SCHOOL LIFE AT RUGBY. 13 



bis soul yearn for the joy of shedding or losing 

 blood in hard disfiguring duels with the clenched 

 fist. 



From other accounts it appears that " larky 

 Prichard," ^ as he was called, would lead the way 

 in a game of hare-and-hounds, "with his nice easy 

 stride, for he never had any great pace,^ though he 

 could last for ever, and would get back coolly and 

 comfortably to ' Bons ' when the rear hounds were 

 toiling a mile behind." It will be seen that on the 

 question of pace opinions appear to difi"er, but it 

 is certain at least that Hodson was endowed with 

 marvellous staying power. 



In some of his holiday rambles about the pretty 

 Stafiordshire village of Colwich, where his father 

 was then vicar, Hodson was accompanied by his 

 friend and schoolfellow Fred. Foster, afterwards 

 the Eev. F. A. Foster, with whom Hodson was to 

 keep up an intimate correspondence during his 

 Indian career. On one of these occasions the two 

 young athletes set out on a three days' walk in 

 Stafi'ordshire and Derbyshire. 



" So far as my memor}^ serves me," writes Mr 

 Foster, " we went to Matlock Bath, as we certainly 

 did to Ashbourne and Dovedale. I well remember 

 at the latter place, as we came down a steep slope 

 to our quarters for the night, at the little inn, the 

 Isaac Walton, we laughed together at our many 

 tumbles ! Certainly God took care of us, for on 

 visiting the spot in the morning we agreed that 



1 " He was called by us Prichard," writes Mr Seton-Karr, " be- 

 cause he came to Price's after a boy named Prichard had just left, 

 who resembled Hodson only in the colour of his red hair." 



'■^ " He could run at any rate one mile in five minutes," says Mr 

 Seton-Karr. 



