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fields with some very big fences, and a good wide brook. Our fox took this very line, and they ran at their very best pace straight for Brixworth; and up to this point only three men were with the hounds. Jack Stevens, Mr. Viner, Major B, and a groom, at first finding, went to the left, while the greater portion of the field kept the right side of the covert on the high ground; consequently, when he turned down wind to the left, these four were let in, and no one else could fairly catch them till they checked close to Brixworth, which was twenty-five minutes. Here about ten or twelve more got up, and they then crossed the road and down into the valley, where a most formidable brook was in the line. In consequence of the rain during the week, all the brooks were very full. The hounds checked for a moment, and I heard many inquiries for the ford. Many went up to it and looked, but none fancied the muddy appearance. At this moment the hounds hit the scent again, and went up the opposite field, when Mr. Viner gallantly charged and went right in, but luckily contrived to scramble out, and instantly went away alone with the hounds, no one seeming disposed to get a similar soaking. Fortunately a farmer took us to a bridge about a quarter of a mile to the right, where we crossed, and caught them at the wood close to Boughton, where they checked for five minutes, and it seemed all up. We, however, hit him again, and carried it on through Boughton Park, where we got among the fallows, and could make nothing more of him-forty-five minutes from the

time we found him. For five miles nothing could be finer: the most splendid country you can conceive, with almost every description of fence-hedges, hedge and ditch, rails and ditch, double rails and ditches, rail, hedge, and ditch. Tim Shirley, just before we found, was asked how he felt? He said, "Why, Sir, I have got about twenty minutes left in me, and that's all." He seemed a pretty good judge; for at the end of twenty minutes he was done, and got into the first brook, where his nag lay with his head on the bank. Mr. Otway Cave also got a ducking at this place : I saw him charge, but his horse would not have it; he then put him at a fresh place, and bang they went into the middle. Of all falls, there are none so amusing to a looker-on as those at water. The pace they generally go at, and the splash with which your friend comes in, making the water fly in all directions, and then the miserable appearance he makes, standing on the bank trying to get his horse out, always make me (if I happen to be on the right side) laugh.

A great many of the field were completely thrown out, and never got up till we reached Boughton -one, on a grey horse, I saw spinning at a most tremendous pace, just as we found, and he, I heard, got a fall when the hounds were at least three miles a-head, and never came up at all.

Tuesday, 20th.-Met at Duston -a small field, owing to Warwick races; the Squire not out, consequently many despaired of much sport; for though Jack Stevens is a capital whip, he does not understand hunting hounds. However, this day they never re

quired assistance. They drew one covert blank; went thence to a wood whose name I forget; found almost immediately, and run him up and down for some time, very unwilling to leave the covert, and it was anything but pleasant going up and down the rides, which were up to the

hocks. At last he broke across the road, and two or three got well away. We ran him over three or four fields to a small plantation, but he was here headed back, and went again to his old home in the wood. How ever, they stuck to him very close, and, finding it was in vain to remain, he again broke at nearly the same place, and went away, leaving the plantation to the left, down into the valley; then turning to the right, went up full in the face of a strong wind, towards the gorse covert on a hill; skirted it, leaving it on the left, and then for about a mile and a half, ran parallel to the road at a capital pace: then turning to the right ran into the bottom, and went to ground in a drain at a farm house, whence they bolted and killed him-an uncommon pretty thing. From the wood to the drain was twenty minutes, without a check; and had it not been for the road, which he kept to so long, not above half a dozen would have been with them, but the M'Adamites were let in by this ill luck. I heard Jack Stevens say, in answer to some one observation, of how strange it was his facing such a wind, "Lord Sir, I don't think he knows where he is going to; he must fly to beat them in this line." We then went to Lord Althorp's coverts, where we unfortunately found a vixen, who

was run in to and killed almost immediately, when she was found to have only three legs, having been in a trap it is supposed. Such a thing should not happen in my coverts if I had any, or the keepers should lose their places if it did.

The more I see of these hounds the more I admire them; they are quite perfect -such legs, and thighs, and sterns, and in such beautiful condition: the only thing to object to is, they are literally too fast. No fox can stand before them with a good scent more than thirty minutes. The consequence is, that unless you get away close to them, you have not a chance of seeing it: for to think of catching them except at a check, is useless. With most other hounds you have some chance; but if they are one field a-head, you will have to burst your nag nearly to get up.

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I forgot to mention in my former epistle the day we met at Harrington-considered a good fixture. It is in the upper country, and a great many Meltonians made a point of attending. Lord Gardiner and Mr. Etherington were among the number, and of course on their best nags; and I anticipated some good fun. very hard-riding Cheshire man, named Brookshaw, was also out on a most superb grey horse, and a number of strangers. Unfortunately, the Squire did not come; and, after waiting for him till past twelve o'clock, we proceeded to business. I immediately gave up all thoughts of much sport; for without the master these hounds seldom get a run-his science is wanted if any difficulty

occurs; and we lost two good runs owing to Jack Stevens's bad casting on this day. We found in a wood about a mile from the place of meeting, and had a pretty sharp skurry for eighteen minutes over a deep country towards Lamport; but the scent was not good: ran down into the bottom, where they checked; and, though Stevens was up, and made a cast or two, he could not hit it off. The truth was he did not cast forward over a brook, which was the line, but went first to the right and then back to the left, leaving the ground beyond the brook untried; and we gave him up just as we were getting into a good country, being close to the ground chosen for the steeple chase between Osbaldeston and Ross some years ago. We then went to another covert not far from Harrington, with a very formidable brook at the bottom, which you generally cross. It was the day after so much snow, and it was a complete bumper; and, as we forded it to get to the covert, looked anything but pleasant. It is really quite absurd to see how most fields are stopped by water, and really at times by places which a person would think nothing of a jump for a horse. Nor are they if a horse goes freely at them; but most horses are afraid of water, and half refuse, and, being forced by the rider, jump in a slanting direction and go in; and one man in, the next thinks he must follow, and consequently looks out for a better place; and so you see them riding along the edge till some one gets over, when the others follow, or are led to a ford. a most amusing scene the other day with Mr. Drake's

I saw

hounds. We had a good burst for about fifteen minutes. About the fourth fence was a brook with very high and rotten banks. Just as I was coming to it, a man passed me at a tremendous pace, and put his horse at the place I was going at. The horse refused, but he spurred him, and he jumped at it in a sloping direction, and went right in. They parted company immediately, and the horse went floundering down the stream. My friend made one or two efforts to scramble out, but the grass always gave way with his weight; and, finding it in vain, he tried to follow his nag, clinging to the grass bank as he went along; but every now and then he came to a hole, and down he would go. I suppose he had nearly twenty yards to go in this way, sometimes walking, sometimes swimming, before he could get out; and though I lost a place looking at him and two others who were also in, I was well repaid by the amusement of seeing them in. I got over a little lower down, and caught the hounds at the check; but these Gents had quite enough for the day.

But to return to Stevens :

We now found a fox, and he went out at the upper end, and, turning short to the left,led us right down to the brook. There were three or four fences before we got to it, and the hounds were in the field where it was, when they threw up. I was riding close to a Meltonian, and as we came over the last fence, I heard him exclaim, seeing the water, Now, then, the fun is going to begin," when, unluckily, they threw up. Stevens made a cast to the left, in

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vain; they then crossed, and one hound I thought spoke. There was a ford close by, though up to your saddle flaps however, we got across by it, for to jump it without hounds were running would be rash; and here again Stevens blundered, for, instead of casting forward to the hedgerow where the hounds seemed to bend, and where they had crossed, he went to the right, leaving the field on the left untried, and which a very capital master of hounds and good sportsman afterwards told me he was sure was the line of the fox, and at all events ought to have been tried before he gave him up. I left them after this; but though they found again there was no sport.

I was rather amused at a short dialogue between two very hardriding men this day on meeting. One of them going up to the other, said, "So the bay horse gave you two falls yesterday I hear." "He never gave me a fall in his life," replied the other, "but I "but I have given him a good many." He was riding this same horse one day with Sir Harry's hounds; I believe it was the second time the horse had been out (a fouryear-old). He had ridden him the week before with Mr. Saville's in a country without ditches to the fences, and the horse had jumped uncommonly well, so much so that he felt quite confident, and did not hesitate at any fence.

The late Quorn met at Widmerpool, and found instanter. My friend had a good start. The first fence there was a gap, with a strong binder bent across.

Mr.

White was first over; then came the young one at it he went at the rate of twenty miles an hour

the horse struck it a little below the knee, and over they both went together headlong. However, he held the rein, and was soon mounted again. The next fence nothing particular, but a ditch towards him: he went also smack in at a tremendous pace. However, the horse seemed a good deal frightened, and, as Y. said, "I thought he would not be such a fool as to fall again, at least for some time;" so on they went. The third place was into a muddy lane: it had been broken down partly, but a ditch full of water on the farther side: at it he went at the usual pace-for the horse would not go slowly-and,instead of jumping, he tried to gallop through it, and of course down they came-the nag into the ditch, and Y. about ten yards beyond, whence he rose unhurt, thanks to the quantity of soft mud; and after some little time, having succeeded in getting his horse out, away they sailed again. The next fence was nothing but a gap, which he might have almost walked through, but he again got a fall. He then began to despair, but kept along getting through a gate or two, till he came into a field where the Smite brook was. There were five men in, and a great many riding along the banks; Y. saw a man jump it, and thinking, even if he did get in, it would only wash some of the mud from the horse off, away he went as hard as he could, cramming both spurs in as he came to it, and, to his great surprise, the horse jumped it splendidly. He got another fall before the day was over, besides being on his head two or three times, and getting up again. However, he was very much disgusted with

VOL. V. SECOND SERIES.-No. 25.

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the nag, and did not fancy riding him again: but some time after, at dinner one day, when they were discussing the merits of different horses, a man offered to ride his horse against this same horse of my friend's two miles across country, to take place in a week-of course calculating upon the number of falls the young one would get, which would compensate for the greater speed. The bet was accepted, and a rough rider was instantly procured to exercise the young horse daily. The horse was very violent, and directly he saw a fence a hundred yards off, would rush right at it; but this man, after the first fall, found out the secret, and holding the horse till he came within a few yards of the fence, would then let the reins quite loose, and the horse jumped beautifully, going as clear as possible; and the man declared he never had met with a young horse to equal him. He rode him every day for a week, when my friend rode him the match, winning easy, never making a blunder the whole way; and he is now a perfect hunter, provided you let his head loose as he comes to his fence. This shews what a hand is in some horses, but I do not like them so myself-but prefer taking them hard held by the head-though I know many men who do.

Falls are disagreeable things, and one or two in a day generally disgust me a good deal; but some men seem to care nothing about them. I know a very hard rider, a Capt. R-tt, formerly in a Hussar Regiment, who I should think gets more falls in a year than any three men in England, and yet is never hurt. When he is not hunting, he generally is

larking over fences, making them handy as he calls it, which consists in giving them falls over queer places; but he is about the most reckless fellow I ever saw. He bought a horse the beginning of this season near Melton, a notorious pulling brute, which nobody would ride. He met a man afterwards, who told him "what a brute he was, and that he would certainly break his neck if he rode him."-" Well," says R-tt, "I'll bet you six dozen of claret I'll break his neck before he breaks mine-rather a queer sort of bet: however, it was accepted. He rode the horse through the early part of the season, and broke his neck the other day over a large fence with a good drop, without being hurt the least himself. This same person did a very bold thing when quartered at Hampton Court; he rode over one day to head quarters (Hounslow) to dine, and his way lay over the Heath. When he got to the high road, he found the gate fast-the fence impracticable. You all know the sort of gates generally on private grounds-higher than a common five-barred, and painted blue, very stiff. He was in full uniform, sword,&c. He was riding a horse he had never seen jump in his life; but taking him back about thirty yards, he sent him at it, and the horse cleared it gallantly. He was so pleased, that he rode him over the opposite gate, leading up to the barracks; and coming home the same night, he rode him back over the same two.

But to hounds again. Saturday the 31st met Osbaldeston at Kilsby, rather a select field; drew a small plantation, about a mile from the village towards

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