14 RIDING 



this known that the men who habitually form the vanguard, 

 having once settled down into their places, are wont, after the 

 first few fields have been traversed, to glance to right and 

 left in search of the familiar faces of their friendly rivals, to 

 exchange cheery words of recognition or encouragement, to 

 remark on an absentee, and above all specially and, it is to be 

 feared, not without jealousy to note the presence of a stranger, 

 or of a how-the-devil-comes-he-here intruder in their ranks. 

 If this is the case in the shires, on whose green lists fresh knights 

 errant are constantly appearing, still more does it hold good in 

 the provinces, where the local champions are less accustomed 

 to see gage of battle thrown down by new combatants. 

 Amongst this leading division there are again degrees of merit, 

 or rather degrees in which the graduates are worthy of honour 

 for being where they are. Out of the dozen to whom we have 

 assigned the pride of place, fully half are tolerably sure to be 

 the fortunate possessors of both * fiddle and bow ' men who, 

 through their own judgment or that of their friends or grooms, 

 have found really first-class horses, and have had the money to 

 purchase them when found. The perfect hunter perfect in 

 shape, strength, speed, activity, courage, and handiness\& the 

 fiddle. The nerve, quickness, hands, knowledge of pace, and 

 that indescribable gift which is known as 'an eye to hounds,' 

 are the constituents of the bow, which calls forth the powers of 

 the instrument, and between it and the performer awakes com- 

 plete harmony. Whyte Melville, in ' Market Harborough ' (it is 

 impossible to write about hunting without quoting Whyte Mel- 

 ville), describes Mr. Varnish, the horse-dealer, handling his 

 young one over the fences in masterly fashion, 'sitting far back 

 the while, with the air of a man playing some favourite instrument 

 in an arm-chair ; ' and no words could more accurately or admir- 

 ably describe the perfect ease and grace with which the accom- 

 plished horseman solves what is nevertheless the most difficult 

 of all problems, viz., getting over a strongly enclosed country 

 at a high -rate of speed. ' I wish I was a h'eagle,' said Mr. 

 Jorrocks, ' 'overing over 'em, seeing which 'ounds 'ad the scent, 



