The Merry Past 



of the forest in uniform, gardes^ rangers, both horse 

 and foot, a large mob of people, and a party of 

 gendarmerie. 



The King now stepped out of his carriage and 

 mounted his horse (a fine thoroughbred grey, with no 

 end of trappings and nets to keep him warm) with all 

 the activity of a man of twenty. 



His dress was like that of an English country 

 gentleman on a market-day — an old white hat, a cutty 

 green coat, and pair of old drab breeches and an 

 antiquated pair of top-boots. 



The hounds, though the hunt servants swore the 

 contrary, were mostly large English foxhounds, or at 

 least had been so originally, some of them appearing 

 to have a cross of the bull in them. There were plenty 

 of attendants upon them, both mounted and foot, all 

 dressed in the royal livery (dark blue and silver), 

 some of them wearing badges. 



There were also three or four huntsmen, all capital 

 fellows in their way, with immense great saddles, great 

 bits, and jack-boots. 



When the hunt began the King set off galloping, 

 the gendarmes scrambling after him as fast as they 

 could, whilst keeping the rest of the field at a con- 

 siderable distance. Everyone went tearing up one 

 avenue and down another, and round a third, for a 

 couple of hours, the stag every now and then popping 

 across the road with the hounds in full cry, till at last 

 he fairly left the forest. When at last run to bay and 

 the King arrived on the spot, one of the gardes would 

 hand the monarch a blunderbuss, with which he shot 



78 



