EARLY DAYS IN LEICESTERSHIRE 19 



away from. The squire of Skef&ngton never had 

 a very firm seat in his best days, on account of 

 being rather extra short in the leg, and naturally 

 broken bones did not improve his grip. 



Schooldays over and the stern realities of life 

 loomed in sight. My father very wisely told me I 

 should never be able to afford the luxury of hunting, 

 and he was quite right, but still I have managed 

 to ride to hounds without missing a season since I 

 was twenty. Nothing to be proud of certainly, 

 to have devoted my life and energy to my own 

 amusement, for I imagine we are put in this world 

 to work in the general scheme that is to advance 

 mankind to a higher plane. Hardly the place this 

 for moral reflections, but I do not wish a young 

 man picking up this book to see in my life anything 

 worthy of imitation. There is, of course, a pleasure 

 in recalling the sport one has enjoyed, but there 

 would be far more satisfaction if it were interspersed 

 with work that showed some good result. Fox- 

 hunting and all sport should be looked upon as 

 recreation — not as the business of life. The pursuit 

 of the fox is the most fascinating of sports, and 

 men are apt to devote all their energies to it, to 

 the exclusion of everything else. They forget 

 then that after all it is only an amusement, and the 

 fox-hunter thus gains the reputation of being selfish. 



The pony gone, or relegated to a younger 

 brother's use, my only chance for a day's hunting 

 in the holidays was to hire out of the slender 

 resources of my pocket money. I was fortunate 

 in hiring a good horse at a small figure and getting 

 a few excellent days with the Quorn. Never 

 having ridden anything above a pony before, I was 



