any Grand National was Mrs. Bowly's -823 in 1894. Miss Legh's 866 at Leamington, in 1895, being the highest -ever made by a lady at a public meeting, though perhaps the same -shooter's score at Bath, in 1881, of 840, was an even better -performance, as no arrow was dropped on either of the first two days, -and only one on the third. - -It will thus be seen what a great improvement has taken place in -shooting during the last fifty years. - -Beatrice P. M. Walrond. - -[Illustration: _Lombards and Co. 13, Pall Mall East._ - -_MRS. BERENS._] - - - - -ARCHERY.--II. - - -I have been asked to write the practical part of this article, though -why I cannot imagine, for although I can sometimes pull off a good score -with bow and arrow--when the wind does not blow and when my loose is -good--I am of no use whatever with a pen, and never wrote an "article" -on anything in my life. The Badminton book on Archery, with its valuable -teaching, often stands me in good stead when I get into any of the -innumerable tricks which beset the path of the archer, and which well -nigh bring the beginner to _despair_ of ever becoming a steady shot. How -many beginners have I met who have had to learn by bitter experience -that to shoot a good arrow is not so easy as appears at first sight, and -that to make perhaps a very fine score of three hundred and odd, does -not by any means prove that one has conquered all difficulties. There -are so many things to think of at once, and though you may try to do -this conscientiously you will find your performance often terribly -inadequate. But after all the great fascination of archery consists in -the continual battling against faults which creep upon the archer -unawares. This we find to our cost on a windy day, for there is nothing -like wind to prove that we do not get the real power out of bow and -loose. - -I always recommend to a beginner an inexpensive lancewood bow weighing -about twenty-four to twenty-six pounds, the cost of which amounts to -about twelve shillings, but when the archeress has practised -sufficiently to understand what she requires and _why_, then I should -advise a yew-backed yew of good quality as giving more cast and -retaining it longer than other kinds. I should perhaps say that by cast -is meant the rapidity and ease with which the arrow is delivered from -the bow. Many shooters prefer to use a self yew bow, but it must be -remembered that this is more delicate and requires to be drawn with -great care. A three piece bow of yew, fustic and hickory, price about -thirty shillings, will do good service, though the cast does not last so -long if one practises constantly, as that of the yew-backed yew. There -are many archers who have ruined their style and shooting with too -heavy a bow, one weighing twenty-seven or twenty-eight pounds can do all -that is necessary for the National Round of sixty and fifty yards if it -is properly handled, and for the six dozen arrows at seventy yards, -called the Hereford Round, I can use one of the same weight. For eighty -yards, however, I prefer a bow of twenty-nine or thirty pounds, still my -advice to all beginners is, "Do not shoot with a bow which is beyond -your control." - -Now to choose the bow. The first thing to see to is that the grain of -the wood is straight, even, close, and free from knots or pins, more -especially on the rounded part and within about six inches of each end. -This applies to any sort of bow, but more especially to yew, as crysals -are apt to develop wherever there is a pin. A crysal is a small crack in -the wood, which at first is often difficult to detect, but which is a -serious source of weakness and often ends in the breaking of the bow. -The length of a lady's bow should be from 5 ft. 3 in. to 5 ft. 6 in. - -[Illustration] - -To string the bow, place the lower horn against your right foot, the -"back" or flat part of the bow towards the body, and taking the handle -of the bow in your right hand, place the ball of your left thumb four -inches from the top horn. Then while drawing it to you with the right -hand, press it from you with the left and slip the upper loop of the -string into the nock of the horn. The method of unstringing is precisely -similar, except that the loop is slipped out instead of being passed in. -When the bow is strung, the distance from the inside of the handle -should be five-and-a-half inches to the string, which for one inch above -and five inches below the handle should be neatly whipped with waxed -thread or silk to prevent its being injured, should it strike the -bracer. Then exactly opposite the top of the handle of the bow, the -nocking point must be made, which should be sufficiently tight to retain -the arrow when hanging downwards from the string. When strung the bow -should be held, string uppermost, the lower horn resting on the ground, -and on looking down the string, it should appear to cut the bow in the -centre. In a good bow the centre sixteen inches should be rigid, and -thence the bend should be regular and even. The string should be of the -best hemp whipped with silk, and a nocking point neatly made exactly in -the right spot. It is better looped at each end, as in the event of its -being slack it can then be twisted up in a moment, thus avoiding all -flurry of undoing in the old way of knotting the end. I have already -said that it is better to have a string with loops spliced at each end, -it is as well, however, to say how the loop can be made in a new string. -The knot is a timber hitch, to make which take a turn of the lower end -round the string and twist it three times round the loop. The string is -whipped in the following manner: String the bow and find the exact spot -where the nocking of the arrow will come, then wax the string for an -inch and a half above, and five inches below the spot, and take some -silk or carpet thread, also waxed, and lay half an inch of the thread -along the string beginning at the upper portion. Then wrap the thread -over that part of itself which has been laid down until the waxed -portion is covered. In order to fasten off, take six or seven turns of -the thread over the string in the reverse way, place the end of the -thread against that part of the lapping that was last done, wrap the -reverse turns of the thread over the end of the lapping of the string, -then pull the end through and cut it off. The manner of putting on the -knocking point is the same. - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration] - -The weight of the arrow is mainly determined by that of the bow. Arrows -are weighed against new silver, and when one talks of a 3/6 arrow, the -allusion is to the weight, not to the price. For a beginner a 3/- or 3/3 -arrow is about right for a 26 pounds bow, but all these little points -are for the archer to work out for herself. If the experienced archer -should find that she has to aim considerably below the target, she may -increase the weight of the arrow with advantage, as the heavier the -arrow, the lower will be the trajectory. It is bad economy to have any -but the best arrows, and these should be made according to the archer's -pattern, that is to say, as to the colours on them, and should have her -name and the number painted on each. To prevent the paint from the -target sticking to the arrows, it is well to wipe the ends of the latter -with a little vaseline or sweet oil, and care should be taken to choose -the arrows of as nearly as possible the same weight before shooting, as -whatever they are marked, they are sure to vary slightly. The best -arrows are footed as it is termed, _i.e._, they have a piece of hard -wood dovetailed in at the pile end. The best shaped arrow for a beginner -is the straight one, and care should be taken that it is stiff, and not -weak at the feather end. There are two kinds of feathers, parabolic and -straight, but there is very little difference in their flight. The best -kind of feathers come from the wing of the peacock, turkey's wing -feathers being the next best. - -[Illustration] - -The other equipment required is an arm guard or bracer with straps, cut -out of one piece of brown leather,--the leather bracers lined with silk -having elastic fastenings are no good--and a belt with a quiver to hold -six arrows, as the first shooter at a target at a big meeting should -always have six arrows to shoot with, to avoid delay in the beginning. -On this belt should hang a tassel for wiping dirty arrows, a pencil and -scoring book, a little bag containing glove, extra string, a piece of -wax and some silk to whip the bow string when necessary. It is also -useful to have a knife, and a pair of scissors. - -[Illustration] - -As to the question of gloves or tips, I always recommend a kid glove, a -size larger than the ordinary wear, with pieces of smooth leather--not -soft or spongy--neatly sewn on to the three first fingers, care being -taken not to put the leather below the first joint of the finger. Many -people, however, shoot with either knuckle or screw tips, which are -bought ready made of the bow maker. If tips are used they should fit the -fingers accurately, all three being of the same thickness. It is -important to have two gloves or sets of tips for shooting in case of -accident, and they should be exactly alike. Other necessaries are a -waterproof bag for bow, and a wooden box with spaces for arrows. - -The usual distances shot by women are sixty and fifty yards, four dozen -arrows at sixty yards and two dozen at fifty yards, being what is called -the National Round. Of late, shooting at seventy yards has been -re-introduced, six dozen arrows at that distance followed by four dozen -at sixty yards and two dozen at fifty yards, being named the Hereford -Round. - -The targets are four feet in diameter and are made of twisted bands of -wheat straw fastened together with tar cord, then covered with painted -canvas. There are five concentric rings painted on them, the centre -gold, which scores nine, the red seven, blue five, black three, and -white one, and in scoring, the arrow counts as being in the highest -colour which it touches. The targets are supported by iron or wooden -stands, the centre of the target being four feet from the ground, and -slightly tilted back. They should not be placed at the exact distance it -is intended to shoot at, but from two to four yards further back, a mark -being placed in the ground at the correct distance for the archer to -stand on, and no one should be allowed to stand in front of the targets -except the archer who is actually shooting. It is important that quiet -should be maintained behind the target, and archers, especially at -public meetings, should assist the captain, whose duty it is to see that -order is kept. - -The ground should be as level and smooth as possible, and the targets -should be placed exactly opposite each other; if more than one pair are -in use, the ground will require squaring, in order that the pairs may be -exactly opposite each other. - -The directions given for the position for shooting hold good at all -distances, and no alteration ought to be made with the exception that -the left hand must be raised higher at the longer distance, greater -elevation being required in order to obtain a sufficiently high flight. -It is a great mistake to draw to a different place on the face, or not -to draw the arrow fully up, at the shorter distance. _Always_ draw the -arrow till the pile reaches the bow and your hand the right place, viz., -under your right jaw below the axis of vision of the right eye. - -Having described most of the details to be attended to, we now come to -the all important subject of how to shoot. I must first of all impress -on all beginners that it is absolutely necessary there should be -nothing on the dress which could by any means catch or interfere with -the string. Nothing is more suitable than a plain tailor-made dress, or -a skirt and blouse, the latter with no frills. The sleeves should be -sufficiently easy to allow the elbow perfect play without being too -large. In putting on the bracer care should be taken to keep the sleeve -smooth, any fulness being drawn to the back of the arm, and the top of -the sleeve pinned back out of the way. - -_Standing._ Take up your position on the shooting spot, with feet six or -eight inches apart, standing easily in an upright position, with the -shoulders in a direct line between the targets. Care should be taken -that the knees are perfectly straight, the balance of the body being on -the heels, and the position of the shoulders must be obtained by moving -the feet and not by twisting the body. - -_Nocking._ The bow to be held in a perpendicular position, between the -second knuckle of the first finger and the ball of the thumb of the left -hand. The main grasp of the bow should be in the upper part of the hand, -the other fingers being held close to the bow. The test as to whether -you are holding the bow correctly is to drop the left arm by the side, -the wrist being quite straight, and if the string touches the bracer, -the position of the bow in the hand is not correct. The nocking is to be -accomplished by bringing the arrow over the bow, which should be held -directly in front, and fitting it on the nocking place, remembering to -keep the cock feather--_i.e._, the one which is at right angles to the -nock--uppermost, and not to alter the grasp of the bow until after all -three arrows have been shot. Place the three fingers of the right hand -evenly on the string, and do not pinch the arrow with the first finger, -otherwise it will fall off the left hand at the moment of drawing. The -right wrist should be held straight. - -[Illustration: _BEFORE THE DRAW._] - -_Drawing._ The usual position of archers before they actually begin to -draw, is with the left elbow bent just above the hip, the bow being -perpendicular, but to speak from my own experience, I find it better to -hold the bow easily in the hand with the left elbow straight, though -without stiffness, raising both arms simultaneously on a level with the -point of aim. Then draw in a straight line with the target, till the -pile of the arrow comes on to the bow, and the right hand with the -fingers bent, is held in such a position that the thumb is pressed -against the throat below the jaw and under the axis of vision of the -right eye. The left arm should be straight but not rigid, the final -grasp of the bow being made directly the aim is taken. The head must be -erect, and turned towards the point of aim. The body should be erect and -the weight thrown as much as possible on the heels. A common fault I -have noticed with young archers, is to draw the right hand too high and -rest it outside the jaw instead of underneath it. This should be guarded -against. Bring the pile of the arrow on to the point of aim immediately, -keeping the right elbow up as you do so and the shoulders pressed back. -Every care, too, should be taken that the arrow does not "creep," -_i.e._, that it is not allowed to slip forward on the bow. - -_Aiming._ To aim correctly the archer should see the point of the arrow -covering the point of aim. By "the point of aim" I mean some given spot -on the target or ground, the height of which must be found by each -archer for herself, as it is governed by so many things, such as -difference in sight, height, weight, and cast of bow or arrow, etc., -etc. If the archer finds that she has persistently to aim to the right -or left of the target, there being no wind, it is a proof that -something in her position, draw, or loose is incorrect, _i.e._ that she -does not stand with shoulders in line with the targets, or that she does -not keep her right hand in the proper position, or again that she does -not loose the arrow evenly from all three fingers at once. I must -caution every young archer against the terrible habit of merely glancing -at the target and then loosing the arrow, without taking proper aim. -Very many archers who have asked my advice on decreasing scores or -inability to hit the target have had really _no clear_ idea of any aim -whatever. They "think they aim at the top of the target," perhaps, but -by a system of catechising I discover that such is actually not the -case, and until a real firm point of aim is found and known to the -archer--though an occasional good score may be fluked--no lasting -progress will be made. Therefore as soon as you have learnt to draw up -properly, make it your next study to find your point of aim, and -remember that this will vary with different bows and according to the -direction of the wind, and also according to whether the atmosphere be -heavy or light. - -_Loosing._ Remember that the grip of the left hand on the bow must not -give, nor the tension of the muscles be relaxed, until after the arrow -has left the string. Keep the right hand tight to its place, with the -thumb pressed under the jaw beneath the axis of vision of the right eye, -taking care not to relax the pull on the string until the moment of -release, or the arrow will creep. The release is effected by drawing the -fingers back evenly towards the thumb, and the hand must on no account -leave the face while this is being done, nor must it drop down or follow -the string in ever so slight a degree. The wrist must be straight and -the elbow well up. After the release keep up the bow hand and retain the -right hand in its place till the arrow has reached its destination, then -drop the right hand easily and without hurry, preparatory to nocking the -next arrow. Nothing is more ugly or more likely to unsettle you than any -flurry or undue haste. - -It is well to warn beginners that great care must be taken of all the -archer's equipment. If the bow or arrows at any time get wet, they -should be carefully dried and the bow should not be replaced in its -waterproof case for some time. The feathers of the arrows can be -restored after being wet by passing them quickly backwards and forwards -above a jug of boiling water. Neither bow nor arrows should be put near -the fire. They should be kept in a dry even temperature. - -It is a good thing if a beginner can find a friend who is able and -willing to correct her and help her to overcome some of the faults into -which she is almost certain to fall. But great care should be taken in -the selection of this coach, and even after the beginner has obtained -some degree of proficiency, she ought to be very careful whose opinion -she takes as to her shooting. I have met many young archers who will ask -anybody at the same target "if they would kindly tell them any faults -they see in their shooting." But such general advice will do little -good, for some people cannot detect a fault when it is there, much less -describe it with any accuracy, and some again imagine faults which do -not actually exist. Too many instructors thus spoil the archer, who will -get hopelessly muddled with all the advice given her, and will often -alter what she should leave alone, and not correct her real faults. - -[Illustration: _FULL DRAW._] - -The amount of nonsense heard on the archery field on the subject of "why -that arrow did not go in" is to the old hand most entertaining, and to -the young one extremely confusing. But I would give this advice to all -beginners: strive to preserve an even temperament in all conditions of -your shooting. Do not get too jubilant and excited when you make either -a pin hole or three reds or golds at one end, and when it happens, as it -certainly will, that what you believe to be three beautifully shot -arrows fall exactly underneath the centre of the target, do not give way -to any irritation of temper or manner, or your succeeding arrows will be -affected. I know many archers who when they want to compete for any -coveted challenge badge do not put down or add up their score, but I -have always found when I tried this plan that ignorance cannot be kept -up on one's score, as some kind friend will always come up and -congratulate you on a dozen of _eighty_, or condole on one of _thirty_, -and then you get more flustered than if you had known all there was to -know. You should always endeavour to preserve a quite equable -temperament even in great success until the round is over, and not go -chattering all round the target as to what you have done or not done, -for this upsets other competitors at your target, and does you no good. - -_To form a Club._ An experienced archer knows well how to get a club -formed if there are enough archers to subscribe to it, but for the -beginner to start one is more difficult. Having first selected a ground, -which should be about 80 yards in length, the width being proportionate -to the number of targets it is intended to put up, and obtained targets -and stands, fix one day and hour in the week for your club meeting, on -which you can all meet and shoot your Club National Round. The -subscription should not be high, and when the members get numerous, an -entrance fee can be charged. Have a little paper pamphlet of rules based -on those of the Grand National, or any well-known club founded on those -principles. As soon as your members make scores of over a hundred, -divide them into classes, and when you get members to join who can make -first rate scores, let your classes be as follows: - - Class I. Over 300 } { made on your ground - Class II. " 200 } { or at any Public or - [7]Class III. Under 200 } { Club Meeting. - -[Footnote 7: These scores might perhaps be slightly lowered for a young -club.] - -[Illustration: _BEFORE THE DRAW._] - -Have all targets pitched so as to begin your round punctually on your -Club day, and begin by shooting the four dozen at sixty yards. When this -is over, if tea is provided it is a pleasant rest, and then you will -shoot the two dozen at fifty yards. It is a good thing to get some -experienced archers to join a young club, and the system of classes will -prevent their taking the beginners' prizes when the club has got on far -enough to start a prize meeting. Prizes are usually given for best score -in each class, and best gold. When men join the club, they must either -shoot altogether at one target, or they must shoot at eighty yards at -each end before the women shoot at sixty. Admission to a club is -generally made by a proposer and seconder writing the name of a -candidate to the Secretary, and having it entered in the candidates' -book, which is put on the table for two meetings of the club. If a -ballot should be demanded the members will all vote, and one blackball -will exclude. When the club is well on its legs, I am an advocate for -getting up a match with a neighbouring club, and I am also very much in -favour of asking visitors to shoot at the prize meetings--a little prize -for visitors adds to the amusement--it creates interest in the young -club, and often gives the members opportunities of seeing good shooting. - -After each weekly club meeting, the scores, hits, and golds of the -members at every distance should be entered in a book kept for that -purpose, and any prize won should be marked against the score. - -Cordiality is a great element in a club's success. Let each member then -take an interest in the scores of her fellow competitors and rejoice in -their successes. - -With regard to the literature on the subject of archery, the books are -numerous and varied, but for all practical purposes it will be -sufficient for the beginner to consult Butt's Ford, the Badminton -Library Volume of Archery, and No. I. of Encyclopædia of Sport. I would -recommend to all archers, either beginners or otherwise, to take an -annual copy of the _Archer's Register_, which gives not only the scores -of the Public and Club Meetings in England and abroad, but also contains -many interesting and instructive articles on the subject. - -Ellinor F. Berens. - -[Illustration: _Lombardi and Co._ _13, Pall Mall East._ - -_MISS MAY BALFOUR._ - -(_MRS. TALBOT._)] - - - - -SKATING. - - -I. - -I propose in this article simply to give my own personal views on the -subject of skating in general, and to say what I consider to be the best -method of attaining proficiency in the art. As what I have to say will -be rather jottings from my personal experience than anything in the -nature of a formal treatise, I hope I may be excused if my remarks are -of a somewhat scrappy and discursive character. - -In England at the present time, the art of skating is passing through a -transition stage, and it is quite possible that what to-day is regarded -as a necessary condition of good skating, will in a few years' time be -discarded as obsolete and old-fashioned. I think it therefore wiser, not -to formulate any theory, or lay down any general rule on the subject, -but to confine myself to giving my readers a few hints gathered from my -own experience, which may prove useful to those who wish to attain a -certain measure of proficiency in the art. - -My earliest skating experiences were probably similar to those of most -English people, that is to say, I was limited to the very short periods -of frost that occur in English winters, and I had none of the advantages -of regular instruction from competent teachers which it is easy now for -anybody to get. I learnt to keep my balance, not on ice, but with roller -skates on asphalte, and this was sufficient to enable me to go forward -with a certain amount of ease when I first skated on ice. I remember -vividly the first time I attempted the outside edge. This is a grand -epoch in the life of any skater, and the sensation of accomplishing it -for the first time, however clumsily, is never to be forgotten. I may -say here, that I consider a real mastery of the outside edge the only -foundation for all figure skating, and I believe it would be a mistake -to attempt such accomplishments as going backwards, or turning a three, -without first being fairly steady on the outside edge. Another point -that I early learned to be of great importance, was to approach as near -as possible equality on both legs, to attain which of course it is -necessary to give one's weaker leg--in most cases the left--double -practice. - -The next advance I made was to turn a three from the outside edge. For a -long time I practised this on my right leg alone and neglected my left, -which of course was extremely unwise, and resulted in my being much -weaker on that leg than on the other. The ordinary turning of a three is -a comparatively simple matter, but the difficulty lies in being able to -do it to a centre on both feet. Yet this accomplishment is absolutely -essential to anyone who would attempt combined figures. In my opinion -there is more enjoyment to be gained, both for performers and -spectators, from combined figures gracefully and neatly done, than from -far more difficult turns performed alone. I will not go into details as -to particular figures, because they can be learnt so much better from -the innumerable books that have been written on the subject. - -Hand-in-hand skating is another most delightful branch of the art, and -has been very strikingly developed in the last few years in England. A -number of new scuds have been elaborated by the ingenuity of experts, -many of which are most fascinating to do, and in many cases they have -the great advantage of being performed either with one or two -companions. The advance in this department of the art is largely due to -the number of covered rinks that have been started lately in England and -France, these being particularly adapted to the practice of this style -of skating. - -Another accomplishment, to which the practice of covered rinks is -specially suited is waltzing on skates--which merely consists in a -series of turns of threes, and outside-edge forwards and outside-edge -backwards. The important point to remember about waltzing is, that the -partners must accommodate their steps, and the woman must take care not -to drag. When gracefully and neatly done by two people, well used to -each other, and to the sound of a good band, this sensation surpasses -anything that can be enjoyed in ordinary dancing. - -For my own part I have concentrated my energies on combined figures and -hand-in-hand skating, and have never given much attention to the great -variety of difficult turns that are to be done alone, though I do not by -any means wish to depreciate the beauty of these, or the skill needed to -perform them. But, under the conditions that prevail in England, it is -difficult to get enough space in which to practice elaborate figures -alone, so I am inclined to think that my course has been a wise one. - -[Illustration: _SKATING IN HOLLAND._ - -_From an unpublished Drawing by A. Van de Velde, Circa 1650, A.D._ - -(_By permission of Lawrence B. Phillips, Esq._)] - -I mentioned above, that skating in England is in a transition stage, and -by this I mean that the last few years have witnessed the introduction -of what is called the foreign style of skating in England. At the -present time most of our instructors are foreigners, or Englishmen who -have thoroughly imbibed the foreign method, and the result is that -beginners are induced to purchase foreign skates and to base their style -on foreign models. The main difference between the two styles is, that -the Englishman is taught to keep his unemployed leg close to the other -and to be always erect, not to bend his knee, and in general to keep the -body rather stiff and quiet. The foreigner, on the other hand, as might -be expected from his more lively temperament, allows himself much more -freedom in swinging and bending about. He thus gives the impression of -enjoying himself more than the Englishman, and, in consequence, is more -attractive to watch. To my mind, the ideal skater is one who combines -the excellencies of both styles, that is one who, to the firmness and -unobtrusiveness of the Englishman, adds the easy pace and brilliancy of -the foreigner. The followers of both styles have a great deal yet to -learn from each other, and, therefore, the blending of the two methods -in England at the present day, is certain to lead to most beneficial -results. - -A few words now on the important subject of skates. Enormous -improvements have been effected in them of late years, but in my opinion -we are still very far from possessing the ideal skate. The main object -of the best English skates (for instance the Mount Charles, or the -Dowler) is to enable the wearer to hold long edges, whereas the foreign -blade is especially adapted to rapid turns. What is wanted is some -invention that would combine in one skate the special merits of both -these kinds, so that the long firm edge and the sharp turn may be -equally possible. At present this is only a dream of the future, and in -the meantime I should be inclined to advise a modified form of the -French skate, as on the whole the best adapted for all purposes. I -should strongly recommend everybody to keep their skates permanently -fixed to one pair of boots. This is a practice however so generally -adopted that it may seem superfluous to mention it. Laced boots should -be worn specially made for skating, with thick soles and high in the -leg, so as to give as much support as possible round the ankle. - -[Illustration: _OUR SISTERS IN CANADA._] - -In the matter of dress women have a distinct advantage over men. Our -skirt both conceals deficiencies in style, and makes it easier to be -graceful, the man with his closer garb being sadly exposed to the fierce -light of criticism. The only essential for us, is to have a skirt short -and well cut so as not to drag, and with this precaution we can indulge -in as much variety as we choose. - -In conclusion let me say, I know of no exercise more exhilarating and -healthful for women than skating in the open air, though, I am bound to -say, this cannot be said of the exercise in covered rinks, as one is -liable to get very hot and then to catch cold. The combination of hot -air above and the cold current rising from the ice, does not tend to -produce a very healthy atmosphere. But as we should not make such rapid -progress, or have the advantage of seeing together so many good skaters -of all nationalities, if we had not the covered rinks, many of us will -not be inclined to complain. - -I am afraid my remarks are very disconnected, but the subject is a -difficult one to treat from a general point of view. I shall be -satisfied if what I have said should inspire even one of my readers with -a greater devotion to the beautiful art of skating. - -May Balfour. - - -II. - -It is natural that the art of skating should come to us from the North, -for it is in the land of ice and snow that the problem of traversing the -frozen surface of the snow-covered ground and the ice-bound water would -have to be solved. With the Greeks and the Romans indeed, the great -ruling nations of the South, there was no word to designate the -exercise--a conclusive proof that it was unknown to them. But from -Scandinavia we have an old war song which tells of the progress of the -God of Winter over the water, supported on the bones of animals, and -this shows that the skates of those early days were made of bone, though -they were, as might be expected, of most primitive structure. It is -generally agreed that the necessity of crossing the enormous fields of -frozen snow during the long Scandinavian winters led to the fashioning -of snow-shoes, and that from these were made the smaller skates, by the -aid of which the frozen waters could also be crossed, locomotion thus -being made possible. - -The early form of the bone skate was brought to England by the Northern -tribes which settled in our midst, though it was to our Dutch -neighbours, at a much later period in our history, that we owed the -introduction of the wooden skate bound with iron, which is the prototype -of our skate of to-day. From the earliest efforts with the primitive -bone skates to the graceful evolutions now possible on a modern Mount -Charles there is a marvellous change, and the art which has a history of -nearly two thousand years behind it, is entitled to a place among the -time-honoured pastimes of the world. - -A beginner in this, as in all other pursuits, is met at the outset of -her career, when she is without practical knowledge to guide her in the -choice, by the difficulty of selecting a proper instrument. She must -then trust to others. As the choice however is not large, she can -scarcely do wrong in investing in a Mount Charles, which should be fixed -to a well-fitting-boot with low heels, a fairly thick sole, and laced -upper leathers. - -[Illustration: _MOUNT CHARLES._] - -But the first efforts will, if she is wise, be made on roller-skates, -for though the tide of fashion has set against this form of skating, and -it is only in far-off Simla and a few scattered places that it still -holds its own, it is unrivalled as a means to the end of skating on ice. -On roller-skates the learner can follow up her study systematically day -after day, independent of weather conditions, and can acquire the two -primary essentials of successful skating, viz., balance and confidence. - -When these have been acquired you may then make your first attempt on -ice with every prospect of success. With steady practice you will soon -learn to manage your skates, but never forget during these early days -that you must ever be on your guard against the countless tricks which -beset the beginner at every stage of her progress. Some people will -indeed advise you, when you first put on your skates proper, to walk -about a carpeted room with them, while others will tell you to make your -first efforts on the ice itself. In this you will probably be guided -partly by the age at which you begin the pastime--whether, that is to -say, a fall is a serious matter or one to be disregarded with the -smiling carelessness of youth--and partly by the degree of confidence -you have acquired on the roller-skates. - -In any case, when you find yourself on the ice for the first time, you -will endeavour to walk forward on your skates with short and careful -steps. If you have assistance to prevent you from the inevitable tumbles -that will otherwise be your lot, your progress will be safe but slower -than if you take your courage in both hands and carry out unaided the -good old nursery maxim of "try, try, try again," till the delightful -foretaste of success comes to you, in the first quivering glide forward -_without_ a too sudden descent at the end. - -Remember, when making these first efforts at walking, that the foot on -which you are resting on the ice should have both the ankle and knee -kept stiff, or you will find your ankle twist sideways. You must also -take care to keep the feet well under you, as until you have found your -balance they will have an inclination to slide apart, and thus render a -fall imminent. After a short experience of this tottering effort after -equilibrium, you will probably almost instinctively begin to slide -forward with both feet, and for the moment you will find sufficient -pleasure in movement of any kind. I have indeed seen quite a rapturous -expression of triumph come over the face of a middle-aged beginner, when -she first managed the smallest of small slides without it ending in a -catastrophe, or in a wild clinging to her guide. The good lady doubtless -saw in the dim future the end in view for which she was willing to -expend so much patient effort, and so shall we, and in a shorter time, -if fewer winters have passed over our heads before we make our first -venture. - -A few hours at least should be devoted to this preliminary experience, -and then you will probably be able to try the inside edge forward, which -is the first step to master. With your feet turned at an angle of 45°, -you will press downward with the ball of your left foot, so that you may -have a secure position from which to start, and you will slide forward -with your right foot only on the inside of the skate, balancing -yourself entirely on that foot. You will then bring the left foot -forward from the position it has held with the toe of the skate held -just off the ice behind the right foot, and pressing the inside edge of -the skate under the ball of the right foot into the ice, you will slide -forward with your left, striking out farther and farther as you find you -can keep your balance during the stroke. The position of the body should -be slightly sideways, with the face in the direction of progress. - -To perform a half-circle and a circle will then be your aim, until you -can succeed with a perfect figure of 8. By the time you have mastered -this, you will be ready for the turn on both feet and the backward -stroke of the inside edge, after which the forward and backward stroke -of the outside edge will be your study. In all backward movement the -head must be turned in the point of direction, while the weight of the -body is thrown on the back part of the skate, instead of on the front -part as in a forward movement. - -As soon as complete mastery of both edges has been gained, and that the -fate of the immortal Winkle may not be yours, you have learnt the art of -stopping, you will find all the simple figures within your powers. Do -not, however, be hurried into trying any combination, however simple, -until you have acquired the art of easy and graceful motion on the -inside and outside edges, both forward and backward. - -The Hand-in-hand Figures are much in vogue among women in all countries, -and these are pretty and effective, as well as simple to execute by -anyone who has thoroughly grounded herself in the rudiments of skating. -The more usual way of executing these figures in this country is for the -partners, generally a man and a woman, to stand side by side, joining -their right hands underneath the left, which are also clasped sideways, -though occasionally what is known as the Austrian mode is adopted, viz., -by the woman standing in front of her partner and bending her hands -under and backward at her side, when they are taken in the clasp of the -man behind. - -It is to the daughters of the inventor of the Plimpton roller-skates -that we are indebted for the various fascinating forms of hand-in-hand -skating now in vogue, and for the effective movement known as "a pass," -we are equally beholden to Miss L. Cheetham, who was, I believe, the -first to put it in practice. For the many varieties of Scuds and Rockers -now constantly to be seen at the much patronised covered rinks, -reference may be made to Mr. Maxwell Witham's book "A System of Figure -Skating," in which are to be found diagrams of some very simple figures -taken originally from the archives of the Oxford Skating Society. These -will be well within the powers of all, and in the case of the stronger -and more enthusiastic women skaters will form a fitting prelude to the -execution of the more elaborate "Club Figures." - -In Figure 1, the skaters take up their positions facing one another upon -each side of a square, the start being made by each skater with the -right foot, on a curve of outside edge, continuing this for half a -circle when the left foot will be put down and the stroke taken, either -in the ordinary way or from the cross, and the whole circle of outside -on the left foot skated. This will bring each skater into the original -place of the other and the movement can be repeated. - -The figure can also be skated backward, in which case the position for -starting will be with the backs instead of the faces of the skaters -towards each other. - -Figure 2 is very similar to the former. The skaters take up their -positions facing one another at four points of the inner circle, -skating off on a curve of outside edge with the right foot and going -round the inner circle. The left foot is thus put down and the stroke -taken in the ordinary way or from the cross, another circle of outside -edge being skated on the left foot. This will bring the skater to the -inner circle again when the movement can be repeated, and the whole -figure can be skated backwards. - -A variation of this figure can be made thus: "The skaters only go -three-quarters round the centre circle, so that the outside circle -described always lies immediately behind the one on which each skater -last travelled round. The skaters thus changing their positions has a -pretty effect. - -"Arrived at the common circle the movement is repeated, each skater -taking her partner's hand (the four hands being thus crossed) which is -retained until the whole circle, which all have in common, has been -skated, when each again branches off as before described."[8] - -[Footnote 8: _A System of Figure Skating_, by T. Maxwell Witham.] - -In all skating, neatness, precision, and an easy, upright carriage are -the things to be aimed at, and as you feel yourself getting at home on -your skates, remember it should be your object to disguise your stroke -as far as possible, so that your progress may have the smooth, graceful -ease of apparently unbroken motion. - -Shortly, the great points to be attended to when learning are: - -1. An upright carriage without stiffness. - -2. Straightness of the knee of the employed leg. - -3. Approximation of the feet. - -4. A slight sideways position of the body, with the face in the -direction of progress. - -5. Equality of power on either leg, to attain which extra practice for -the weaker leg--generally the left--will be needed. - -When these have been acquired the full delight of the health-giving -exercise of skating will be open to you. - -[Illustration: _Lambert, Weston and Son Folkestone._ - -_MISS STARKIE-BENCE._] - - - - -GOLF. - - -The object of the game of golf is to complete the round of eighteen -holes in as few strokes as possible, starting for each hole from a place -called the teeing ground, and hitting the ball with various clubs till -the green is reached. Upon the green is a flag denoting the spot where a -round hole with a diameter of four and a quarter inches and a depth of -four inches, is cut. Into this hole the player must get the ball in as -few strokes as may be. The distances between the teeing grounds and the -greens vary at every hole. The game when played by two persons is known -as a single, when by four persons, as a foursome. - -The scores in medal play are kept upon cards provided for that purpose, -each player noting the other's score, which is then marked down at the -conclusion of each hole, the totals being added together at the end of -the round, when the card must be signed by the scorer and placed in the -score card box. Failing to sign a card entails disqualification. In -match playing, the scores are reckoned by the terms, "the like," "the -odd," "the two more," "one off two," etc., and the hole is won by the -player who has holed in the fewest strokes. Being the person to lead off -at the tee, is styled having the honour, and is a privilege accorded to -either the player who has the least handicap, or to the winner of the -latest match, or again to the winner of the last hole. In foursomes the -strokes are played alternately by the partners, through the green and -from the tee. - -The ground played over is known by the name of the links, or the course, -and covers an area generally from two, to three and a half miles for a -full-sized or man's course, and very often much under this distance for -what is known as the ladies' links, whilst the distances between the -holes vary from fifty yards to 480 yards or more. The game is pursued -over obstacles of all sorts, known as hazards and bunkers, till the -green is reached. This is a beautifully kept piece of grassy lawn, some -twenty yards in extent, either undulating, sloping, or sometimes quite -level, in which the holes are cut. The term stance is applied to the -position of the player's feet, when addressing herself to the ball. The -term grip denotes either that part of the handle of the club covered -with leather, which is held in the hands, or the grasping of the club -itself, and the term lie, applies to the situation of the ball, good or -bad. The further technical terms may be found in the Glossary (p. 382) -or in any instruction book on the game, the most highly recommended of -the latter being _The Badminton Library on Golf_, by Mr. Horace -Hutchinson, _The Game of Golf_, by W. Park, jun., or Sir W. C. Sampson's -_The Art of Golf_. But to the early history of our game. - -The exact date of the founding of the Royal and Ancient game of Golf is -still a somewhat disputed point. But we read that in Holland and also in -Belgium, about the year 1353, a very popular pastime was then in vogue, -styled Chole, and as far as can be ascertained from old documents, -pictures, and the familiar and curious Dutch tiles of that period, the -mode of play and the weapons used, although rather crude in many -respects, were not at all unlike those of the present day. Some writers -go so far as to tell us that this game rather resembled hockey, and that -the ball used was about the size of an ordinary cricket ball. Others -who have searched even more deeply amongst the archives of the royal and -ancient game, relate that the aim and object used to be to strike the -ball against stone posts, which appears to have corresponded with the -later practice of holing out. Anyway we have it on good authority that -the game was much played during the sixteenth century in Scotland. - -In 1608 the Blackheath Club was formed in England, and in 1735 that of -the Edinburgh Burgess Society in the north, although the game had been -extensively played for some time before this. Closely following the -institution of the Edinburgh Burgess Society Club, came those of The -Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers in 1744, St. Andrew's in 1754, -and Mussulburgh in 1774, followed again in the south by Old Manchester -in 1818, and Westward Ho! in 1864, till at the present time there are -links all over Europe, in America, India, Australia, New Zealand, and -even in Egypt. Not content with this, we even have the Royal game on the -West coast of Africa, in that spot of treachery and massacre, Benin. But -of course, to Scotland the gratitude of the world will ever be due for -having really been the home of the game, besides which for grandeur in -natural hazards, and finest of fine turf, the north will ever bear the -palm. - -[Illustration: _J. Ross. North Berwick._ - -_MISS E. C. ORR._ - -(_Winner of the Championship, 1897._)] - -Golf, as far as women are concerned, is indeed both royal and ancient, -for we know that Mary, Queen of Scots, was a great adept and devotee -thereof, but till this century women's doings appear not to have been -much chronicled, although they used to play, and our Scotch sisters have -always been more or less brought up to it. Latterly both the English and -Irish have taken wonderfully to what was at one time styled "That old -man's game," and in so doing have found it not at all a bad pastime, -till now-a-days the lady-golfers make quite a formidable army on the -occasion of the yearly championship, or the other big open meetings. - -To arrange for such events, and to give more uniformity in general -matters, the "Ladies' Golf Union" was formed a few years ago. To this -body all troublesome questions are referred by the associated clubs, for -which it acts as legislator in chief. It arranges too the details for -the yearly championship, and has lately started a system for universal -handicapping which is progressing very well. But I shall have occasion -to speak of this useful institution later. - -When ladies' courses were first started, they were chiefly conspicuous -for their shortness, and general lack of hazards, it being calculated -that the ordinary wooden putter would be sufficient to see the player -safely over any obstacles encountered during the round. But woman's -ambition was not satisfied, she sighed and fretted for more elbow-room, -longer holes, more difficulties, and last but not least on inland -courses, real sand at the bottom of the bunkers. Till then it had not -entered into the head of man to conceive that any woman was equal to, or -would care for, daily tramps over rough and broken ground, bogs, dykes, -and sand, or that even if she did care, she could ever become proficient -at so sacred a pastime. Was it possible either that a woman's strength -would prove equal to propelling the ball a sufficiently long distance, -to make her in any way a rival to one of the sterner sex? But -nevertheless, even with all these doubts, the men's club were ready to -assist in giving what was asked for, by helping to institute links at -St. Andrew's and Westward Ho! in 1868, Musselburgh and Wimbledon in -1872, Carnoustie in 1873, Pau in 1874, Troon in 1882, Bath in 1883, -Yarmouth in 1885, etc. - -Of golf as a game for the health, it must be said that it is suited to -all seasons of the year, and also to the hundred and one changes of -climate which occur in the twelve short months. Through snow we pursue -the game on the frozen and ice covered links, with balls painted red, -again in March gales, we toil round regardless of the flapping skirts -and blow-away hats, but in May days when the weather is lovely, when the -courses and their greens are at their best, then it is that we lay -ourselves out for pure enjoyment, and reap the well-deserved fruits of a -winter of steady practice. So through summer and autumn the game still -retains its fascinations, at least for those who have mastered its inner -mysteries, but for the uninitiated it must indeed be more than a trifle -dull, beside savouring rather of madness to walk miles and miles only to -hit along a little white guttie ball, with instruments of weird and -curious shape. - -[Illustration: _Figure 1._ - -_POSITION FOR DRIVING._] - -Although ladies' courses are now vastly superior to what they were a -short while back, there is still room for great improvements in the -matter of scope for brassey and cleek play through the green. The usual -courses consist of a series of holes, generally nine holes--eighteen -being the exception--closely resembling each other, interspersed with -hazards of sorts, but in point of length and play nearly all these holes -are reached by a fair drive, followed by a short iron or approach shot -on the green. This is occasionally varied by a cleek shot from tee to -green, which constitutes the whole and monotonous ring of change that is -to be found, to say nothing of the total banishment of the brassey, one -of the most useful clubs in existence. Excepting, therefore, when women -play over men's courses, or at least over a part of them, they rarely -find themselves called upon to play cleeks, or full iron shots either. A -notable exception to this is the West Lancashire ladies' course, at Hall -Road, near Liverpool. There we find not only eighteen holes most -craftily laid out amidst hazards of all description, which call into -requisition a variety of useful clubs, but the distances between the -greens have been so varied that any monotony is quite impossible. For -whilst at one hole it may require three full shots to reach the green, -very likely the next will be but a cleek shot, and so on. One of the -irresistable influences of the game to a beginner, is undoubtedly that -vexation of spirit caused by some strange mixture of obstinacy and -helplessness, which smarts and rankles bitterly after a morning spent in -trying, to stand in the correct position with your club grasped firmly -in your hands, and after the preliminary waggle, to swing up and down -and hit the ball into space. It looks so easy, ridiculously easy, and as -if it was quite impossible not to hit that little white globe, perched -on its sand tee, but in reality, till the eye and the hand have been -trained to do so, it is one of the most difficult tasks in life, and a -process tending to many abusive speeches! The experience naturally -produces a spirit of dogged determination not to be beaten, wherein lie -the first seeds of interest, and the desire for improvement. The younger -it is possible to begin the game, the better, for at an early age the -muscles are tractable and supple, and the slightest stiffness which -gives a noticable jerkiness to the strokes, is very difficult to -overcome. The strokes should on the contrary be performed, and the arms -and wrists should work, with the smooth evenness of windmill sails. But -speaking of evenness and smoothness of movement, more especially in the -case of a person in the act of driving, brings to mind the late -championship at Gullane, where, for the first time, it became possible -to compare, side by side, the styles of the Scotch and English players. -Between some there was but little difference, excepting that the Scotch -swing was rather short and quick, whilst that of the English was -somewhat longer and slower, but in whatever style our Scotch sisters -played, their whole action was so even and pendulum-like, so entirely -free from any jerk or strain, that it clearly demonstrated their -familiarity with clubs from the days of early childhood. - -Of course such familiarity is more than half the battle, making as it -does in after life a vast difference to the skill and style, although in -this as in all else, there are many and notable exceptions amongst those -who have only come across the game when nearing the days of discretion. -The greatest example of this, is our triple champion, Lady Margaret -Hamilton-Russell, née Scott, whose style has been pronounced perfect by -many competent judges. - -Great self-control and good nerve, with a large amount of endurance, are -the requisites of golf, for without wishing to say one word to its -detriment, it cannot be denied that it is a game somewhat conducive to -selfishness, and with a distinctly rousing effect upon the temper. To -those who are adepts at other out of door sports and pastimes, golf -presents one great difficulty, namely, that most of the clubs have to be -gripped firmly by the left hand only, the right hand being used quite -lightly in comparison, simply as a general support and guide to -direction. - -Having once decided to become a player, the best course by far is to -arrange for daily lessons from some competent and painstaking -professional, for by this means we start from the very beginning by -being placed in the right positions, and moreover, are taught to use the -right club in the right place, which knowledge will prove of invaluable -assistance in future matches and competitions. No beginner should -however forget to obtain a book of the St. Andrews' rules and to study -it well, for one of the first essentials in a game is to know the rules -thoroughly. By thus starting with lessons from a qualified instructor, -you do away with the risk of having to unlearn most of what has been -already grasped, as is so often the case where your mentor has been some -kind and amiable friend. Once having mastered the rudiments and -mysteries of the game, steady daily practice should be indulged in, if -you would hope in time to figure in the front rank of players. - -The driver, iron, mashie and putter are the chief clubs to master -thoroughly, for at any time these will suffice on all courses to play a -good round with, whereas if only one club is taken out at a time to -master, the eye and hand are apt to become wearied by continuous -repetition, whilst the varied strokes necessitated by three or four -clubs, prove both instructive as well as absorbing. - -In the choice of clubs arises great difficulty. Patents unlimited are to -be had, each claiming special advantages. For instance, W. Park's -putting cleek, or wry-necked putter as it is often called, and Brougham -or Yeoman's aluminium drivers, so utterly indestructible when playing -off roads or other hard lies. Then there are Taylor's or Teen's mashies, -the former rather short in the head and broad on the face, particularly -useful for the high-pitched approach shots, the latter shaped more like -a spoon, having at the back and in the exact centre, a crescent-shaped -and convex piece of extra steel, so as to concentrate the full force and -weight at the point of impact. But the good old-fashioned clubs can hold -many candles to various latter-day inventions. A very useful driver head -of ordinary beech-wood has within the last three or four years come -from the able hands of J. Ray, of Randalstown, Co. Antrim, called a -"Bap." This is in appearance exactly like a large and rather flat penny -bun attached to the shaft, but its driving powers are tremendous owing -to the amount of wood behind the spot from whence the ball is hit, which -naturally induces a long carry and run, especially in a wind, when it -seems to send a capital long, low straight shot. - -[Illustration: _Figure 2._ - -_GRIP OF HANDS FOR DRIVING._] - -It is best to choose the first clubs with the assistance of a -professional, or that of an experienced amateur, who will know at once -what weights are most suited to your powers of wrist and arm. Having -done this, and by a study of the rules prepared yourself for -instruction, you will naturally wish to make your first attempt. On -arriving at the first teeing ground and after mounting your ball on its -sand tee, take up your position with the driver, so that the club head -may be within easy reach of the ball, and without the least straining or -stretching forward to reach it. - -[Illustration: _Figure 3._ - -_WRONG GRIP._] - -[Illustration: _Figure 4._ - -_CLUB HEAD WRONG. HANDS WRONG. RESULT OF A GRIP, AS SHOWN IN FIG. 3._] - -[Illustration: _Figure 5._ - -_"TOE" OF DRIVER POINTING DOWNWARDS. HANDS RIGHT._] - -The left foot should be slightly in advance of the right, rather turned -in if anything, and both feet some sixteen inches or thereabouts apart, -the ball, club, and hands being as nearly as possible in direct line -with your waist buckle, perhaps slightly inclined to the left. The hands -then require to grip the club as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the left hand -should hold with a grip of iron, the right much more easily, but still -with a tenacious grasp, turned well over so that the back of the hand is -to the front. Care should be taken that the thumb is not as shown in -Figure 3, for such a grip would cause the head of the club, when at -the top of the swing, to be turned broadway as in Figure 4, instead of -pointing toe downwards as in Figure 5. When off your drive entirely, and -when instead of being able to swing your ball nicely and cleanly away, -you can only keep hitting down on the top of it, called smothering, take -a swing with the club, pausing at the top (that is to say when the club -has reached its usual high curve over the right shoulder, and just -before its descent is commenced) to note the angle of the head. This -will generally be found as in figure 4, whilst the position of the hands -will be as in figure 3. Then alter your grip to as near that of figure 2 -as possible, when the angle of the club-head at the top of the swing, -will become as in figure 5. But to continue, being in the correct -position for addressing the ball both as regards distance and grip, -after a short preliminary waggle which will give the needed impetus, -raise the club away to the right, not too quickly, with a scythe-like -sweep, till well over the right shoulder, at the same time lifting the -left heel and turning the body slightly on the toes of the left foot. -Figure 6. The action of the swing should be entirely done from the -shoulder, and not with a twist of the whole body as is often seen. -Descending again and driving away the ball, then continue the swing till -it finishes up quite naturally over the left shoulder, called "the -follow through," Figure 7, thus describing an entire circle round the -body, the _whole_ of which must be as evenly performed, without the -least signs of force or disjointedness, as though it was the revolution -of a wheel. Many players stand to drive with the ball in a line with, or -even outside, their left foot, but having the ball nearer the centre of -the body, as described above, is the more usual position, and one to be -recommended. - -[Illustration: _Figure 6._ - -_GRIP WHEN AT THE TOP OF SWING._] - -[Illustration: _Garland. Woking._ - -_Figure 7._ - -_FINISH OF SWING._ - -(_Mrs. M. C. Willock._)] - -Brassey shots through the green are played in a similar manner to -drives, the only exception being, that instead of a ball teed on the -sand, it has to be taken off the flat, therefore it becomes necessary to -swing the club head into the ball with a smart click, nicking in between -it and the ground, so as to cause the ball to rise away in its flight -quickly and cleanly, avoiding any taking of turf, or sclaffing as it is -styled, and thereby losing half the propelling force. When to reach the -green two or three full shots are required after the drive, the brassey -is generally taken, or for a medium length shot the cleek, the latter -being used with a full swing, till some eighty or a hundred yards from -the hole, when the lofting iron is called into requisition. - -With this latter club, as with the cleek, the grip of both hands must be -very firm, for at the moment of striking the ball with the face of the -club, there is the danger of the sole at that very second taking the -turf, when, unless the club is firmly gripped in both hands, it must -naturally turn somewhat, with the result that the shot will be -hopelessly foozled. - -[Illustration: _Figure 8._ - -_SWINGING UPWARDS FOR A THREE-QUARTER IRON SHOT._] - -The position of the feet in iron shots differs from that of driving. For -one thing the right foot should be slightly in advance of the left, -whilst the ball is more opposite the former, and in the second place the -knees must be a little bent, the whole body assuming more of a crouching -stance than when driving. The swing, too, with an iron, is somewhat -different, for even in the full shot it is never of such a length as -that taken with a wooden club. It is more of an up-and-down stroke. In -the three-quarter shot, the arms and not the shoulders are responsible -for the swing, the club going as far back as the length of the arm -comfortably permits (figure 8), whereas, in the half shot, the fore arm -and wrist work only, the arm from the shoulder to the elbow being then -nearly close into the side. The approach shot with the mashie is played -when the green is some fifty yards or more distant, the player desiring -either to run the ball up to the hole along the ground, provided the -intervening space is pretty clear of hazards, or to pitch it up, with -that short "choppy" wrist shot, so that the ball falls without run, -nearly dead. Many players place the right thumb down the shaft of the -club in this stroke, claiming that it is easier thus to gauge the -distance and be more accurate as to direction. But whichever way it is -played, remember that it is the wrists and not the arms that work the -club. This shot is played with the face of the club very much laid back -(figure 9), and a peculiar species of cut from right to left -administered to the ball at the moment of impact. A stroke that can with -difficulty be taught, being more the outcome of instinct after -experience, than of instruction. The hard part of approaching lies in -making the ball fall sufficiently dead, and _not_ to strike it so, that -after pitching, it will run nearly as far off the green on the opposite -side. - -The mashie is one of the most useful clubs, for besides being your -"right hand" in approach shots, it is simply indispensable when playing -out of a bad lie, or whenever the ball is snugly reposing in some sand -bunker. To extricate oneself from such a lie, it is necessary first and -foremost that both feet should be _firmly_ planted on the ground, for -every atom of strength must be brought to bear on the right spot, at the -right moment. About two inches behind the ball is the place to let your -club-head delve into the sand, and it is upon _this_ spot that the eye -must be fixed, and _not_ upon the ball, as is otherwise the case. The -force of hitting the club-head into the sand, causes it to shoot up, -bearing the ball high into the air, and over the confronting obstacle. - -Whilst speaking of bunkers and difficulties, it is as well to have in -mind the St. Andrew's rule, No. 14, which runs as follows: "When a ball -lies in or touches a hazard, the club shall not touch the ground, nor -shall anything be touched or moved before the player strikes at the -ball, except that the player may place his feet firmly on the ground for -the purpose of addressing the ball, under the penalty of the loss of the -hole, but if in the backward or downward swing, any grass, bent, whin, -or other growing substance, on the side of a bunker, a wall, a paling, -or other immoveable obstacle be touched, no penalty shall be incurred." -In medal competitions the penalty for breach of this rule is -disqualification. - -If there should be any doubt as to what is considered a hazard, rule No. -15 is very explicit. "A hazard shall be any bunker of whatever -nature--water, sand, loose earth, mole hills, paths, roads, or railways, -whins, bushes, rushes, rabbit scrapes, fences, ditches, or anything -which is not the ordinary green of the course--except sand blown on to -the grass by wind, or sprinkled on grass for the preservation of the -links--or snow, or ice, or bare patches on the course." - -[Illustration: _Figure 9._ - -_SHORT APPROACH SHOT WITH THUMB DOWN THE SHAFT._] - -In _match play_, rule 29 states: "A ball must be played wherever it -lies, or the hole be given up--except as otherwise provided for in the -rules." Whereas in _medal play_, rule 8 reads: "A ball may under a -penalty of two strokes be lifted out of a difficulty of any description, -and be teed behind the same." The niblick, in bunkers where the sand is -at all heavy, is rather a better club to use than the mashie, being so -short, thick, and powerful in the head, therefore capable of delivering -a stronger blow into the sand. A most useful club for bad lies through -the green, is the driving mashie, made much after the order of a cleek, -only being shorter in the face and very solid in the sole, it is able to -hit a long, powerful shot under the most trying conditions in the way of -bad lies. - -Having spoken of the many clubs used from the tee till the green is -reached, the putter alone remains for a few words. Till quite recently -this was made of wood only, rather in shape like an elongated -driver-head. In fact these very old clubs, such as were used by -celebrities like Jamie Allan, young Tommy Morris, Mr. George Glennie, -and others, are now worth fabulous sums of money. But of late years, -steel and gun metal have come much more into vogue. Park's patent putter -with the twisted socket or neck, is a universal favourite, the fact of -looking straight down the shaft on to the ball appearing to make the -line of transition somewhat more easy for the eye to take in. The mode -of holding the putter is similar to that of the iron, only that the -thumbs are both placed downwards and the fingers are called more into -play, as shown in Figure 10. The general grip is a trifle looser, -although the right hand requires to be firm. Mr. Horace Hutchinson, in -the _Badminton Book on Golf_, says as follows: "The principal secret of -good putting, as of good driving, is that the club should travel as long -as possible on the line--or a production of it--on which the ball is to -travel. - -"Putting is a stroke made almost exclusively with the wrists. The wrists -do not hit the club on to the ball and then check it, but the club is -swung by a movement of the wrists... any checking of the club as it -meets the ball being fatal to consistent good putting.... The hands -should be allowed to fall into a natural position.... The putter should -be held rather short, and preferably with a light grip, and should be -worked backward and forward by the wrists, mainly perhaps the left -wrist.... The left elbow may, if preferred, be a little crooked to the -front: the club head will in this method be swinging somewhat after the -fashion of a pendulum, and if a golfer gets the hanging arrangements of -this pendulum correct, it can not very well swing out of the true line." - -[Illustration: _Figure 10._ - -_PUTTING OFF THE RIGHT FOOT._] - -The above describes the stroke exactly. The stance for putting is as -shown in Figure 10, at least that is about the usual position, but many -people putt with the ball about mid-way between the right foot and the -left, in a straight line with the centre of the body (Figure 11). The -crooked left elbow is certainly a great help in keeping the ball on the -right road to the hole, while the right elbow should be resting against -the hip. Iron shots too can be kept from diverging with the vagaries of -the wind during a gale, if the left elbow is well crooked towards the -front, so as to follow through in that position over the line of flight -of the ball. A very similar position to that of playing forward at -cricket. - -In golf there is a good deal of etiquette to be observed, but again all -hints will be found in the book of St. Andrew's rules, or in that very -useful compendium _The Golfer's Referee_, which was compiled lately by -the Editor of _The Golfer_, in Edinburgh. It may be as well to mention -that No. 2 of these rules is one to be observed, if not for courtesy's -sake, at least for the sake of danger, a blow from a golf ball being no -light matter. Therefore out of pure humanity it is only right to let the -party in front play their second shots, or get off the green, so that -they may be out of range of those behind. Besides match and medal play, -another species of competition has of late years been started, namely, -"Bogey." This is simply a score fixed for each of the eighteen holes, -the same as the par of the green, the player having to hole out in one -less than the given par, it she would win the hole, or in the like for a -half. At each hole, any strokes taken beyond the number of the fixed -par, count as a loss to the player and as a win to "Bogey." The mode of -marking this on the competition cards being + for a win and O for a -half, and - for a loss. - -[Illustration: _Figure 11._ - -_PUTTING WITH BALL BETWEEN THE FEET._] - -One of the greatest features of golf is that although you may only -perhaps be a third-class player, and your opponent a first-class, or as -it is termed, scratch player, yet by the system of handicapping you will -both play on equal terms. In match play the difference between handicaps -is allowed as follows: in singles, three-fourths of the difference -between handicap allowances, in foursomes, three-eighths of the -difference of the aggregate handicap allowance on either side, a half -stroke of over counting as one, but smaller fractions not being -reckoned. Thus if the difference between your own and your opponent's -handicap in a single is 12, you will have to allow her nine strokes, or -a half, viz.: a stroke every other hole, whereas if in a foursome the -difference of handicap between yourself and partner and your opponent -and her partner was likewise 12, you would then only give an allowance -of five strokes. As a rule, clubs have their own special table of holes, -at which the strokes are to be taken in matches. - -Nerves undoubtedly play a great part in golf, for the person who can go -on quietly and steadily when her opponent is two up at the turn has an -immense advantage. For as nothing is certain in life, still less is it -so in golf! A topped drive, or a short putt, and the whole luck of the -game may alter. Therefore the player who has perfect control over her -nerves has a decided advantage over one who becomes flustered, and she -will very often come in with a rush and flourish of trumpets at the -last. When playing a tight match never risk going for the hole if a -halved one will answer as well, for there is always the chance in going -for it from some way off of placing the ball out of holeing distance for -the next shot, and so losing the hole altogether. - -Much the same in medal play: never risk a very long carry or dangerous -shot if instead, by playing short and then over the difficulty, you can -insure more safety. Medal play is essentially a matter of stolid -steadiness, while match play bristles with excitements from start to -finish, but it is by no means the case that the best match player will -be the best in a medal round, the almost mechanical steadiness of play -required in the latter being often found too irksome and tedious. - -Of the faults that a golfer may drift into, slicing, hooking, and -topping are the most common, and these are often too the most difficult -to cure. Slicing is caused by drawing the club across the ball and -towards yourself. This will cause the ball to dive off to the right, and -is either the result of an error in the stance, or the grip of one or -both hands, or possibly because the club is being swung away too -quickly, causing more of a straight up and down stroke than is the case -in the proper and rounded swing. If hooking is the fault, then the ball -will fly off to the left. The reason of this may be either that you are -standing with the ball too much opposite to the left foot, or that you -are hitting it with the club's face turned in, the latter being the -result of faulty gripping. Topping as the name denotes is simply not -getting well down to the ball, and means the ruin of both its shape and -paint! Yet another fault is that of heeling, or hitting the ball off the -neck of the club, this can generally be cured by standing a little -farther away from the ball and letting the arms go out well free of the -body. - -One of the most difficult shots you can be called upon to play is when -the ball is in a "cuppy" lie, viz., in a small hole or hollow. The club -then has to be swung _into it_ without taking any of the surrounding -edges, which seems so impossible to accomplish, and yet to get the ball -away any distance, but the more quietly and without pressing you succeed -in doing this, the more chance you will have of a good result. A ball -lying above you, say on the side of a hill, is awkward, as the club -shaft when used in such a position seems so lengthy and unwieldy, but -taking the stroke quietly and again not pressing for an extra long shot -is the best way out of the difficulty. If on the other hand the ball -lies on a slope below you, shorten your grip of the club, for the body -will naturally fall a little forward in the downward swing, owing to the -stance being on the slant. Sometimes the ball may be found lying with a -disused and grass-grown mole-hill, or some such lump immediately in -front. In such a case it would be equally impossible to sweep away the -ball with a full swing, or with a three-quarter one. The club must -therefore be raised just as far backwards as in a half shot, when it -should be smartly brought down, thus hitting the ball and jerking into -the turf, causing it--the ball--to rise over the obstacle. This will cut -a large divot out of the ground, which must be replaced and stamped -down, ever remembering the text, "It is the duty of every golfer to -replace, or to cause to be replaced any turf cut in the act of making a -stroke." Of course care must be used not to break the shaft of the club, -owing to the force with which the head will cut down into the turf. - -To keep yourself in good form it is not necessary after the game has -been thoroughly mastered to practise every day. Three or four times a -week will keep both the eye and the hand well up to their work, without -getting either tired or stale. Whenever the chance presents itself of -playing a round with a scratch player, or someone who is really more -skilled than yourself, do so. Such experience will not only serve as a -lesson, but will stimulate the spirit of ambition in no small degree. -Besides, it will be most excellent training and a decided gain in the -way of steadiness, and will also teach you not to get flustered when -confronted by difficulties. Merely to watch your opponent's -self-possession, as she extricates the ball from the heaviest sand, -without the least sign of force or irritability, will be a lesson worthy -of taking to heart. To have made good progress in the game, and to be -able to hold one's own with some of the longer handicap members, perhaps -even to be able to give them a point or two besides a beating, has the -effect of making most people rather proud and pleased with themselves. -Then it is that a sound beating from some good player will do your game -pounds of good and show you how much you still have to learn. If one -were to play golf for ever, yet would the feeling remain that there are -many things to be mastered. - -One of the most trying times for the nerves, and in fact for your play -all round is when at some big open meeting, or perhaps even in the -championship, you find yourself drawn to play with or against a -celebrity. Some of the on-lookers may, and probably will, elect to -follow you round just to see your famous partner perform, as well as to -criticise both players. Naturally, this will cause you some -embarrassment, but beside your own feeling on the matter, you have to -consider those of your partner, and the risk that if you play badly you -may very likely put her off too. For in golf the laws of imitation are -very subtle, and nothing is more common than to play down to another -person's standard. However trying it may be, therefore, to have every -shot watched, whether it is a long raking drive, a foozled iron, or some -twelve inch putt that lips the hole instead of going down, do your best -to be steady, even if brilliancy be out of the question, for consistency -can never be very hardly criticised, even when seriously put in the -shade by a superior display of knowledge. Attending open meetings, and -taking part in club matches, will do more for your nerves and be the -means of your gaining greater experience than a hundred rounds on the -quiet home course, with just those players around you to whose -criticisms the ear has become so used, that they cease to make the -slightest impression. At such big gatherings you can see for yourself -the endless varieties of style, grip, stance, and a dozen other details -which will go more towards teaching you how you should or should not do -this, or do that, than many lessons and many chapters on the subject. - -To play a tight match in a championship, is generally a doubtful -pleasure. The severe strain of knowing that every stroke should be -soundly good, or at all events useful, the amount of care that must be -taken over the shortest putt, the dogged determination that you _will_ -beat your opponent, or if you do not quite succeed in this, that you -will only be beaten by the most narrow margin, and last but not least, -the total obliviousness to the crowd that may be following the match; -all this self-possession cannot be learned in a day or even in a few -months. To attain to such a level is a matter of test and training. -Before any of these big events, it is as well to go and reside for a -time in or near the spot where the meeting is to be held, as you will -thus gain a thorough knowledge of the course, lies, bunkers and greens, -not forgetting that most useful appendage, the caddie. To secure a sharp -boy, who knows every nook and cranny of the links, will often mean half -a stroke a hole to the credit of your match or score. - -The most suitable and workmanlike clothes for the game are a simple coat -and skirt of Harris tweed or other strong material, thick boots with a -few nails in the soles to prevent slipping, and a straw sailor hat by -way of head covering. Fly-away and feather-bedecked hats, together with -garden-party dresses, look, and are, terribly out of place on a course, -which in this country, owing to the variable moods of the clerk of the -weather, may not always be without mud! Many players wear red coats with -their club facings and buttons, and these always look smart. Among them, -and one which is quite the neatest of all club uniforms, is that of the -Wimbledon Ladies' Club--a coat, with black collar and cuffs, outlined -with a piping of white, the buttons being of black, with the club -initials in white on them. All clubs that have the privilege of calling -themselves Royal are entitled to facings of Royal blue. The Littlestone -ladies wear rather a smart coat with white facings, round which are the -narrowest of narrow pipings in tri-coloured silk cord, of the club -colours, white, green and salmon pink. Green facings are very popular, -and are used by the St. Anne's Ladies, the Mid-Surrey and many others. -Perhaps the only club with a membership of several hundred, which has no -distinctive coat is Princes, at Mitcham, but the charming mixture of -chocolate and light blue, in the form of hat ribbons and ties worn by -the members, makes rather a welcome change. - -Going away to other links to play matches for one's club is by no means -the least of the minor pleasures of being a golfer, for it carries one -to many "lands unknown." The fascinations, too, of a new course are -great and wonderful, especially during the first round when you are -quite ignorant of the pitfalls that await the unwary. There is something -so exhilarating in driving over carries of unknown breadth, and in -taking one's iron to reach a blind, or hidden green, with several sandy -obstacles between you and it. - -[Illustration: _MISS PASCOE._ - -(_Winner of the Championship, 1896._)] - -Of the five courses which have now been used for the Ladies Golf Union's -Annual Championship Meeting, that of Gullane, in 1897, was by far the -best and most difficult, Portrush being next in order. But before -entering into further details it may be as well to give just a brief -outline of the said "Ladies' Golf Union" and its origin. Early in 1893, -the idea of such an institution was started, Dr. Laidlow Purves, Miss -Issette Pearson and several Wimbledon members being the moving spirits -in the scheme, ably backed up by such clubs as Ashdown Forest, Barnes, -Eastbourne, East Sheen, Great Harrowden, Great Yarmouth, Lytham and St. -Anne's, Minchinhampton, North Berwick, North Warwickshire, Portrush, -Belfast, St. Andrew's, Southdown and Brighton, and Wimbledon. A large -and influential meeting was held in London during the month of April, -and it was then decided that an annual championship should be held, the -winner of which was to receive a gold medal and be styled Lady Champion -for the year, whilst a magnificent silver trophy was to pass into the -possession of her club for the same period. Strangely enough the Lytham -and St. Anne's Club had already thought of, and in fact advertised, a -splendid £50 silver challenge cup, to be competed for annually over -their links, the winner of which was to be styled champion. - -This handsome offer had been made before the golfing world was even -aware that the subject of a Ladies' Union had been mooted. After some -discussion the matter was amicably settled, by the delegate from the St. -Anne's Club and the council, deciding to hold the first Championship -over that course. The subscribers towards the magnificent cup include -the clubs of St. Andrews, St. Anne's, Ashdown Forest, Blackheath, -Cotswold, Royal Belfast, Royal Eastbourne, Southdown and Brighton, -Minchinhampton, and Wimbledon. The 13th of June and three consecutive -days were chosen for the event, and the following circular was issued to -all the ladies' clubs throughout the United Kingdom: - -"The Ladies' Golf Union have decided that the Ladies' Golf Championship -Competition, 1893, open to all lady golfers, members of any golf club, -will take place at St. Anne's-on-the-Sea, Lancashire, on Tuesday 13th, -Wednesday 14th, Thursday 15th June, when the trophy, value fifty -guineas, and four medals will be competed for under the following -conditions: - -1. Competitors shall enter for the competition through the secretaries -of their respective clubs. - -2. The competition shall be played by holes in accordance with the rules -of the Lytham and St. Anne's Golf Club. - -3. The draw shall take place on Friday, 9th June, and shall be conducted -as follows: - - Depending on the number of entries, such number of byes - shall be first drawn as shall after the completion of the - first round leave four, eight, sixteen, thirty-two, or - sixty-four players, and one draw shall decide the order of - play throughout the competition; those who have drawn byes - being placed at the head of the list of winners of the - first round, and taking their place in the second round, in - the order in which their names then stand. - -4. Each game shall consist of a round of eighteen holes. - -5. In the event of a tie in any round, competitors shall continue to -play on until one or other shall have gained a hole, when the match -shall be considered won. - -6. The winner of the competition shall be the champion lady golfer for -the year, and the trophy shall be held for that year in the club from -which the winner shall have entered. - -7. The winner shall receive a gold medal, the second a silver medal, and -the third and and fourth bronze medals. - -8. All entries must be subject to the approval of the Lytham and St. -Anne's Golf Club. - -9. All disputes shall be settled by the Council of the Lytham and St. -Anne's Golf Club. - -10. Entries close Thursday, 8th June, 1893." - -Truly perfect weather favoured the meeting, and some thirty-eight -competitors entered, including two members from the Pau club. The -drought that year had been exceptional, but the "green committee," -headed by Mr. T. H. Miller, had kept the greens verdant, thanks to -constant care and unlimited watering. The course being one of nine -holes, two rounds had to be played. The chief hazards were "cops," or -high turf banks, sand bunkers, and one or two ditches. - -At that time, when ladies' golf had not reached its present standard of -excellence, the links appeared sufficiently difficult for a championship -test, but now, when entries number a hundred or so, and players think -nothing of a carry of 140 yards, which will clear the great obstacles -easily, it becomes necessary to have a shortened man's course for such -events. Although at Gullane, in 1897, the full men's links were used, -the round of which is two miles and three quarters, with a few yards -over, at Littlestone, in 1894, the course was not quite two miles and a -half long, whilst Portrush, in 1895, measured only a few yards more than -two miles and a quarter; the Hoylake course, used in 1896, was within a -hundred and ten yards of two miles and three quarters. Great Yarmouth, -which is to be the scene of the present year's--1898--struggle, is some -three miles in extent, but will doubtless be a trifle shortened, if it -be in any way possible. - -Harking back to St. Anne's and the first championship, it was a matter -of surprise and pleasure to witness the splendid play of Lady Margaret -Scott, and the ease with which she used her clubs, whether in a good, -bad or indifferent lie. It came in the light of a revelation to the -non-golfing many, who were not used to such a beautiful exhibition, and -were not aware to what pitch of perfection a lady-golfer might rise. -Whilst to the golfing few it was a fine lesson, on the subject of how -the game should and could be played, if it was only properly engrafted -into the player from the beginning, and if proper pains were taken not -to leave the minutest detail unconquered. The only two who approached -Lady Margaret Scott in her easy swing, and the manner in which she -extricated herself from difficulties, were Miss Issette Pearson, the -energetic and hard-working Honorary Secretary of the Golf Union, and -Mrs. Wilson-Hoare, of Westward Ho! The final issue of the great battle -resulted in Lady Margaret becoming champion, a title she held for three -consecutive years, and Miss Pearson being the runner-up. This first -championship was not without its fruits amongst those who witnessed it. -On all sides the tide of ambition ran high to emulate even in a small -degree the splendid example that had been given, which was the talk of -the golfing world. So much so, that by the spring of 1894, there was a -much improved band ready to struggle with each other for the coveted -title at Littlestone, Kent, an off-shoot of that charming and quaint -cinque port town, New Romney, which the continual wash of shingle, and -silt of the sands, has left a mile and a half high and dry inland. - -In comparison with St. Anne's, Littlestone was three times more -difficult. Not only was the latter an eighteen hole course, but it -fairly bristled in sand bunkers, canals, rabbit holes, and endless traps -for the incautious. However, everyone had profited by the previous -experience, and the play of most of the competitors called forth -expressions of approval on all sides. The number of entries was -sixty-four, including players from seventeen different clubs. Ireland -was unrepresented this year, although at St. Anne's the previous season -there had been four entries from the Sister Isle. Lady Margaret Scott, -and Miss Pearson, again stood first and second, after a very fine match, -which was watched attentively by a large crowd from all the neighbouring -golfing centres. Following the championship in the Autumn came the -largely-attended and first open meeting of the Ranelagh Club, at Barn -Elms. This was a huge success, thanks to the untiring energies of the -Committee, and Miss Pearson, so much so that another gathering was -organised for the following April--1895--and since then this fixture has -been kindly allowed to become an annual event. - -Early in the May of 1895 the enthusiastic army of golfers was under -weigh for the quiet little Irish town of Portrush, the scene of both the -Irish and the English Championships that year, the former preceding the -latter by a few days. The bustle and excitement in the streets of the -little town was great, and outside cars came tearing round the -perilously sharp corners, laden with red-coated golfers either off to -watch the semi-finals of the Irish ladies, or else to sample the truly -grand course on their own account. Every train too brought in fresh -relays of competitors, till the huge Northern Counties Hotel had not a -corner untenanted. - -The trophy of the Irish Ladies' Golf Union, which is a remarkably -handsome worked silver bowl, had, after a good fight, together with much -steady play, including some glorious long putts, been won by Miss Cox, -Miss Maclaine being the runner up. An open meeting was held the day -before the Golf Union Championship, where the scratch prize was easily -won, with the fine score of 89, by Miss Sybil Wigham, the first Scotch -representative to attend one of these events. Miss Wigham's style was -grand, being both easy and sure, and she proved herself equal to sending -terrific long balls from any lie. It was much hoped that she and Lady -Margaret might meet in one of the heats, but being unused to play before -so large a crowd, Miss Wigham's nerve rather gave way in her match with -Miss Dod, and she suffered defeat by two up and one to play. Two of the -finest matches of this championship were those between Lady Margaret -Scott and Miss Phillips, in the opening heat, and between Lady Margaret -and Mrs. Ryder-Richardson in the semi-final, wherein the latter player -was four up at the eleventh hole to the champion, who after this -gradually assumed the lead, and won in the end by two up. - -[Illustration: _LADY MARGARET HAMILTON-RUSSELL._ - -(_Winner of the Championship, 1893, 1894, and 1895_)] - -Perhaps the marvellous coolness and self-possession of Lady Margaret -were never seen to better advantage than in this match. The course at -Portrush seemed to abound in bunkers at every conceivable and -inconceivable corner. The greens were in excellent condition, and the -whole links sporting as anyone could wish to play over. If anything the -soil was a trifle too sandy, for it was dangerous to take the least -scrap of turf with one's brassey or iron, for fear of a foozle. The end -of the meeting found Lady Margaret for the third time champion, with -Miss Lythgoe, of the St. Anne's Club, as Silver medallist. - -The 1896 championship meeting, at Hoylake, was remarkable for the number -of very close matches, many of which were only decided on the -eighteenth, nineteenth, or twentieth greens. Miss Pascoe ultimately -became the winner after many hard tussles, with Miss Lena Thompson, of -Wimbledon, as runner up, Lady Margaret Scott not being among the -eighty-two entrants. It was noticeable what an improvement in all parts -of the game had taken place within the last three years, many of those -who had witnessed the St. Anne's Championship being present, and -stating this as their opinion. In the length of the tee shots and -brassies, in getting out of difficulties, and in putting, the -improvement was everywhere visible. The first visit of the Union to the -home of Golf, viz., Scotland, took place in the middle of May, 1897, -when Gullane, on the East Lothian coast, was the place of Meeting. -Gullane is famed not only for the excellence of its links and the very -superior quality of its turf at the present time, but in early years it -was a great Pictish burial place, and the ruins of an ancient church, -dating from about 1170, still stands in the middle of the village. In -after years it was known as the birthplace of the celebrated racehorse, -_Blair Athol_, as well as of several minor lights of the racing world. -Gullane indeed is a spot of many varied interests. - -The links are most sporting, and it is altogether a splendid course for -a big event like the championship. The only regret murmured--and that -but faintly--was that some would have liked more hazards to carry from -the tee, as is the case at North Berwick. However, this want was well -atoned for by the manner in which the greens were guarded, a style of -defence that would do credit to a first-class engineer, and which taxed -the powers of approaching not a little. Especially was this the case at -the twelfth, fourteenth, fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth holes, -where grief unlimited awaited the topped or foozled ball. Starting with -the record entry of one hundred and two competitors, the whole meeting, -if one excepts the weather, was an unqualified success. For the first -time, the Scotch and English women-players met to do battle for the same -trophy, but it was to be regretted that in so many instances the draw -had coupled two very strong scratch players together, or in the same way -put English players to do battle with each other, when it would have -been both so much more exciting and interesting to have found them -pitted North against South. In the first round two of the best matches -were those between Miss Pascoe--the holder of the cup--and Miss Issette -Pearson, and between Miss N. Graham--the Irish Champion--and Miss -Nevill, the holder of the Midland Counties Championship. Miss Pearson, -who gave one of the finest exhibitions of golf that she has ever shown, -won after a hard fight by four up and three to play. Miss Pascoe too -made some magnificent shots, but she certainly did not display the same -deadly accuracy which characterised her game so much at Hoylake, in the -previous year (1896). However such thorough knowledge of the game was -shown on both sides, that some of the old Scotchmen in the crowd were -heard to exclaim, "Hoot, mon! This is fair golf, and worth coming to -see." - -The match between Miss Nevill and Miss N. Graham was even closer, the -latter losing only at the last hole. In the next round the matches of -Miss Maud Aitchison _v._ Miss G. Graham, Miss A. L. Orr _v._ Miss Frith, -and Miss A. Maxwell _v._ Miss M. R. Nimmo, attracted the most attention, -and in each case were won by the first-named player. Round number three -contained many more tight matches, especially those between Miss -Titterton and Miss Maud Aitchison, which was carried to the -twenty-second hole, Miss Titterton winning ultimately. Whilst Mrs. -Edward Smith beat Miss N. Haig, the Yorkshire champion, only at the -twenty-first hole, Miss Bertha Thomson beat Miss Lugton at the -nineteenth green, and Miss Dod only succumbed to Miss Blyth on the last -green. The fourth round was not marked by any special feature, although -all the matches were well contested. But the fifth heat had some grand -fights, notably those of Miss Titterton and Miss Madeline Campbell, -which only finished on the eighteenth green, and Miss Kennedy and Miss -Nevill, which was another display of real golf soundly well played, Miss -Nevill losing by two holes only. The sixth and semi-final round was -indeed exciting, Miss Kennedy playing a magnificent match against Miss -Orr. The play on both sides was bold, free, and accurate, Miss Kennedy's -shots from the tee and through the green were brilliant, especially so -at the sixteenth hole from whence she reached the green in two, a -distance of 314 yards from the tee. It was in putting alone that she -lost to her formidable and well-known North Berwick opponent. Miss E. C. -Orr, who was playing a most beautiful and steady game, downed Miss -Titterton by two up after a fine match. The final between the two Miss -Orr's was a good exhibition of steady golf, but Miss E. C. Orr -out-played her sister somewhat easily, her shots all through being -beautifully judged, especially the full iron shots or half iron -approaches, which never failed to be within a putt of the hole. Indeed -it was in these shots that she obtained such an immense pull over her -opponents throughout the whole of the meeting, and one might with -advantage take a lesson from her in this most useful and necessary -department of the game, for it is undoubtedly in approaching and putting -that so many of us fail. There is nothing very hard in hitting a good -long drive or brassey shot, but when it comes to pitching the ball -_perfectly accurately_ on to the green, so that it may be within a -putt's length of the hole, or at the outside within two such strokes, -then it is that we seem to be "all over the place." Perhaps once or -twice during the round, we may lay an approach or two fairly dead, but -to do this consistently for eighteen holes we cannot, and it was here -that Miss E. C. Orr and several other Scotch ladies, scored heavily. - -The competitions that are held at many open meetings for "approach -shots," generally result in anybody but the scratch players being the -winners, and show that this branch of the game is neglected by many good -players. Somehow far less pains are taken about this kind of shot, than -for the drive. Notice before the drive, how the player will fuss about -the height of her tee, the position of her feet, the waggle and swing -of the club, then notice the same player on nearing the hole, when she -takes up her iron or mashie. Just a glance at the hole, then a quick hit -and the ball lights _somewhere_ on the green, perhaps with such a run -that it is nearly as far off on the other side as it was on this side, -before the stroke was played. No pains as to position, stance and angle -of the club-head are taken; an iron shot in the _direction_ of the green -being the stroke played, instead of an approach shot _at the hole_, -which just makes all the difference. Putting, too, is much more natural -to some people than to others, but it is surely within the power of -everyone to improve themselves in this useful science. - -It is after closely watching such a display of the game as we saw at the -Championship meeting at Gullane, that one feels how much we might -improve in our game by simply taking a little ordinary and common care. - -The lengths of the holes at Gullane were about as follows: 1st, 300 -yards; 2nd, 251; 3rd, 211; 4th, 353; 5th, 313; 6th, 252; 7th, 347; 8th, -304; 9th, 249; 10th, 353; 11th, 153; 12th, 355; 13th, 189; 14th, 160; -15th, 244; 16th, 314; 17th, 309; 18th, 306. Lengths that required every -variety of shot, together with uphill and downhill lies innumerable, -but as was mentioned a page or two back, the feature of the course lay -in the grandly-guarded greens, where the consistent approacher had all -the best of the game, and time besides to cogitate on the niblic shots -of her less consistent opponent. - -Besides arranging the annual championship, and settling any questions or -difficulties relating to golf, the Ladies' Golf Union undertook to -organize a matter that had for years shown itself in need of revision. -The Union started the "handicapping scheme" among its associated clubs, -in order that in crowded open meetings, the committee chosen to arrange -the handicaps, should have some basis to work upon. It is a delicate -matter to settle the points that one player shall concede to another, -and till then this had been more or less guess-work, excepting for such -little guidance as the local handicaps provided. The scheme is now in -full working order, with a special sub-committee to guard over its -interests, of which Miss Pearson is in command. This committee consists -of four other ladies, to each of whom is portioned out six or eight -clubs, and whose duty it is to work out by averaging the scores -returned, what handicap each member of these several clubs shall -receive, in accordance with the fixed par of the green, also to lower -the various allowances when the players return scores under those from -which they are already handicapped. Once a month the whole of the medal, -or other stroke competition returns are made up, and published in the -golfing papers. To stimulate interest in this scheme the Golf Union -offers a silver medal to every club, to be won by the member returning -the best aggregate of four nett scores under their handicaps during the -year, as well as a gold medal to be competed for annually by the winners -of the silver medals. - -The rules for the guidance of those who compete, which will be found on -the notice board in every associated club's golf room, run briefly as -follows: - -"1. Any member of a club belonging to the Union, and desirous of having -a handicap for this competition, must have returned two medal scores, -neither of which shall have exceeded the par of the green, as fixed by -the Union by more than twenty-five strokes. A member having a handicap -in one club shall receive the same handicap at all clubs to which she -may belong, when playing for the Union medals, such handicap to be the -lowest she shall receive at any one club. - -2. Each Honorary Secretary will receive monthly a form with Members' -Union Handicap, on which she shall enter the medal scores and return the -sheet directly to one of the members of the sub-committee. - -3. The par of the green is fixed from details sent by each club to the -Ladies' Golf Union Hon. Secretary, and all competitions for the medals -must be played on the full medal course, but if circumstances such as -ground under repair, etc., prevent this, a note must be made, and the -difference explained when sending in the scores to the sub-committee." - -But a most able article on this subject from the pen of Miss Pearson -will be found in volume four of the _Ladies' Golf Union Annual_. A neat -little shilling publication, which not only contains a splendid map of -the Gullane Golf course, but much useful information as to the -associated clubs and their members throughout England. - -[Illustration: _Reinhold Thiele and Co._ _Chancery Lane._ - -_MISS ISSETTE PEARSON._ - -(_Hon. Secretary Ladies' Golf Union._)] - -Golf has done much for many branches of trade, giving them a stimulus in -out of the way corners. The revival of trade, indeed, that marks the -opening of golf links, falls little short of a species of colonizing, -resuscitating as it does decayed towns and villages, in which the game -has fanned the almost extinct embers of industry into a glowing flame. -While the men find work on the course, the boys have employment as -caddies, or the sharper ones get a berth in the club maker's shop, -whilst the players who come and go every day in the year, cause the -hearts of the local butchers, bakers, and grocers to rejoice. In Kent -alone, such old places as Sandwich, Deal, New Romney and Rye, some of -them famous in the by-gone days of the Cinque Ports splendour, owe a -great deal in these bad times to the royal and ancient game. The -membership of their respective golf clubs, number about as follows: -Sandwich, 650; Deal, between 300 and 500; Littlestone, 500; and Rye, -270; and some of these players at least, must visit one or other of the -courses, and spend a certain amount of money in the place. New hotels -and houses become necessities in the neighbourhood, and the old inns, -too, have to look to their laurels that they keep up to date, and are -well stocked with food, for the golfer's appetite is not renowned by -reason of its smallness. - -In the "upkeep" of the links there are many and heavy expenses to be -taken into account by the authorities, but clubs can generally amply -recoup not only by subscriptions and entrance fees, but by that certain -source of revenue, the green fees of visitors, provided of course the -links are fairly sporting and well kept. Taken all round, the number of -green keepers and men employed on the various courses throughout the -country, would alone make a respectable-sized army. Then the industries -in club and ball-making should be considered, and the thousands and -thousands of dozens of the latter that are sold annually. In a recent -number of _Golf_ it was stated that some five hundred tons of -gutta-percha are, within twelve months, converted into balls alone! To -quote the paragraph on the subject: "The material is sold at four -shillings and sixpence or five shillings per pound, but adding the cost -entailed in producing good well-seasoned balls from the raw material, we -find that there is an outlay approximately of £500,000 a year with -manufacture and sale of golf balls. A fact like this tells not only a -vivid story of the growth and popularity of the game, but of the -commercial importance of the golf-ball trade." - -Of course balls are at their best from six to nine months after being -finished, but for a year or more they do not deteriorate to any great -extent. The weight usually played with, is 27 or 27-1/2 drams. Of -different kinds there are no end, some people pinning their faith to -"Melforts," others to "Woodley Flyers," and so on, but very satisfactory -makes are the "Black A.1.," the "Silvertown," or the "Eureka." Recently -the "Agrippa" balls have been highly spoken of, and it is undeniable -that even a gale of wind does not very perceptibly upset their flight, -it they are struck true. - -Having now touched on most of the subjects to do with the technical part -of the game, it may be of interest to add a few more words on links and -players generally, but before doing so, let it be said again, that golf -is not a game that can be grasped or learned in a week, or yet in a -year, but it requires steady perseverance for a very long period. If at -any time you are off the game thoroughly, it is much better to go to a -good professional, who will quickly put you on the right road again. In -so doing you will avoid any chance of picking up bad habits, in your -efforts to make the ball speed on its journey as it should. - -[Illustration: _Brown, Barkes, and Bell. Liverpool._ - -_MISS EMMA KENNEDY._ - -(_Bronze Medallist, 1897._)] - -Of Ladies' courses, that of the West Lancashire will take a great deal -of beating, for reasons that have been already stated. A course of -eighteen holes, heaps of elbow room, and with a large and splendidly -planned club house, in which a daily bill of fare is always to be -found--the last, by the way, not met with every day in a ladies' club -house--there is little left to desire. To Mrs. Alsop and her able -committee the visitors at the last open meeting, which was held just -before the Hoylake ladies' championship in 1896, were greatly indebted. -Not a hitch occurred in the starting of any of the seventy-eight -competitors. It was on this course too that the Southern ladies, when on -their Northern tour, in September of 1895, sustained their first and -only defeat. The West Lancashire Club can boast of one of the strongest -match teams that it is possible to place in the field, seeing that it -contains the names of Miss Kennedy--holder of the record with a score of -77--Mrs. Ryder-Richardson, Miss Young, Miss Carr--a bronze medallist of -the first championship--Miss Welch, Mrs. Fowler, and other scratch -players. The next eighteen hole course is just south of London, at -Mitcham, viz., that of the Princes Ladies', one of the most delightful -spots near London possible to find one's self detrained for a day's -golf. The holes on these links vary in length from a full mashie shot to -a distance that will require two or three strokes to reach the green. -The chief hazards are dykes, gorse bushes, rushes, railways and turf -bunkers, the trenches of which appear to be amply filled with sand. The -putting greens are very good, especially the last seven holes, the other -eleven being still rather in their infancy, as they were only opened in -May, 1897. The eighteen hole record of 83, is held by Miss Phillips. A -very attractive object of competition at this club, is the monthly -medal, a unique little gold charm mounted as a brooch. Twice a year, in -May and November, the club holds most successful open meetings. Indeed -for the last Spring event, that of 1897, the record entry of 106 was -received, and at the forthcoming Spring meeting, a challenge cup is -advertised to be competed for annually by representatives of all -counties in Great Britain and Ireland, one year's residential -qualification being necessary. For this event any number of players are -permitted to enter for each county, and the cup is to be held for a year -by the county returning the four best medal rounds for thirty-six -holes. Miss Langley is the untiring secretary and prime mover in all -matters connected with the welfare of the club. In fact it is mainly due -to her unrelaxed exertions, that the new piece of ground for the eleven -holes was obtained, and worked into the excellent state that it now is. - -Still another course of eighteen holes is that of the County Down Club -in Ireland, where play is over part of the famous Newcastle links, some -three miles round. The "Bogey" and scratch score of these links is 100, -and this has only been approached by Miss Maclaine, who has completed -the course in 102. The hazards are principally of the lofty sand hill -order. 465 yards is the length of the longest hole, 448, 367, 325, to 93 -yards, being about the lengths of the others. The greens are -magnificent, and the turf is of the proverbial billiard cloth -smoothness. Miss N. Graham, the champion of Ireland, hails from this -club, which may justly be proud of such an able representative. A little -further north, is the course of the Royal Portrush Ladies', another -sporting eighteen holes. This club is presided over by Mrs. J. M. -McCalmont, and contains among its members Miss Cox, the ex-Irish -champion. - -[Illustration: _Hembry. Belfast._ - -_MISS N. GRAHAM._ - -(_Irish Champion, 1896 and 1897._)] - -Crossing over to Scotland, we find only putting courses at St. Andrews -and at Carnoustie. But at Troon, Musselburgh, North Berwick, Edinburgh, -Aberdeen, Machrihanish (eighteen holes), Prestwich, St. Nicholas, -Dumfries, Elie and Earlsferry, Bridge of Weir, and Ranfurly, etc., etc., -there are some fine links with perfect greens and most trying hazards. -Returning once more to the South country, we have a splendid long -eighteen-hole course at Woking, where one gets every variety of hazard -and lie imaginable. The Wimbledon Ladies' course too is most trying, -thanks (!) to the conservators of the common, who have caused tarred -circles to be daubed outside all the gorse bushes, so that when the -player finds herself within one of these charmed rings, she is bound to -drop and lose a stroke. Flints too are rather prevalent, causing havoc -to one's iron clubs. The eighteen, and nine-hole records of the green -are both held by Miss Pearson, the former with 68, the latter in 31, the -holes varying in length between 100 to 190 yards. - -For links that are of a lawn-like smoothness, excepting for the bunkers, -Eltham has no rival, and some pretty iron shots are to be had there. At -Eastbourne the holes differ in length from two hundred and twenty, to -one hundred and fifteen yards, and the hazards consist of turf bunkers -and hurdles. The record, held by Miss M. E. Phillips, is 69. One of the -nicest short inland courses on the South coast is that of the Brighton -and Hove Ladies' at the Dyke, the record for which is 73. Gorse bushes -are the principal hazards, but it is a course where good play is always -soundly rewarded. Being on down turf, the greens are always excellent, -though perhaps a trifle small. Not many miles away from the latter -course is that of Ashdown Forest, a very tricky green abounding in -heather. In fact, when on the long course, what with the fir trees -scattered here and there, the burns and the heather stretching for miles -on every side, you can imagine yourself anywhere but in the heart of -Sussex. Seaford is another very short ladies' course, which is yet -splendid practice for iron and mashie shots. Miss Gilroy holds the -record with 62. The long course there is very taking, especially for -anyone who drives a long raking ball both off the tee and through the -green. A very successful open meeting was by kind permission of the -gentlemen's committee held over the latter course in September, 1897, -there being forty-two entries. - -Of all courses though, where accurate iron and mashie shots tell, the -Hoylake Ladies' links at the Dale, take any amount of beating. With -holes varying in length from 60 to 166 yards, it is the most delightful -practice course for short shots that can be well imagined. Mrs. Ryder -Richardson holds the record with 63. The Hastings and the Bexhill ladies -both play over part of the gentlemen's courses, there being plenty of -scope for brassey and cleek shots through the green. Chorley Wood, -Richmond, Barham Downs, Folkestone, Lelant, Cheltenham, Chester, -Malvern, and Rhyl are all courses of some length, and in playing over -which most of one's clubs are called into use. - -Of links abroad, there are some eleven clubs in Australia, eleven in New -Zealand, including four ladies' clubs, five in the Straits Settlements, -twenty-four in India, twenty-one in Canada, four in the West Indies, one -hundred and fourteen in the United States, where the game may be fairly -said to have "caught on," and fifteen clubs in South Africa, besides -links at Malta, in Egypt, Cyprus, Algeria, Arabia, Ceylon, China, -Tasmania, Mauritius, Canary Islands, and nearer home in Belgium, -Holland, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Italy, and last but not least -France, where we find fourteen clubs, most of them largely patronized by -the leading players from Scotland, England and Ireland during the winter -months. Of all the colonies, New Zealand and Australia are said to be -the keenest over golf, so far as ladies are concerned, and in both these -countries they have even instituted an annual Ladies' Championship, thus -following the lead of the mother country. As to the American ladies, -they are intensely keen over the game and spare no pains to become -proficient in it, their annual woman's championship being a very large -gathering. This tournament is played upon the lines of the men's amateur -championship, but only the eight lowest scores qualify in the medal -round, and the final round, as in this country, is only eighteen holes, -the thirty-six hole test being considered too tedious for a woman. -Between thirty and forty players usually enter; Miss Hayt, Mrs. Turnure, -Mrs. Shippen, Miss F. C. Griscon, and Miss Sands appear to be some who -play from scratch, and before long we shall hope to welcome some of -these cousins from over the "Herring Pond" to one of our annual -championships. - -Recently, in America, a golf school has been started, in a large and -well-lighted drill hall, where the game can be taught by the hour. The -windows in the hall are protected by netting, and on the floor is a -large square of rubber, from off which drives, brasseys, and iron shots -can be practised. Many other clever devices for learning the game and -gaining accuracy are also in force in this school. - -Local championships are now established in some of our counties, those -of Yorkshire and the Midlands being the biggest events. A real golf -treat on the south coast is a day at Sandwich or Deal, preferably the -former, the St. Andrews of the south, where the carries are indeed as -big as one could wish for, especially at the third hole, or "Unknown -Sahara," as the huge sandy desert of a bunker confronting the tee is -called. Again at the sixth hole, or "The Maiden," as its world-renowned -name is, a gigantic bunker some forty feet high, which grows on its -steep side a prolific crop of rough bent rushy grass, gives full scope -to your powers be they what they may. "Hades," too, is a hole that -requires a very well hit ball to carry the surrounding troubles, and -numbers nine, fourteen, and seventeen are all holes where long drivers -get a tremendous advantage. At the same time, one finds at Sandwich a -line marked out by blue guide flags, in the following of which the -rather shorter driver will not be so severely punished. The total length -of the course is some six thousand odd yards, the longest hole being -about four hundred and eighty yards, and the shortest about one hundred -and eighty yards. The Gentleman's Amateur Championship was held over -this course in 1896, when Mr. Tait won, after some splendid fights with -Mr. C. Hutchings, Mr. J. E. Laidley, Mr. J. Ball, junior, Mr. Horace -Hutchinson, and finally with Mr. H. Hilton. Amongst the lady-players -there are many dozen who might well claim notice, but space being -limited it is only possible to refer to a few of the best known, Lady -Margaret Hamilton-Russell, Miss Pascoe, Miss E. C. Orr, and Miss Issette -Pearson have already been mentioned. But to give the honour to Scotland, -at Prestwich Miss Sybil Whigham reigns supreme, with her splendid long -raking drives and iron shots. This player takes a full easy swing, using -her shoulders well, and turning but very slightly upon the left toe in -driving. In the matter of getting out of bunkers, she is especially -adept. From Dumfries hails Miss A. Maxwell, another grand player, but -one who has the half swing only, with a peculiar action of the left foot -at the moment of driving. Mrs. Murray, of the Torwoodlee club, was one -of the best "all-round" players in the recent Gullane Championship, her -approaching and putting being nothing short of grand. Miss Blanche -Anderson and Miss Madeline Campbell of North Berwick, are both shining -lights in that club which is so rich in golfing talent, Miss Campbell's -handling of her clubs being specially taking. But turning more -Southwards, at Windermere, Miss Bownass, with her fine drives and -approach shots, can hold her own on that very undulating course. Twice -she has accomplished the rather difficult eighteen holes in eighty-nine -strokes. In Lancashire, we find Mrs. Ryder Richardson, whose play is too -well known to need a description. Besides taking endless prizes in the -North, including the Isle of Man, Mrs. Richardson performed a marvellous -feat at Ranelagh, in April of 1897, by doing that somewhat tricky course -in seventy-nine strokes, the record for a woman. In North Wales, Miss -Kennedy keeps up the golf reputation, but her recent doings at Gullane -have already been discussed. In Worcestershire, Miss Nevill and Miss E. -Nevill carry all before them. Both splendid drivers, they play a very -bold game all through, besides which bunkers and other difficulties hold -few terrors for them. At Cheltenham, on the Cleeve Hill Common, Mrs. -Aylmer and Miss Johnson are formidable opponents. At Westward Ho! we -find Mrs. Wilson-Hoare, whose game is as well known as it is admired. -She has a fine workmanlike swing, both in driving and brassey shots, and -very few can touch her in extricating herself from a difficult lie. On -links not far from London, we find such players as Miss Phillips, Miss -K. Walker, Mrs. Worssam, Mrs. Willock, Miss Lena Thomson[9] and many -others, who are looked upon in the light of towers of strength in club -matches, or team competitions. - -[Footnote 9: Holder of the Championship, 1898.] - -But here a word on _Esprit-de-corps_, that most essential qualification -of all games, without which no sport can be worthily pursued. In these -days of endless clubs, each containing many of the same members, the -want is felt of some species of rule, or at least an understanding, on -the subject of the same member--whose name may be on the books of -several clubs--playing for or against such clubs promiscuously. If there -be real _esprit-de-corps_, there can be but little doubt which club -really claims one's sympathy and interest, when the inter-club match -season is in full swing. - -[Illustration: _Reinhold Thiele and Co. Chancery Lane._ - -_RANELAGH GROUP, APRIL, 1897._] - -Yet another matter, is a word on the penalty stroke, namely, on dropping -the ball, as put forth in rule 39: - -"In all cases where a ball is to be dropped, the party doing so shall -front the hole to which he is playing, standing behind the hazard and -dropping the ball behind him from his head." - -So many women throw the ball over the head, or else stand partly round -and drop it with a kind of jerk over the shoulder, turning the head at -the same time, so as to watch the place where it is desired the ball -should alight. Instead of doing this, you should step back a few paces -in the exact line in which the ball entered the hazard, then stand -erect, raise the hand over the head and drop the ball simply behind you. -Of the Stymie, let it be said, that as it always has been a freak of the -game, so let it continue to be. A stymie, is when the opponent's ball is -on the line of your own putt. But though much is talked of its -abolition, yet as it has always been a case of "fortune's fickle smile -upon the player," why not let it remain so? - -Having gone somewhat lightly through the various parts of the game of -golf, it may not be amiss to close with a few remarks taken from an -early volume of the _Golf Annual_, and occurring in an article written -by Mr. John Thomson, which sets forth the advantages of the game in no -mean manner. "Good games should benefit both mind and body, and no game -can stand this test better than golf. To the mind it shows the need of -caution, courage, coolness, and many other good qualities. Above all it -teaches one to keep the temper under due control in all circumstances -and situations. Our royal game brings out the strength and weakness of -character both in yourself and others, and gives an excellent chance to -study human nature. Some folks think they can know a man from his face, -his mode of hand-shaking, or other such things, but if you wish to look -a fellow through and through, play two or three stiff matches of golf -with him. As to the healthy nature of the game, it is surely needless to -say a word." - -Here the writer quotes a favourable passage from Burton's _Anatomy of -Melancholy_, closing his remarks with the words, "All round we may thus -say our game promotes that greatest of all blessings, sound mind and -sound body." - -A. W. M. Starkie-Bence. - -[Illustration: _Lombardi and Co. 13, Pall Mall East._ - -_MRS. SPONG._] - - - - -CROQUET. - - -In Dr. Prior's "Notes on Croquet," published in 1872, the origin of the -game is traced to Pêle Mêle, or Pall Mall, a game played with mallet and -balls as long ago as 1661, and written of by the celebrated Mr. Pepys in -his diary about that time. Pall mall was played with long handled -mallets, with small balls, on gravel, and with long swinging strokes, -and appears to have much more resembled golf than croquet; but Dr. Prior -writes of a modified form of the game which only occupied a narrow but -smooth space of ground, and in which two small arches and one iron peg -were employed, while the strokes were made with a spoon-headed mallet, -resembling the mace used at billiards. - -A hundred years later, a game bearing the name croquet was played by the -peasants of Brittany, a rough pastime, detailed accounts of which may be -read in Mr. A. Lillie's work on croquet published last year, or in Dr. -Prior's earlier book. The game, as first known in this country, seems to -have come from Ireland somewhere about 1857, when it was brought out by -Mr. Jaques as a social garden game; a trivial enough pastime from which -gradually developed the more interesting game of the present day. It was -to Mr. Walter Jones Whitmore that the first start of really scientific -croquet is due, and he it was who organised the first tournament in -1867, held at Evesham, when Mr. Whitmore became the champion. -In the following year, a much larger tournament was held at -Moreton-in-the-Marsh, when the Championship fell to the late Mr. W. H. -Peel, whose interest in the game never flagged, and to whose untiring -exertions much of the success of the present revival is due. He founded -the present All-England Croquet Association, two years ago, (1896), and -became its honorary secretary, his sadly sudden death last October -leaving a blank hard to fill. - -In 1868, Mr. Whitmore got up the All-England Croquet Club, and from this -point the tactics of the game became its prominent feature. With the -expulsion of tight croquet (viz., when two balls were together, placing -your foot on your own ball to keep it in position, and hitting it so as -to send the other ball away), and the introduction of the dead boundary, -croquet became a game more of the head than the hands, the various -positions in a game requiring perfectly different treatment according to -the capabilities of the antagonists. At this time, too, a code of laws -was drawn up by Mr. Whitmore and a few leading spirits, which in some -respects differed materially from the rules of to-day, notably in that -requiring the side stroke. - -From 1869, the date of the first Open Tournament, held on the -All-England Club grounds, at Wimbledon, till 1882, yearly matches were -played there for the Championship and Challenge Cup, and for some years -there was also a Ladies' Championship contest, but either the extreme -narrowness of the hoops, the large size of the grounds, or the necessity -for constant practice, so reduced the number of competitors that these -matches were abandoned, and even the Gentlemen's Championship for three -or four years practically dwindled down to a match between two players -(Mr. Bonham Carter and Mr. Spong), till in 1882, the Cup having been -finally won by the latter, croquet became a thing of the past at -Wimbledon. The club grounds were then handed over to lawn-tennis players -until 1896, when a small body of enthusiastic croquet players started -the game afresh, and in a few weeks several old players rallied round -them, and one or two small but successful meetings were held. - -In the interval, croquet had not altogether died out. At Brentwood, a -small club had held its meetings for some time, and at Maidstone, a -yearly tournament had taken place since 1894, while players were to be -found in the remote village of Budleigh Salterton, and in the far west -of Somersetshire, Dr. Prior kept up a perfect lawn, on which in former -years most of the well-known players had tried their skill. - -To make a croquet lawn as perfect as possible, it should be absolutely -level, of fine hill turf, not mossy or intersected with plantains, and -if possible there should be a layer of cinders or other Ballast a few -inches below the surface, as this serves to drain it more quickly and -also prevents worms from working through. - -[Illustration] - -The measurements now required are 35 by 28 yards, though until last year -40 by 30 yards was considered a match ground. The boundaries should be -marked by a chalk line, and at each corner a white spot should be made -exactly one yard from each boundary, to mark the position for replacing -a corner ball, a matter of much importance in every game. The six hoop -setting, with 4-inch hoops and two stout pegs is universally adopted. -The hoops are of round iron half an inch thick, square topped, and -painted white, No. 1 being generally a light blue to shew the -starting-point. They should be long enough to be driven quite nine -inches into the ground, and stand the same distance above it, and they -are generally painted black in the lower half to show when properly -driven in. Of the pegs, one should be plain white, the other (the -winning peg) painted with the four colours, blue, red, black, yellow, in -order, and both should have small crossbars inserted on which to place -the clips. It is essential that the balls should be in these plain -colours, and it would be well if the vendors of croquet implements would -avoid the striped balls, so bewildering in sequence, and so much more -difficult to aim at. Every so-called set should be provided with four -iron clips, painted to match the balls, which are used to indicate the -position of the game, and are placed on the top of the hoops in the -first half, and on the sides in the return journey. - -In the matter of mallets every licence is given, each player using the -kind he likes best. The weight of these varies from 2-1/3 to 3-1/2 lbs., -and the length of the head and shape is a matter of individual fancy. -Many well-known players keep a variety of mallets and sometimes change -the weapon frequently in a game; but for my own part I believe in -getting accustomed to one mallet and sticking to it. The shapes are some -of them most peculiar, and one of the old players for years used a -mallet head like a thick solid block with square ends, while a player -recently appeared with a mallet head of extraordinary length, and -somewhat resembling the bottom of a rocking-chair. Some mallets are -sliced at the bottom, with the idea that by this means the ball is hit -more directly in the centre, and is not so liable to be topped. Some -again have a flat brass plate attached at the bottom for extra weight, -while one lady plays with a beautiful ivory mallet, long in the head -but of smaller diameter than the usual box-wood ones. Heads of lignum -vitæ are also used, and many players have india-rubber 1/4-inch thick -affixed to one end, by which means two balls can be rolled together a -distance of nearly thirty yards without any undue effort. This is a -great boon to lady players, as without the india-rubber a very powerful -following stroke is required, a hard hit only separating the balls, the -hinder or playing ball rarely reaching half the distance. - -The manner of equalising in a competition is by handicapping the strong -players, who give bisques, viz., one or more extra turns in each game, -which may be taken at any time in continuation of a break, but not more -than one bisque in the same turn. - -The manner of holding the mallet and striking varies in the hands of -different players, Mr. C. E. Willis the present Champion at Wimbledon -and at Maidstone being the finest example of a side stroke player, as -set forth by Mr. Whitmore and and Mr. Peel, while Mr. Bonham Carter, Mr. -Spong, Capt. Drummond and many others consider the aim much more certain -with the forward position, a kind of pendulum stroke in which the weight -of the mallet tells more than any force used. Some of the most -successful of the lady players, too, use this method of striking, -notably Miss Maud Drummond (winner of the Ladies' Gold Medal in 1896, -and of the Wimbledon Championship Badge in 1897) and Miss Elphinstone -Stone (present holder of the Maidstone Ladies' Cup), but Miss de Winton -(Gold Medallist, 1897) and Mrs. Wood adhere to the older side stroke. - -Since the early days of Croquet, when six or eight players engaged in -one game on a small lawn, with hoops often wide enough for a child to -crawl through, and sometimes a cage and bell occupying the centre of the -ground, the game has changed almost beyond recognition. Then "tactics" -were unknown, everybody's idea being to go into position for the hoop -their ball was to pass through, and by tight croquet to send off every -adversary to the greatest possible distance. Players thus disposed of -were often required to shoot back from a ground occupied by a second set -of players, and a good long shot won more applause than anything else in -the game; but with the introduction of the dead boundary, the game -changed entirely. Rules were made, more than 4 balls were never employed -in a game, and the terms "roquet," "dead ball," "live ball," "pioneer," -"break," "rush," &c., soon became familiar words, a complete list of -these, with detailed instructions for playing the game in a scientific -manner, are so admirably set forth in Mr. Lillie's book, published last -year, that intending players will do well to study it, but the meaning -of a few of the terms may not be out of place here. - -A "roquet" is made when the playing ball strikes another ball; after a -"roquet," croquet must be taken by placing the two balls together, and -either striking your own ball so that it goes to some required point, -only moving the other ball a little, which is called taking two off; or -by sending each ball in a different direction (a splitting stroke); or -again by rolling the two balls together. In taking croquet, if either -ball touches the boundary line it is considered dead, and the turn -ceases. The "live ball" is the next to play, and the "dead ball" is the -name given to the adversary's ball which has just played. A ball is -considered "in play," when in its turn it has made a point and has still -to continue its turn, but is "in hand" after making a "roquet" until -"croquet" is taken. The "rush" is a roquet sending the ball hit in some -desired direction. Thus in taking croquet, it is often advisable to get -near another ball on some particular side, to "rush" it into position -for a hoop, etc. The rush is one of the most telling strokes in a game, -but requires some practice, as the ball must be struck low, with the -mallet held freely and pointed rather in an upward direction. A ball hit -at all on the top is apt to jump, and indeed a leapfrog stroke which -will clear another ball and sometimes a hoop, is often successfully -carried out by the best players, when their ball is blocked from the -desired object. To "wire" is to place the balls in such a position that -they are screened from the next player's shot, by one or more hoops. -Making a "point" is the hoop or peg made in order. The "pioneer" is the -ball sent on to the hoop next but one in order, to assist the playing -ball at that point. "Break" is the name given to a succession of points -made in the same turn. A "rover" is a ball which has passed through all -the hoops, and only has to touch the winning peg. To "finesse" is to -play into a corner so that the dead ball shall not be easily available -to assist in the adversary's game, and that the friendly ball may join -it when it's turn arrives. This is only done when the opponents' two -balls are together. "Counter finesse" is for the adversary next playing -to send his partner's ball to join the dead ball in the corner, thus -preventing the others getting together. To "peel" to put another ball -through its hoop by croquet. This stroke is named after the late Mr. W. -H. Peel, who was particularly successful with it, and only last autumn -at a handicap meeting on the Wimbledon grounds he won a game in which he -"peeled" his partner's ball through the four last hoops. - -The option of beginning in a match falls to the winner of the toss, who -always elects to do so, and by that means usually secures the first -break. In a partner match, however, the winner of the toss often puts in -the other side first, as it is an advantage for the captain to play -immediately before his strongest opponent. In starting the ball is -placed one foot from the first hoop, in position for making that point. -It has been suggested that a change in this rule would be of advantage. -For instance, if each ball started from a spot in the centre of the -ground, it would make a greater variety in the opening tactics. - -[Illustration] - -One of the advantages of croquet is its suitability to players of all -ages and to those not in robust health, as, unlike golf, it requires no -great physical strength. People who would not be able to walk miles -across the rough ground of the links, exhilarating as this is to the -strong, can yet enjoy the more gentle exercise on a level lawn. It is a -well-known fact in the croquet world that many of its players attribute -their improved health to the hours they have spent on the croquet -lawn--the late Rev. Mark Pattison, of Oxford, being one of these, and -the Rev. D. J. Heath another. - -There is a charm, too, in the equal terms on which men and women players -can meet. I do not say but what men as a rule are the better -players--their constant practise at aiming at billiards and other games -giving them more accuracy of aim--but setting this aside, there seems no -reason why women should not play equally well with practice. Where they -often fail doubtless is in attempting too much. Not content with -leaving the dead ball with their partner's ball, and laying its break by -sending off the next player and going to act pioneer at the partner's -hoop, it is said of women especially, that they often try a difficult -hoop with the live ball, break down and thus let the other side in, -which with the more cautious plan would have been avoided. Again, -croquet is a game in which success is by no means a matter of mechanical -skill alone, for in croquet, as in chess, the player must look ahead not -only for one move but must count on the probability of the adversary's -success or failure, judging by the power already exhibited, and by the -state of the ground, etc. Thus it is often good policy if the opponents' -balls are together in a corner on a fast dry lawn, not to risk a long -"take off" with a probability of going over the boundary in an endeavour -to separate them, but for the player to roll his own and partner's ball -into another corner (if possible across the ground) leaving a rush for -the partner's ball towards the adversaries, or to its own hoop, thus -necessitating the opponent trying the difficult take off with hoops in -the way, and the possibility of going over the boundary or catching in a -wire, etc. I think, too, there is less of the element of "luck" in -croquet than in many games, though of course we are all apt to cavil at -our bad fortune now and then. - -The present condition of croquet may be considered as encouraging. Its -popularity has revived very rapidly, though it is only from the Southern -and one or two of the Midland Counties that we have as yet met players -of any prominence. In Scotland, it is true, there has long been a -championship meeting held at Moffat, where Mr. and Mrs. Macfie, of -Borthwick Hall, Midlothian, are among its most liberal supporters. We -have had one or two Irish players at the recent Wimbledon meetings, and -I hear that in County Down the game is much played. Croquet lawns are, -indeed, set out at the fashionable Social Clubs of Hurlingham and -Ranelagh, but alas, the game and its requirements are little understood -there. A well-organised tournament on the picturesque grounds of the -latter club, at Barn Elms, in the height of the season, might do much to -spread its popularity, for the large tournament at Eastbourne last -autumn, showed a marked increase in spectators, who displayed some -knowledge of the tactics of the game, and the keenest interest in the -contests. Another interesting feature of each season would be -inter-county matches. Devonshire, Gloucestershire, Sussex, -Hertfordshire, Middlesex, Northamptonshire, Bucks., &c., all furnish -some strong players, and representative fours might be selected, and -gentlemen's doubles, ladies' doubles, and mixed doubles might be -arranged, as well as, of course, single matches. Monthly Club Handicaps, -too, we hope to see at Wimbledon, and there are rumours of an -International Tournament with a strong contingent of American players, -with whom the game is popular, though it is hardly played on the same -lines as in England. - -[Illustration] - -It is contended against croquet that the games are too long, and -certainly, with some overcautious players, a close match becomes a very -tedious thing. To obviate this difficulty, in all handicap matches in -the big tournaments last year, time games were resorted to, an -hour-and-a-half being generally the allowance for each single match, -and two hours for doubles, ample time to finish a game in most -instances, though, if not finished, the side ahead wins, and if points, -are even when time is called, the first roquet afterwards constitutes a -victory. This gives scope for some amusing strategy, when the contest is -a very close one. - -Reducing the size of the lawns has undoubtedly made the game easier and -more equal, for the weaker players can now get a ball from end to end, -which many women were formerly unable to do, while the opportunities of -wiring one's adversary are more frequent. The main point resolves -itself, not so entirely into a matter of skill, as in rightly estimating -one's own strength and one's adversary's knowledge of the game. In -handicap play this is specially needful, and it is only by match -practice it can be gained. In double handicaps it is usual for the pairs -to be drawn, the captain from one of the first four classes, and the -partner from a lower class, and nothing gives an intelligent beginner a -better insight into "tactics" than being guided by a really good -partner. Mr. Bonham Carter is an ideal captain, never leaving his -partner a difficult stroke, and never making a long break himself with -the partner's ball behind, thus being able to help the weaker player, -who is not discouraged with the idea that it is her ball which is the -laggard. It is only by match practice that this knowledge is gained, and -to play in a good tournament handicap is excellent training. - -As a garden-party game, Mr. Lillie, in his book, suggests some amusing -innovations, but croquet proper, as the rules now stand, is something -better than a garden-party game, and stands among out-door amusements as -chess and billiards do among in-door games. - -Gertrude Spong. - - - - -APPENDICES. - - - - -APPENDIX A. - -RULES FOR THE GAME OF GOLF, - -AS REVISED AND ADOPTED BY THE ROYAL AND ANCIENT GOLF CLUB, ST. ANDREWS. - - -1. The Game of Golf is played by two or more sides, each playing its own -ball. A side may consist of one or more persons. - -2. The game consists in each side playing a ball from a tee into a hole -by successive strokes, and the hole is won by the side holing its ball -in the fewest strokes, except as otherwise provided for in the rules. If -two sides hole out in the same number of strokes, the hole is halved. - -3. The teeing-ground shall be indicated by two marks placed in a line at -right angles to the course, and the player shall not tee in front of, -nor on either side of, these marks, nor more than two club-lengths -behind them. A ball played from outside the limits of the teeing-ground, -as thus defined, may be recalled by the opposite side. - -The hole shall be 4-1/4 inches in diameter, and at least four inches -deep. - -4. The ball must be fairly struck at, and not pushed, scraped, or -spooned, under penalty of the loss of the hole. Any movement of the club -which is intended to strike the ball is a stroke. - -5. The game commences by each side playing a ball from the first -teeing-ground. In a match with two or more on a side, the partners shall -strike off alternately from the tee, and shall strike alternately during -the play of the hole. - -The players who are to strike against each other shall be named at -starting, and shall continue in the same order during the match. - -The player who shall play first on each side shall be named by his own -side. - -In case of failure to agree, it shall be settled by lot or toss which -side shall have the option of leading. - -6. If a player shall play when his partner should have done so, his side -shall lose the hole, except in the case of the tee shot, when the shot -may be recalled at the option of the opponents. - -7. The side winning a hole shall lead in starting for the next hole, and -may recall the opponent's stroke should he play out of order. This -privilege is called the "honour." On starting for a new match, the -winner of the long match in the previous round is entitled to the -"honour." Should the first match have been halved, the winner of the -last hole gained is entitled to the "honour." - -8. One round of the links--generally 18 holes--is a match, unless -otherwise agreed upon. The match is won by the side which gets more -holes ahead than there remain holes to be played, or by the side winning -the last hole when the match was all even at the second last hole. If -both sides have won the same number, it is a halved match. - -9. After the balls are struck from the tee, the ball farthest from the -hole to which the parties are playing shall be played first, except as -otherwise provided for in the rules. Should the wrong side play first, -the opponent may recall the stroke before his side has played. - -10. Unless with the opponent's consent, a ball struck from the tee shall -not be changed, touched, or moved before the hole is played out, under -the penalty of one stroke, except as otherwise provided for in the -rules. - -11. In playing through the green, all _loose_ impediments, within a -club-length of a ball which is not lying in or touching a hazard, may be -removed, but loose impediments which are more than a club-length from -the ball shall not be removed, under the penalty of one stroke. - -12. Before striking at the ball, the player shall not move, bend, or -break anything fixed or growing near the ball, except in the act of -placing his feet on the ground for the purpose of addressing the ball, -and in soleing his club to address the ball, under the penalty of the -loss of the hole, except as provided for in Rule 18. - -13. A ball stuck fast in wet ground or sand may be taken out and -replaced loosely in the hole which it has made. - -14. When a ball lies in or touches a hazard, the club shall not touch -the ground, nor shall anything be touched or moved before the player -strikes at the ball, except that the player may place his feet firmly -on the ground for the purpose of addressing the ball, under the penalty -of the loss of the hole. - -At the General Meeting of the Royal and Ancient, held in the spring of -1895, the following addition was made to Rule 14:--"But if, in the -backward or downward swing, any grass, bent, whin, or other growing -substance, or the side of a bunker, a wall, a paling, or other immovable -obstacle be touched, no penalty shall be incurred." - -15. A "hazard" shall be any bunker of whatever nature--water, sand, -loose earth, mole-hills, paths, roads or railways, whins, bushes, -rushes, rabbit scrapes, fences, ditches, or anything which is not the -ordinary green of the course, except sand blown on to the grass by wind, -or sprinkled on grass for the preservation of the links, or snow or ice, -or bare patches on the course. - -16. A player or a player's caddie shall not press down or remove any -irregularities of surface near the ball, except at the teeing-ground, -under the penalty of the loss of the hole. - -17. If any vessel, wheel-barrow, tool, roller, grass-cutter, box, or -other similar obstruction has been placed upon the course, such -obstruction may be removed. A ball lying on or touching such -obstruction, or on clothes, or nets, or on ground under repair or -temporarily covered up or opened, may be lifted and dropped at the -nearest point of the course, but a ball lifted in a hazard shall be -dropped in the hazard. A ball lying in a golf hole or flag hole may be -lifted and dropped not more than a club-length behind such hole. - -18. When a ball is completely covered with fog, bent, whins, etc., only -so much thereof shall be set aside as that the player shall have a view -of his ball before he plays, whether in a line with the hole or -otherwise. - -19. When a ball is to be dropped, the player shall drop it. He shall -front the hole, stand erect behind the hazard, keep the spot from which -the ball was lifted (or, in the case of running water, the spot at which -it entered) in a line between him and the hole, and drop the ball behind -him from his head, standing as far behind the hazard as he may please. - -20. When the balls in play lie within six inches of each other, measured -from their nearest points, the ball nearer the hole shall be lifted -until the other is played, and shall then be replaced as nearly as -possible in its original position. Should the ball farther from the hole -be accidentally moved in so doing, it shall be replaced. Should the lie -of the lifted ball be altered by the opponent in playing, it may be -placed in a lie near to, and as nearly as possible similar to that from -which it was lifted. - -21. If the ball lie or be lost in water, the player may drop a ball, -under the penalty of one stroke. - -22. Whatever happens by accident to a ball _in motion_, such as its -being deflected or stopped by any agency outside the match, or by the -fore-caddie, is a "rub of the green," and the ball shall be played from -where it lies. Should a ball lodge in anything moving, such ball, or, if -it cannot be recovered, another ball, shall be dropped as nearly as -possible at the spot where the object was when the ball lodged in it. -But if a ball _at rest_ be displaced by any agency outside the match, -the player shall drop it or another ball as nearly as possible at the -spot where it lay. On the putting-green the ball may be replaced by -hand. - -23. If the player's ball strike, or be accidentally moved by, an -opponent or an opponent's caddie or clubs, the opponent loses the hole. - -24. If the player's ball strike, or be stopped by, himself or partner, -or either of their caddies or clubs, or if, while in the act of playing, -the player strike the ball twice, his side loses the hole. - -25. If the player, when not making a stroke, or his partner or either of -their caddies touch their side's ball, except at the tee, so as to move -it, or by touching anything cause it to move, the penalty is one stroke. - -26. A ball is considered to have been moved if it leave its original -position in the least degree and stop in another; but if a player touch -his ball and thereby cause it to oscillate, without causing it to leave -its original position, it is not moved in the sense of Rule 25. - -27. A player's side loses a stroke if he play the opponent's ball, -unless (l) the opponent then play the player's ball, whereby the penalty -is cancelled, and the hole must be played out with the balls thus -exchanged; or (2) the mistake occur through wrong information given by -the opponent, in which case the mistake, if discovered before the -opponent has played, must be rectified by placing a ball as nearly as -possible where the opponent's ball lay. - -If it be discovered before either side has struck off at the tee that -one side has played out the previous hole with the ball of a party not -engaged in the match, that side loses that hole. - -28. If a ball be lost, the player's side loses the hole. A ball shall be -held as lost if it be not found within five minutes after the search is -begun. - -29. A ball must be played wherever it lies, or the hole be given up, -except as otherwise provided for in the rules. - -30. The term "putting-green" shall mean the ground within 20 yards of -the hole, excepting hazards. - -31. All loose impediments may be removed from the putting-green, except -the opponent's ball when at a greater distance from the player's than -six inches. - -32. In a match of three or more sides, a ball in any degree lying -between the player and the hole must be lifted, or, if on the -putting-green, holed out. - -33. When the ball is on the putting-green, no mark shall be placed, nor -line drawn as a guide. The line to the hole may be pointed out, but the -person doing so may not touch the ground with the hand or club. - -The player may have his own or his partner's caddie to stand at the -hole, but none of the players or their caddies may move so as to shield -the ball from, or expose it to, the wind. - -The penalty for any breach of this rule is the loss of the hole. - -34. The player or his caddie may remove (but not press down) sand, -earth, worm casts, or snow lying around the hole or on the line of his -putt. This shall be done by brushing lightly with the hand only across -the putt and not along it. Dung may be removed to a side by an iron -club, but the club must not be laid with more than its own weight upon -the ground. The putting line must not be touched by club, hand, or foot, -except as above authorised, or immediately in front of the ball in the -act of addressing it, under the penalty of the loss of the hole. - -35. Either side is entitled to have the flag-stick removed when -approaching the hole. If the ball rest against the flag-stick when in -the hole, the player shall be entitled to remove the stick, and if the -ball fall in, it shall be considered as holed out in the previous -stroke. - -36. A player shall not play until the opponent's ball shall have ceased -to roll, under the penalty of one stroke. Should the player's ball knock -in the opponent's ball, the latter shall be counted as holed out in the -previous stroke. If in playing the player's ball displace the opponent's -ball, the opponent shall have the option of replacing it. - -37. A player shall not ask for advice, nor be knowingly advised about -the game by word, look, or gesture from any one except his own caddie, -or his partner or partner's caddie, under the penalty of the loss of the -hole. - -38. If a ball split into separate pieces, another ball may be put down -where the largest portion lies, or, if two pieces are apparently of -equal size, it may be put where either piece lies, at the option of the -player. If a ball crack or become unplayable, the player may change it, -on intimating to his opponent his intention to do so. - -39. A penalty stroke shall not be counted the stroke of a player, and -shall not affect the rotation of play. - -40. Should any dispute arise on any point, the players have the right of -determining the party or parties to whom the dispute shall be referred; -but, should they not agree, either party may refer it to the Green -Committee of the green where the dispute occurs, and their decision -shall be final. Should the dispute not be covered by the Rules of Golf, -the arbiters must decide it by equity. - - -SPECIAL RULES FOR MEDAL PLAY. - -1. In Club competitions, the competitor doing the stipulated course in -fewest strokes shall be the winner. - -2. If the lowest score be made by two or more competitors, the ties -shall be decided by another round, to be played on the same or any other -day, as the Captain, or, in his absence, the Secretary shall direct. - -3. New holes shall be made for the Medal Round, and thereafter no member -shall play any stroke on a putting-green before competing. - -4. The score shall be kept by a special marker, or by the competitors -noting each other's scores. The scores marked shall be checked at the -finish of each hole. On completion of the course, the score of the -player shall be signed by the person keeping the score and handed to the -Secretary. - -5. If a ball be lost, the player shall return as nearly as possible to -the spot where the ball was struck, tee another ball, and lose a stroke. -If the lost ball be found before he has struck the other ball, the first -shall continue in play. - -6. If the player's ball strike himself, or his clubs, or caddie, or if, -in the act of playing, the player strike the ball twice, the penalty -shall be one stroke. - -7. If a competitor's ball strike the other player, or his clubs, or -caddie, it is a "rub of the green," and the ball shall be played from -where it lies. - -8. A ball may, under a penalty of two strokes, be lifted out of a -difficulty of any description, and be teed behind same. - -9. All balls shall be holed out, and when play is on the putting-green, -the flag shall be removed, and the competitor whose ball is nearest the -hole shall have the option of holing out first, or of lifting his ball, -if it be in such a position that it might, if left, give an advantage to -the other competitor. Throughout the green a competitor can have the -other competitor's ball lifted, if he find that it interferes with his -stroke. - -10. A competitor may not play with a professional, and he may not -receive advice from any one but his caddie. A fore-caddie may be -employed. - -11. Competitors may not discontinue play because of bad weather. - -12. The penalty for a breach of any rule shall be disqualification. - -13. Any dispute regarding the play shall be determined by the Green -Committee. - -14. The ordinary Rules of Golf, so far as they are not at variance with -the special rules, shall apply to medal play. - - -GLOSSARY OF TECHNICAL TERMS USED IN THE GAME OF GOLF. - -_Addressing the Ball_: When the player puts himself in position to -strike the ball. - -_Approach_: When the player is sufficiently near the hole to be able to -drive the ball to the putting-green his stroke is called the "approach -shot." - -_Baff_: To strike the ground with the "sole" of the club-head in -playing. This sends ball high in air and causes it to fall "dead." - -_Baffy_: A wooden club much lofted in the face. - -_Bent_: Rough, coarse grass on seaside greens. - -_Bogey_, _Colonel_: A score, usually par play, fixed for each hole. - -_Bone_: A piece of ram's horn or other substance inserted in the sole of -the club to prevent it from splitting. - -_Borrow_: When the player, on a sloping putting-green, plays the ball up -the slope a little way. - -_Bottom_: Putting back-spin on a ball. - -_Brassey_: A wooden club with a brass sole. - -_Break-club_: An obstacle lying near a ball of such a nature as might -injure the club when played. - -_Bulger_: A wooden club with a convex face. - -_Bunker_: A sand-pit. - -_Bye_: Any hole or holes that remain to be played after the match is -finished. - -_Caddie_: A person who carries the golfer's clubs. - -_Carry_: The distance the ball is driven before it touches the ground. - -_Cleek_: Iron-headed club used for driving. - -_Club_: The implement with which the ball is struck. The heads are of -various kinds--wood, aluminium, wood with a brass sole, and iron, steel, -or gun-metal. - -_Course_: That portion of the links on which the game ought to be -played. - -_Cup_: A small hole in the course, frequently one made by the stroke of -some previous player. - -_Dead_: A ball is said to be "dead" when it lies so near the hole that -the "putt" is a _dead_ certainty. A ball is said to fall "dead" when it -does not run after alighting. - -_Divot_: A piece of turf cut out by club. Replace carefully. - -_Dormy_: A player is said to be "dormy" when he is as many holes ahead -as there remain holes to play. - -_Draw_: To drive widely to the left hand. (Synonymous with "hook," -"screw" and "pull.") - -_Driver or Play-Club_: A wooden-headed club with a full-length shaft, -and with which the ball can be driven the farthest distance. - -_Duff_: To hit the ground behind a ball. - -_Face_: First, the slope of a bunker or hillock; second, the part of the -club-head which strikes the ball. - -_Flat_: A club is said to be "flat" when its head is at a very obtuse -angle to the shaft. - -_Fog_: Moss, rank grass. - -_Foozle_: A bungling stroke. - -_Fore!_ The warning cry to any person in the way of the stroke. -(Contracted from "before.") - -_Fore-Caddie_: A caddie employed to go in advance of the players and -locate the balls. - -_Foursome_: A match in which four persons play: two on each side. - -_Gobble_: A rapid, straight "putt" into the hole, such that, had the -ball not gone in, it would have gone some distance beyond. - -_Grassed_: This is said of a wooden club whose face is slightly -"spooned" or sloped backward. - -_Green_: First the whole links; second, the putting-green around the -different holes. - -_Grip_: First, the part of the handle covered with leather by which the -club is grasped; second, the grasp itself. - -_Gutty_: A gutta-percha golf ball. - -_Half-one_: A handicap of a stroke deducted every _second_ hole. - -_Half-shot_: Less than a full or a three-quarter shot. - -_Halved_: A hole is said to be "halved" when each side takes the same -number of strokes. A "halved match" is a "drawn game"--that is, the -players have proved to be equal. - -_Hanging ball_: A "hanging" ball is one which lies on a downward slope -in the direction in which the hole lies. - -_Hazard_: A general term for bunkers, long grass, roads, water, sand, -whin, mole-hill, or other bad ground. (Rule 15). - -_Head_: A head is the _lowest_ part of a club and possesses, among other -mysterious characteristics, a _sole_, a _heel_, a _toe_ or _nose_, a -_neck_, and a _face_! - -_Heel_: First, the part of the head nearest the shaft; second, to hit -from this part, thus sending the ball to the right hand. - -_Hole_: First, the hole lined with iron; second, the whole space between -any teeing-ground and the hole in connection therewith. - -_Honour_: The right to play off first from the tee. - -_Hook_: See "Draw." A hooked club has the face lying in to the ball. - -_Horn_: See "Bone." - -_Hose_: The socket of iron-headed clubs into which the shaft is fitted. - -_Iron_: A club with an iron head, more or less laid back to loft a ball. - -_Jerk_: In "Jerking," the club should strike with a quick cut behind the -ball. - -_Lie_: First, the inclination of a club when held on the ground in a -natural position for striking; second, the situation of a ball, good or -bad. - -_Lift_: To take a ball out of a hazard and drop it behind or tee it. - -_Like_: See under "Odds." - -_Like-as-we-lie_: When both sides have played the same number of -strokes. - -_Links_: The ground on which golf is played. - -_Loft_: To send the ball into the air. - -_Long odds_: When a player has to play a stroke more than his adversary, -who is much farther on--that is, nearer the hole. - -_Long game_: Driving from the tee and playing through the green. - -_Mashie_: An iron club with a deep, short blade. - -_Match_: First, the sides playing against each other: second, the game -itself. Match play reckoning the score by holes. - -_Medal play_: Reckoning the score by strokes. - -_Miss the globe_: To fail to strike the ball is counted a stroke. - -_Neck_: The bent part of the head where it joins the shaft. - -_Niblick_: A small narrow-headed heavy iron club, used when the ball has -a bad lie. - -_Nose_: The point or front portion of the club head. - -_Odds_: First, means the handicap given by a strong player to a weaker -in a single match, consisting of either one, two, three, or more holes -to start with, or one stroke per hole, or every alternate hole, or at -every third hole, etc.; second, to have played "the odds" is to have -played one stroke more than your adversary. - -_One-off-two, one-off-three, etc._: When your opponent has played two -strokes more your next stroke is one-off-two, and so on. - -_Play-club_: See "Driver." - -_Press_: To strive to hit the ball harder than usual. - -_Putt_: To play close to the hole. (Pronounce _u_ as in _but_.) - -_Putter_: An upright, stiff-shafted, wooden, iron, or gun-metal headed -club, used when the ball is on the putting-green. - -_Putting-green_: The prepared ground round the holes. - -_Rind_: A strip of cloth under the leather to thicken the grip. - -_Rub of the green_: A favourable or unfavourable knock to the ball. -(Rule 22.) - -_Run_: Running the ball along the ground instead of lofting it; and also -the run of a drive is the distance the ball runs after reaching the -ground. - -_Scare_: The narrow part of the club head by which it is glued to the -shaft, and which is spliced over. - -_Screw_: See "Draw." - -_Sclaff_: Hitting the ground behind the ball first, thus not getting a -clean stroke. - -_Scruff_: Slightly razing the grass in striking. - -_Set_: A full complement of clubs. - -_Shaft_: The stick or handle of the club. - -_Slice_: To draw the face of the club across the ball, sending it with a -curve towards the right. - -_Socket_: That part of the head of iron clubs into which the shaft is -fitted. - -_Sole_: The flat bottom of the club head. - -_Spoons_: Wooden-headed clubs of three lengths--long, middle, and short: -the head is scooped or grassed so as to loft the ball. - -_Spring_: The degree of suppleness in the shaft. - -_Square_: When the game stands level, neither party being any holes -ahead. - -_Stance_: The position of the player's feet when addressing himself to -the ball. - -_Steal_: To hole a long unlikely "putt" from a distance, not by a -"gobble," but by a stroke which just succeeds in getting the ball as far -as the hole. - -_Stroke_: Any movement of the club which is intended to strike the -ball. - -_Stymie_: When your opponent's ball lies in the line of your "putt"; -from an old Scotch word, meaning "obscuring." - -_Swing_: The sweep of the club in driving. - -_Tee_: The pinch of sand on which the ball is placed at the -teeing-ground. - -_Teeing-ground_: A space marked out within the limits of which the -ground must be teed. - -_Third_: A handicap of a stroke deducted every _third_ hole. - -_Toe_: Another name for the nose of the club. - -_Top_: To top the ball is to hit it above the centre. - -_Two-more, three-more, etc._: See under "Odds." - -_Upright_: A club is said to be "upright" when its head is not at a very -obtuse angle to the shaft. - -_Whins_, furze, or gorse. - -_Whipping_: The pitched twine uniting the head and handle. - -_Wrist-shot_: Less than a half-shot, generally played with an iron -club--the old saying was "played from the knee." - - - - -APPENDIX B - -THE ALL-ENGLAND CROQUET LAWS. - -1897. - - -1. _Mallets._--There shall be no restriction as to the number, weight, -size, shape, or material of the mallets; nor as to the part of the -handle held. The ball must only be struck with either end of the head of -the mallet. - -2. _Size of Balls._--The balls used in match play shall be three and -five-eighth inches in diameter, of even weight, each ball weighing not -less than thirteen and three-quarter oz. or more than fourteen and a -quarter oz. - -3. _Choice of Lead and of Balls._--It shall be decided by lot which side -shall have choice of lead and of balls. In a succession of games the -choice of lead shall be alternate, the sides keeping the same balls. - -4. _Commencement of Game._--In commencing, each ball shall be placed on -the starting spot. The striker's ball, when so placed and struck is at -once in play, and can roquet any other ball in play or be roqueted -whether it has made the first hoop or not. - -5. _Stroke, when taken._--A stroke is considered to be taken if a ball -be moved in the act of striking; but should a player, in taking aim, -move his own or any other ball accidentally, it must be replaced to the -satisfaction of the umpire or the adversary, and the stroke be then -taken. If a ball be moved in taking aim, and then struck without being -replaced, the stroke is foul (see Law 25). - -6. _Hoop, when run._--A ball has run its hoop when, having passed -through from the playing side and ceased to roll, it cannot be touched -by a straight-edge placed against the wires on the side from which it -was played, after the hoop has been placed upright. - -7. _Ball driven partly through Hoop._--A ball driven partly through its -hoop from the non-playing side cannot run the hoop at its next stroke, -if it can be touched by a straight-edge placed against the wires on the -non-playing side. - -8. _Points counted to Non-Strikers Ball._--A ball driven through its -hoop, or against the turning peg, by any stroke not foul, of its own -side, or by any stroke of the adverse side, scores the point so made. - -9. _Points made for Adversary's Ball._--If a point be made for an -adversary's ball, the striker must inform his adversary of it. Should -the striker neglect to do so, and the adversary make the point again, he -may continue his turn as though he had played for his right point. - -10. _The Turn._--A player, when his turn comes round, may roquet each -ball once before making a point, and may do this again after each point -made. The player continues his turn so long as he makes a point or a -roquet. - -11. _Croquet imperative after Roquet._--A player who roquets a ball must -take croquet, and in so doing must move perceptibly both balls (_vide_ -Law 27 (_h_) (_i_)). - -In taking croquet, the striker is not allowed to place his foot on the -ball. - -12. _Ball in Hand after Roquet._--No point or roquet can be made by a -ball which is in hand. If a ball in hand displace any other balls, they -must remain where they are driven. Any point made in consequence of such -displacement counts, notwithstanding that the ball displacing them is in -hand. - -13. _Balls roqueted simultaneously._--When a player roquets two balls -simultaneously, he may choose from which of them he will take croquet; -another roquet will be required before he can take croquet from the -other ball. - -14. _Balls found touching._--If at the commencement of a turn the -striker's ball be found touching another, roquet is deemed to be made, -and croquet must be taken at once, but if it be found touching two balls -the striker can take croquet of which ball he chooses. But another -roquet will be required before he can take croquet from one of the other -balls. - -15. _Roquet and Hoop made by same Stroke._--Should a ball, in making its -hoop, roquet another that lies beyond the hoop, and then pass through, -the hoop counts as well as the roquet. A ball is deemed to be beyond the -hoop if it lies so that it cannot be touched by a straight-edge placed -against the wires on the playing side. Should any part of the ball that -is roqueted be lying on the playing side of the hoop, the roquet counts, -but not the hoop. - -16. A rover can be pegged out by any stroke (not foul) of another rover, -whether of the same or the adverse side. Players can, however, mutually -agree before the commencement of the game that rovers shall not be -pegged out by adverse rovers. - -17. _Rover pegged out by Roquet._--A player (rover) who pegs out a rover -by a roquet loses the remainder of his turn because a rover when pegged -out is out of the game and croquet cannot be taken from it. The law does -not apply when there is no pegging out. - -18. _Balls sent off the Ground._--A ball sent off the ground must at -once be replaced three feet within the boundary, measured from the spot -where it went off, and at right angles to the boundary. If this spot be -already occupied, the ball last sent off is to be placed in contact with -the other, but no ball is to be placed less or more than three feet from -the boundary, the player merely having option whether he place the -second ball going off at the same spot to the right or left of the first -ball. If a third ball go off on the same spot it must be placed touching -the first ball. - -19. _Ball sent off near Corner._ A ball sent off within three feet of a -corner is to be replaced three feet from both boundaries. If more than -one ball be sent off within three feet of any corner, the ball last sent -off is to be placed in contact with the ball occupying the corner spot, -and three feet from one of the boundaries at the option of the player. -When a player roquets one of the corner balls he is entitled to place -the balls in any order, provided one is on the corner spot, and the -others touch it or some other corner ball; but he must take croquet off -the ball he has roqueted. - -If a player's ball be in a corner with two or more other balls the -player is at liberty to choose off which ball he will take croquet, and -previous to his doing so he may alter the position of the other balls to -his liking, provided one is on the corner spot and the others touching -it or some other corner ball. - -20. _Ball touching Boundary._--If the boundary be marked by a line on -the turf, a ball touching the line is deemed to be off the ground. If -the boundary be raised, a ball touching the boundary is similarly deemed -to be off the ground. - -21. _Ball sent off and returning to Ground._--If a ball be sent off the -ground, and return to it, the ball must be similarly replaced, measuring -from the point of first contact with the boundary. - -22. _Ball sent within three feet of Boundary._--A ball sent within three -feet of the boundary, but not off the ground, is to be replaced as -though it had been sent off; except in the case of the striker's ball, -when the striker has the option of replacing his ball, or of playing -from where it lies. - -23. _Boundary interfering with Stroke._--If it be found that the height -of the boundary interferes with the stroke, the striker, with the -sanction of the umpire or the adversary, may bring in the balls a longer -distance than three feet, so as to allow a free swing of the mallet. -Balls so brought in must be moved in the line of aim, and placed at the -same relative distance. - -24. _Dead Boundary._--If, in taking croquet, the striker send his own -ball, or the ball croqueted, off the ground, he loses the remainder of -his turn, unless (_a_) with the playing ball he make a roquet, or (_b_) -the croqueted ball be caused to make a point in order (the striker's -ball not passing the boundary). - -25. _Balls touched by Adversary._--Should a ball when rolling, except it -be in hand, be touched, diverted from its course, or stopped by an -adversary, the striker may elect whether he will take the stroke again, -or whether the ball shall remain where it stopped, or be placed where in -the judgment of the umpire or the striker it would have rolled to. - -26. _Balls diverted or stopped by Umpire._--Should a ball be diverted -from its course or stopped by an umpire, he is to place it where he -considers it would have rolled to. - -27. _Foul Strokes._--If a player make a foul stroke he loses the -remainder of his turn, and any point or roquet made by such stroke does -not count. Balls moved by a foul stroke are to remain where they lie, or -be replaced at the option of the adversary. If the foul be made when -taking croquet, and the adversary elect to have the balls replaced, they -must be replaced in contact as they stood when the croquet was taken. -The following are foul strokes: - - (_a_) To strike with the mallet another ball instead of or - besides one's own, in making the stroke. - - (_b_) To spoon--_i.e._, to push a ball without an audible - knock. - - (_c_) To strike a ball twice distinctly in the same stroke - (except in the case of rolling two balls together if only - one player use india-rubber). - - (_d_) To touch, stop, or divert the course of a ball when - in play and rolling, whether this be done by the striker or - his partner. - - (_e_) To allow a ball to touch the mallet [or any part of - the player's person] in rebounding from a peg or wire. - - (_f_) To move a ball which lies close to a peg or wire by - striking the peg or wire [_i.e._, to touch with the mallet - a wire or peg in making the stroke]. - - (_g_) To press a ball round a peg or wire (crushing - stroke). - - (_h_) To play a stroke after roquet without taking croquet. - - (_i_) To fail to move both balls in taking croquet. - - (_k_) To croquet a ball which the striker is not entitled - to croquet. - - (_l_) To knock a wire of the hoop out of the ground when - making a stroke. - - (_m_) To move a ball in the act of taking aim without - replacing it to the satisfaction of the umpire or the - adversary before striking it. - - (_n_) To hit a ball with any part of the mallet other than - one of the ends of the head (_vide_ Law 1). - - (_o_) To improperly handle or touch a ball with foot or - mallet (_vide_ Laws 5, 34). - -28. _Playing out of Turn or with the Wrong Ball._--If a player play out -of turn or with the wrong ball, no point made after the mistake can be -scored unless as specified below. The balls shall be replaced by the -umpire, or to the satisfaction of the adversary, where they were -immediately before the mistake was made, and the player shall recommence -or continue his turn as the case may be. But if the adverse side play -without the mistake being discovered the turn shall hold good, and any -point or points made properly (_i.e._, in order for the ball he is -playing with) during the turn shall be scored. In the case when the -error is not discovered the adversary cannot be penalised for playing -with either ball (of his own side), provided that he can prove that a -mistake was made in the turn immediately preceding. - -29. _Playing for Wrong Point._--If a player make a wrong point it does -not count, and, therefore (unless he have, by the same stroke, taken -croquet, or made a roquet), all subsequent strokes are in error, the -remainder of the turn is lost, and any point or roquet made after the -mistake. The balls remain where they lie when the penalty is claimed, or -are replaced as they were immediately before the last stroke was made, -at the option of the adversary. - -30. _Information as to Score._--Every player is entitled to be informed -which is the next point of any ball. - -31. _State of Game, if disputed._--When clips are used, their position, -in case of dispute, shall be conclusive as to the position of the balls -in the game. - -32. _Wires knocked out of Ground._--Should a player, in trying to run -his hoop, knock a wire of that hoop out of the ground with his ball, the -hoop does not count. The ball must be replaced, and the stroke taken -again. - -33. _Pegs or Hoops not upright._--Any player may set upright a peg or -hoop, except the one next in order; and that must not be altered except -by the umpire. - -34. _Ball lying in a Hole or on Bad Ground._--A ball lying in a hole or -on bad ground may only be moved with the sanction of the umpire or with -the consent of the adversary. The ball must be put back, _i.e._, away -from the object aimed at, so as not to alter the line of aim. - -35. _Umpires._--The duties of an umpire are: - - (_a_) To decide any questions that may arise during the - game, if appealed to. - - (_b_) To keep the score, and if asked by a player to - disclose the state of the game. - - (_c_) To move the clips or to see that they are properly - moved. - - (_d_) To replace balls sent off the ground or to see that - they are properly replaced. - - (_e_) To adjust hoops or pegs or to see that they are - properly adjusted (_vide_ Law 33). - - (_f_) To inform the striker when he is about to play or has - played out of turn, or with the wrong ball, or when he has - made a wrong point. - - With the exception of the instances named in clause (_f_), - an umpire shall not draw attention to, or give his opinion - on, any mistake made unless appealed to by one of the - players. The decision of an umpire on a question of fact - shall be final, but on a question of law, if required by a - player, he must appeal to the referee. - -36. _Absence of Umpire._--When no umpire is present permission to move a -ball or to set up a peg or hoop, or any other indulgence for which an -umpire would be appealed to, must be asked of the other side. - - -PRIZE MEETINGS, HANDICAPS, ETC. - -A committee must be appointed and a referee. They will issue a programme -announcing the details of the matches, size of grounds, width of hoops, -amount due for entry, date of the draw, hour of the match play. - - -ENTRIES. - -No entry shall be valid unless the entrance money is paid by such date -as the committee appoint. - - -THE DRAW. - -This is now conducted as in lawn tennis, the byes being got rid of in -the first round. - -If the number of players should be 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, or any higher power -of 2, there are no byes. If on the other hand the number of players is -not a power of 2 (let us say 19) matters are arranged after this -fashion. The names of the players are drawn out of a hat and written -down in order. To ascertain how many of these shall be byes subtract the -number of players from the next highest power of 2 (19 from 32), which -gives us 13. Of these, half go to the top of the list, the other half -with the odd one to the bottom. - - Winners. Winners. Winners. - First Second Third Semi-finals. Finals. - Round. Round. Round. - - A bye A \ - > B \ - B bye B / \ - > C \ - C bye C \ / \ - > C / \ - D bye D / \ - \ - E bye E \ > C \ - > F \ / \ - F bye F / \ / \ - \ / \ - G \ > G / \ - > G \ / \ - H / \ / \ - > G / \ - I \ / \ - > J / \ - J / \ - > S - K \ / - > K \ / - L / \ / - > K \ / - M bye M / \ / - > O \ / - N bye N \ / \ / - > O / \ / - O bye O / \ / - > S / - P bye P \ / - > Q \ / - Q bye Q / \ / - > S / - R bye R \ / - > S / - S bye S / - - -This leaves six players, G, H, I, J, K and L, to play the matches of the -first round. Let us suppose that G, J and K win. Sixteen players now are -left in. Consequently there will be no more byes. The players are paired -in order through the line for the remaining rounds. - - -HANDICAPS. - -For handicaps the players are divided into classes by the referee, class -1 giving one bisque to class 2, two bisques to class 3, and so on. In -partner handicaps the bisques of the partners are added together and -then divided by two. Thus if Miss A. (class 6) and Mr. G. (class 2), -eight bisques in all, play Miss B. (class 7) and Mr. F. (class 4), -eleven bisques in all, the weaker side gets one and a half bisques, the -half being always changed to a whole one. These may be taken by either -partner. - - -TIME HANDICAPS. - -These are often a necessity at croquet meetings. The All-England Club -laid down that there should be not more than eight players for singles -and sixteen for double matches. One third of the time should be allotted -to each game. If a game be unfinished the side ahead in points wins, a -player being allowed to finish his break and take a bisque if one -remains. If the points are equal the first roquet decides the contest. - -In time handicaps the side which receives more than one bisque can only -take half its bisques, until both balls have passed the turning peg. - - - - -INDEX. - - -A. - -A good bag of Tarpon, 175 - -_A Matched Pair_: Story of wedding breakfast and accident to M.F.H. in, 5 - -Aberdeen, ladies' golf links at, 341 - -ALDENHAM RESTLESS. - Descendants winners at Peterborough Show, 84 - Winning Champion Cup, 1893, 84 - -All-England Croquet Association, 358 - -All-England Croquet Club, 358 - -Allgood Kennels, 90 - -Archer's Register, 232 - -ARCHERY, by Miss Walrond, 187 - Bow, lineage of, 187 - Eastern ladies' exploits, 187 - Improvement in, 204 - Revival of, 200 - Royal amusement, 193 - -ARCHERY (practical) by Mrs. Berens, 207 - Aiming, 221 - Arm guard, 213 - Arrow, weight of, 212 - Before the draw, 218, 219, 229 - Beginners, advice to, 208 - Books recommended, 232 - Bows recommended, 208 - Club National Round, 228 - Club Prize Meeting, 231 - Coach desirable for beginners, 224 - Distances shot by women, 215 - Drawing, 218 - Dress suitable for, 217 - Equipment needs care, 223 - Full Draw, 225 - Gloves or tips, 214 - Hereford Round, 215 - Loosing, 222 - Nocking, 217 - Standing, 217 - String recommended, 210 - Stringing bow, 209 - Targets, 215 - To form a club, 227 - Weekly Club Meeting, 231 - -Archery Dresses (about 1832), 201 - -Archery Societies, 196-200 - -_Art of Golf_, Sir W. C. Sampson, 261 - -_Art of Shooting_, by C. Lancaster, 152 - -Ascham, Roger, treatise on Archery, 193 - -Association of Masters of Harriers and Beagles, 101 - -Australia, Golf Clubs, Ladies' Championship, 343 - -Austria, hare drive in, 121 - - -B. - -_BADMINTON LIBRARY._ - Archery, 207 - Golf, 261 - Quoted on Shooting, 116 - -Balfour, Miss May, Article on Skating, 235 - Portrait, 234 - -Banks, Miss, on Archery, 199 - -Banks, Sir Joseph, 199 - -Barham Downs, ladies' golf course, 343 - -Beagle Stud-book, 96 - -BEAGLES. - Breeding, 96, 97 - For rabbit-shooting, 140 - Hunting with, 92, 95 - Kennelling and feeding, 99 - -Bentley Harriers, 61 - Account of, 85 - -Berens, Mrs., Article on Archery, 207 - Portrait, 206 - -Berkeley, Lady, using longbow, 195 - -Betham, Miss, archery score, 204 - -_Book of Archery_, Hansard, quoted on Persian ladies' archery, 189 - -Bowby, Mrs., archery score, 204 - -Bownass, Miss, golfing at Windermere, 347 - -Brentwood Croquet Club, 360 - -Brighton and Hove ladies' golf course, 342 - -Briscoe, Mrs., whipping in hounds, 61 - -Bronwydd Beagles, account of, by Miss Lloyd, 105 - -Budleigh Salterton Croquet Club, 360 - -Burn, Mrs., Fox Hunting, 13 - Portrait, 12 - -Burton, _Anatomy of Melancholy_, quoted, 352 - -"Bush Farm," Meath, fences, 20 - -Butt, Mrs. W., archery score, 204 - -Butterflies at Captiva Island, 173 - -Buxom (hound) account of, 86 - -Buxom, Bentley Harrier, 67 - - -C. - -Caledon Beagle Kennels, 96 - -Campbell, Lady Ileene, hunting Lord Huntingdon's pack, 61 - -Canada, golf clubs in, 343 - -Captiva Island (Gulf of Mexico). - Account of, 171 - Tarpon, fishing at, 170 - Vegetation, 173 - -Carnoustie, ladies' putting course at, 341 - -Carter, Bonham, croquet playing, 372 - -Cartridges recommended for women, 111 - -Cheape, Mrs., and her Peterborough winners, Bracelet, Waterwitch, -Verity, Woodbine, Generous, Worry, 87 - -Cheape, Mrs., buying harriers, 85 - -Cheape, Mrs., Wellfield Beagles and Bentley Harriers, 60 - -Cheetham. Miss L., skating "a pass", 252 - -Cheltenham, ladies' golf course, 343 - -Cheltenham, lady golfers at, 348 - -Chester, ladies' golf course, 343 - -Chetwynd, Miss H., archery score, 204 - -Chole, game of, 261 - -Chorley Wood, ladies' golf course, 343 - -Clay Bird shooting competition, 130 - -Clay Pigeon Trap, 113 - -Clorinda, Moorish Queen, skilful with bow, 188 - -Clumber Spaniel, 97 - -Comet (property of Lady Gerard), 37 - -County Down ladies' golf links, 338 - -Cox, Miss, ex-Irish Golf Champion, 338 - -CROQUET, All-England Laws. Appendix B., 391 - Article on, by Mrs. Spong, 357 - Advantages of, 368 - Balls, 361 - Beginning, option of, 367 - Bisques, 363 - Championships, 370 - Clips, 362 - Clubs, 360 - Handicapping bisques, 363 - Hoops, 361 - Lawn measurements, 360 - Lawns at Hurlingham and Ranelagh, 370 - Lawns, size reduced, 372 - Mallets, 362; manner of holding, 363 - Origin of game, 357 - Pegs, 361 - Qualities necessary for good player, 369 - Revival of, 370 - "Roquet", 365 - Terms employed in, 365 - Tight croquet, expulsion of, 358 - Time games, 371 - Tournaments, 358 - -Crusades, women prominent in sport during, 6 - -Crystal Palace Archery Meeting, 200 - -Cub-hunting at Brigstock, 15 - - -D. - -Dahlia (hound), 86 - -Davies, George (Whip), 106 - -Deal Golf Club, 331 - -Desmond, Lady, skill with bow, 194 - -"Dinah," retriever, 146, 148 - -_Dog breaking, secret of_, 149 - -DOG BREEDING, by Hutchinson recommended, 152 - -Dogs and dog-breaking, utilising land for, 145 - -Driving popular with shooters and owners of moors, 131 - -Dulcimer, pure harrier, 89; account of, 90 - -Dumfries, ladies' golf links at, 341 - - -E. - -Eastbourne Ladies' Golf Course, 341 - -Edinburgh, ladies' golf links at, 341 - -EDITOR (FRANCES E. SLAUGHTER). - Englishwomen and Sport, 1 - Hare-hunting, 59 - Portrait, 1 - -Elie and Earlsferry, ladies' golf links at, 341 - -Eltham Ladies' Golf Course, 341 - -Englishwomen and Sport, by the Editor, 1 - - -F. - -"Fallible," beagle bitch, 99 - -FISHING FOR TARPON, by Mrs. Murphy-Grimshaw, 157 - Bait used, 162 - Bottom-fishing, 178 - Catching first tarpon, 163 - Clothes required for, 160 - First tarpon stuffed and set up, 184 - Fishing at Captiva, 176-77, 179 - Florida, arrival in, 160 - Playing a tarpon, 164; - excitement of, 165 - Rod suitable for, 162 - Season for, 164 - -Flat-coated Retriever, Champion Darenth, 143 - -Folkestone Ladies' Golf Course, 343 - -Fort Myers, on Caloosakatchie River, 181, 183 - Fishing for tarpon at, 158 - -FOX-HUNTING, by Mrs. Burn. - "Alone with the hounds," pleasure of being, 31 - Beauty and fit surroundings, 14 - Champion and Wilton's Safety Stirrup, 36 - Country in the shires, 19 - Driving to and from hunting, 52 - Falls, 35 - Gates, opening, 32, 33 - Gruel for horse, directions for making, 51 - "Hands" cannot be taught, 25 - Hunting in provinces advantage over shires, 16 - Huntsmen, way to be made for, 32 - Ideal hunter, 50 - Mounting, 41 - Need for pilot, 44 - People hunting like a flock of sheep, 31 - Quick eye to hounds, 43 - Quietness necessary, 24, 47 - Riding a refuser, 48 - Riding sane horses, 47 - Riding slow, 35 - Riding to hounds, advice on, 22 - Safety habits, 39 - "Seeds" "Young Grass", 34 - Spurs, 40 - Stirrup foot, position of, 29 - Tired horse, jumping a, 50 - Women in hunting field, why unpopular, 30 - Women riding without third pommel, 26 - -France, golf clubs in, 344 - - -G. - -Gadfly (hound), 86 - -Gainer (hound), account of, 86 - -_Game of Golf_, by W. Park, junr., 261 - -Gentil on Amazoni in retinue of Indian Prince, 190 - -Gifford, Lady - And her Harriers, 58 - Beagles-harriers, 89, 90 - Carrying horn with harriers, 61 - Cure for distemper, 92 - Interest in Kennel Management, 90 - On hounds' food, 91 - -_Golf Annual_, Article by John Thomson in, 352 - -GOLF, by Miss Starkie-Bence, 259 - Approach Shot, 284 - "Approach Shots," Competitions for, 324 - Balls, different kinds, 333 - "Bap", 275 - "Bogey" Competition, 297 - Books recommended, 261 - Brassey, 283 - Bunkers, 260 - Cleek, 283 - Clubs, 262 - Clubs, choice of (instruments), 274 - "Cuppy" lie, 300 - Dress suitable for, 304 - Driver, 274, 279 - Dropping the ball, Rule on, 351 - _Esprit-de-Corps_, 351 - Etiquette to be observed, 294 - Failing to sign card, 260 - Faults--Slicing, Hooking, Topping, 299 - Foresome, 259 - Founding of, 261 - Green, 260 - Grip 261; - wrong grip, 276 - Grip of hands for driving, 275 - Grip when at top of swing, 280 - Handicapping, 297 - "Handicapping Scheme" 326; - Rules, 327 - Hazard, St. Andrew's Rules 14, 288; - 15, 288 - Hazards, 260 - Iron 274; - lofting iron, 283 - Iron shots, 284 - Ladies' Courses, 266, 267 - Lessons from professional desirable, 273 - Lie, 261 - Links, size of, 260 - Links, "upkeep" of, 332 - Mashie, 274, 287 - Medal play, 298 - Object of game, 259 - Position for driving, 269, 276 - Practice required for, 271, 301 - Putter, 274, 291 - Putting, 293, 295 - Scores in Match playing, 260 - Scores in Medal play, 259 - Scotch and English players, Styles of, 272 - Short Approach Shot with thumb down the shaft, 289 - Suited to all seasons, 267 - "Smothering", 279 - Stance, 260 - Stimulus to trade given by, 328 - Stymie, 351 - Swing 280; - Finish of, 281 - Swinging upwards for three-quarter iron shot, 285 - Glossary of Technical Terms, 384 - Golf Links abroad, 343 - -_Golf_ quoted on gutta-percha used for balls, 332 - -Golf Rules, Appendix A, 377 - -Golf School in America, 344 - -_Golfer's Referee_, 292 - -Gone to Ground (Portraits of four B.O.H. Prize-winners), 53 - -Graham, Miss N., Golf Champion of Ireland, 338 - Portrait, 339 - -Grand National Archery Meeting, 200, 203 - -Grand Northern Archery Meeting, 200 - -Grand Western Archery Meeting, 200 - -Great Yarmouth Golf Links, 313 - -Greeks and Romans no word for Skating, 246 - -Grey, Lord de, 109 - -Grouper, red and black, 177 - -Grouse Shooting, 131 - Best Method, 133 - -Gullane, Ladies' Golf Union Championship Meeting at, 306, 320 - -Gullane Links, lengths between holes at, 325 - -Guns suitable for women, 110, 111, 127 - - -H. - -Hamilton-Russell, Lady Margaret (_née_ Scott) - Golfing, 272, 313 - Portrait, 317 - -Hare Drive in Austria, 121 - -HARE-HUNTING, by the Editor, 59 - Cleanliness absolutely necessary in kennels, 74 - Dwarf foxhounds, 69 - Feeding hounds, 74 - Harrier, advantage of pure, 66 - Harriers, faults of, 71, 72 - Hounds, drafting, 77 - Hounds, kind of, 66 - Hounds, signalling, 71 - Hounds, signs of health in, 77 - Hounds, standard for, 70 - Lady M. H.'s Pack, story of, 65 - Quietness necessary for, 59, 61, 66 - Stud-book harrier, 69 - Training hounds, 72 - Viewing the hare, 62 - Whippers-in, 78 - -Harrier and Beagle Show, Peterborough, 105 - -Hastings and Bexhill Ladies' Golf Course, 343 - -Hawking, women proficient in, 3 - -Hertfordshire Society of Archers, 197 - -Himalayan pheasants, 132 - -_History of the Cid_, by Dr. Southey, quoted on "Star of the Archers", 188 - -Horniblow, Mrs., Archery score, 204 - -Hoylake Golf Links, 311 - -Hoylake Ladies' Golf Links, 343 - -Huntingdon, Load, harriers in Iceland, 61 - -Hutchinson, General, system of breaking pointers and setters, 151 - -Hutchinson, Horace, Golf, Badminton Library, 261 - -Hutchinson Horace, on putting, 292 - - -I. - -India, golf clubs in, 343 - -Irish Ladies' Golf Union, meeting at Portrush, 315 - -Irish Setters, Champions Shandon II. and Geraldine, 126 - -Irishman on gun, 110 - - -J. - -Jacksonville, Florida, 183 - -Jaques bringing out Croquet, 358 - -Jew-fish, 177 - - -K. - -"KATE COVENTRY," heroine, giving up hunting when she marries, 4 - -Kennedy, Miss Emma: - Golfing in North Wales, 347 - Portrait, 335 - -Kildare, Countess of, shooting deer, 194 - -King-fish, 177 - - -L. - -Ladies' Golf Union, 265 - "Handicapping Scheme," 326; - Rules, 327 - Outline of, 307 - -_Ladies' Golf Union Annual_, Miss Pearson's article in, 328 - -Ladies' Golf Union Championship Meetings, 306 - Great Yarmouth, 313 - Gullane, 306, 320 - Hoylake, 312, 319, 334 - Littlestone, 312, 314 - Lytham and St. Anne's, 309, 311 - Portrush, 306, 312, 315 - -Lancer (Irish horse), 27 - -Leake, Sir F., extract from letter to Lord Shrewsbury, 195 - -Leamington and Midland Counties Archery Meeting, 200 - -Legh, Miss, archery score, 204 - -Leicestershire, account of blank day in, 23 - -Lelant, ladies' golf course, 343 - -Lillie, A., work on croquet, 355; - suggestions in, 373 - -Littlestone Golf Club, 331 - -Littlestone Golf Links, 312 - -Lloyd, Miss, of Bronwydd: - Account of Bronwydd Beagles, 105 - Whipping-in beagles, 61, 106 - -Lloyd, Sir Marteine: - And some of the Bronwydd Beagles, 104 - Beagle kennels, 96 - Beagles, 61 - Bronwydd Beagles, 101, 145 - -Lloyd, Sir Thomas, started Bronwydd Beagles, 105 - -Lowther, Hon. Mrs. Lancelot, Portrait, 108 - -Lowther, Hon. Mrs. Lancelot, Shooting, 109 - -Lytham and St. Anne's Golf Club, 309 - -Ladies' Union, meeting at, 310 - - -M. - -M. F. H. advice to young lady, 13 - -Machrihanish, ladies' golf links at, 341 - -Maidstone Croquet Club, 360 - -Malvern, ladies' golf course, 343 - -Mandeville, A., K.H. and Second Whip to Mrs. Pryse-Rice, 85 - -Mary, Queen of Scots, adept in golf, 265 - -Maxwell, Miss A., golfing at Dumfries, 347 - -Meath, hunting in, 20, 21 - -Melville, Whyte, heroines in hunting field, 4 - -Meriden, archery assemblies at, 196 - -Midlands Golf Championship, 345 - -Mitcham, Princes Ladies' Golf Links, 334 - Meetings, 337 - -Moffatt, Croquet Championship Meeting at, 370 - -Monmouth, Robert Cary, Earl of, extract from Memories of, 194 - -Montecute, Lord, entertaining Queen Elizabeth at Cowdray, 194 - -Murphy-Grimshaw, Mrs.: - Fishing for Tarpon, 157 - Portrait, 156; - on board the tarpon boat, 167 - -Murray, Mrs., golfing at Gullane, 347 - -Mussellburgh, ladies' golf links at, 341 - - -N. - -Nevill, Misses, golfing, 348 - -New Zealand golf links in--ladies' championships, 343 - -Newcastle, Duchess of, hunting harriers, 61 - -Nicholas', Sir H., _Household Expenses of Henry VIII._, entries from, 193 - -_Nicol's Progress_ quoted, 194 - -North Berwick Ladies' Golf Club, 347 - -North Berwick, ladies' golf links at, 341 - -Norwich, deer parks owned by See, 2 - - -O. - -Orr, Miss E. C., Portrait, 263 - -Our Sisters in Canada, 243 - - -P. - -Park, W., junr., _Game of Golf_, 261 - -Paris, Comtesse de, giving up Woodnorton harriers, 80 - -_Partridge_, Fur and Feather series recommended, 152 - -Partridge Shooting, 121, 134 - Driving, 134 - Over dogs, 134, 138 - Walking up, 137 - -Partridge, work by Stuart Wortley on, 137 - -Pascoe, Miss, Portrait, 307 - -Pearson, Miss Issette, - Article in _Ladies' Golf Union Annual_, 328 - Golfing, 306, 313 - Portrait, 329 - Records at Wimbledon, 341 - -Peel, W. H., founded All-England Croquet Association, 358 - -Pelicans, 159 - -Persian ladies amusing themselves with Archery, 189 - -Pheasant Shooting, 138 - -_Pheasants_, by Tegetmeier recommended, 152 - -Pointer on Partridge, 119 - -Portrush Golf Links, 312 - -Portrush, Irish Ladies' Golf Union Championship Meeting, 315 - -Prestwich, ladies' golf links at, 341 - -Prior, Dr., Notes on Croquet, 357 - -Pritchard, Professor, cure for distemper, 92 - -Pryse-Rice, Mrs. - Account of harriers, 80 - And her harriers, 81 - Kennels, Aldenham Bitches, 93 - Kennels (Woodmorton, _Charity_ and _Wilful_), 63 - M. H., 61 - On hares killed, 85 - On infusion of foxhound blood into harrier kennel, 85 - Runs of hounds, 83 - -Pryse, Vaughan, hunting harriers for forty seasons, 80 - -Punta Gorda 183; - deserted by tarpon, 158 - -Purves, Dr. Laidlow, 306 - - -Q. - -Queen Anne, lover of the chase, 8 - -Queen Elizabeth, an ardent sportswoman, 7 - -Queen Elizabeth at Cowdray, skill with bow, 194 - -Queen Victoria, benefactor of women, 9 - -Queen Victoria riding after hounds, 8 - - -R. - -Rabbit difficult to shoot, 130 - -Rabbit Shooting, 140 - -Ranelagh Club, Ladies' Golf Meeting at, 315 - -Ranelagh Ladies' Golfing group, 1897, 349 - -Ranfurly, ladies' golf links at, 341 - -Retriever breaking, rules for, 150 - -Rhyl, ladies' golf course, 343 - -Richardson, Mrs. Ryder, golfing, 347 - -Richmond ladies' golf course, 343 - -Rifle for small game, 116 - -Rigby, second for Championship cup in 1897, 84 - -Romans and Greeks no word for skating, 246 - -Rook shooting, 117 - -Royal British Bowmen, 196 - -Royal Portrush Ladies' Golf Links, 338 - -Royal Rock Beagles, started by Colonel Anstruther Thomson, 105 - -Royal Toxophilite Archery Society, 196 - -_Rural Sports_, by Daniel, recommended, 152 - -Rye Golf Club, 331 - - -S. - -St. Andrew's, ladies' putting course at, 341 - -St. Nicholas, ladies' golf links at, 341 - -Salisbury, Lady, hunting fox over Hertfordshire, 59 - -Salisbury, Lady, supporting archery, 196 - -Sandwich Golf Club, 331 - -Sandwich Golf Course, 345 - Gentlemen's Amateur Championship at, 346 - -Lady golf players at, 346 - -Sampson, Sir W. C., _Art of Golf_, 261 - -Scotch ladies' golf links, 341 - -Scotland, hunting in, 21 - -Scott, Sir Walter, excuses Di Vernon for sporting tastes, 4 - -Sea trout, 177 - -Serrell, Miss, on Colleen, 45 - -Shooters, cautions to young, 152 - -SHOOTING - Article on, by the Hon. Mrs. Lancelot-Lowther, 109 - _Badmington Library_ on, 115 - Beginners, advice to, 112 - Books recommended, 152 - Dress suitable for, 123 - Etiquette to be observed, 112 - Judging distances, 129 - Measuring distances, 115 - Practice recommended, 128 - Qualities necessary for, 127 - -Shrewsbury, Lady, adept with bow, 195 - -SKATES, 242 - Bone, 246-47 - Mount Charles, 247 - Primitive, 246 - Roller-Skates, 248 - -SKATING - "A pass", 252 - Beginning, 249 - Club Figures, 253 - Dress suitable for, 245 - Equality on both legs, 236 - Exhilarating and healthful exercise, 245 - Foreign style introduced in England, 241 - Half-circle and circle, 251 - Hand-in-hand skating, 237, 252 - Ideal Skater, 241 - In Holland, 239 - Introduced from North, 246 - Mastery of both edges, 251 - Outside edge, 236 - Points to be attended to, 255 - Rockers, 252 - Scuds, 252 - Transition stage in England, 235, 241 - Turning a three, 237 - Waltzing on skates, 238 - -South Africa, golf clubs in, 343 - -Spaniels for rabbit shooting, 141 - -Spicer, Captain, of Spye Park, harriers sold to Mrs. Cheape, 85 - -Spong, Mrs., article on croquet, 357 - Portrait, 356 - -Sport for upper classes in middle ages, 1 - -Sporting dogs, grooming, 151 - -Starkie-Bence, Miss, article on golf, 259 - Portrait, 258 - -Straits' Settlements, golf links in, 343 - -Stuart-Wortley, work on partridge, 137 - -Surtees, his hunting women, 4 - -_System of Figure Skating_, by Maxwell Witham, 253 - - -T. - -Tarpon boats, 159; - at Captiva, 174 - -Tarpon fishing (see Fishing for Tarpon). - -Temple, Miss, archery score, 203 - -Thomson, Colonel Anstruther, started Royal Rock Beagles, 105 - -Thomson, John, article on _Golf Annual_, 352 - -Trollope, sport no place in life of his heroines, 4 - -Troon, ladies' golf links at, 341 - -Tudor, Margaret, journey to Scotland, 190 - - -U. - -United States, golf clubs in, 343 - -Usbec Tartary, incident during plundering of village in, 187 - - -V. - -Verity (hound), 86 - -Vernon, Di, excused for sport-loving tastes, 4 - -Villiers, Miss, archery score, 203 - - -W. - -Walrond, Miss, article on archery, 187 - Portrait, 186 - -Walsingham, Lord, 109 - -Walters, John, huntsman, 106 - -Warlike (hound), 86 - -Waterwitch (hound), 86 - -Wellfield (hound), account of, 86 - -Wellfield Beagles, 60 - -Welsh hares, speed of, 79 - -West Indies, golf clubs in, 343 - -West Lancashire ladies' golf links, 268, 334 - Match team, 334 - -Whigham, Miss Sybil, golfing at Prestwick, 346 - -Whitmore, Walter Jones, started scientific croquet, 358 - -Wilson-Hoare, Mrs., golfing, 313, 348 - -Wilton, Elizabeth, Countess of, on Willoughby, 17 - -Wimbledon ladies' golf club uniform, 303 - -Wimbledon ladies' golf course, 341 - -Witham, Maxwell, _System of Figure Skating_, 253 - -Woking, ladies' golf links at, 341 - -Women. - At shooting parties, 118 - Middle ages, hunting in, 2 - Position in world of sport, 1 - Proficient in art of falconry, 3 - -Woodbine, Wellfield, Buxom, Bentley Harriers, 75 - -Woodmen of Arden, 196 - - -Y. - -Yonge, John, Somerset Herald, 190 - -Yorkshire golf championship, 345 -&/ - - * * * * * - -BIRMINGHAM: -PRINTED AT THE GUILD PRESS, 45, GREAT CHARLES STREET - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Sportswoman's Library, Vol. 1 of 2, by Various - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SPORTSWOMAN'S LIBRARY, VOL 1 *** - -***** This file should be named 41436-8.txt or 41436-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/1/4/3/41436/ - -Produced by Julia Miller, Josephine Paolucci and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net. 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