BRITISH SPORT PAST AND PRESENT 



' As all good sportsmen would say, " 'Ware, hounds ! " cries 

 Sir Harry Goodricke. " Give them time," exclaims Mr. John 

 Moore. "That's right," says Mr. Osbaldeston, "spoil your 

 own sport as usual." " Go along,'''' roars out Mr. Holyoake, 

 " there are three couple of hounds on the scent." " That 's 

 your sort," says " Billy Coke," ' coming up at the rate of thirty 

 miles an hour on Advance, with a label pinned on his back, 

 "she kicks"; "the rest are all coming, and there's a rare 

 scent to-day, I 'm sure." 



' Bonaparte's Old Guard, in its best days, would not have 

 stopped such men as these, so long as life remained in them. 

 Only those who have witnessed it can know in what an extra- 

 ordinary manner hounds that are left behind in a cover make 

 their way through a crowd, and get up to leading ones of a 

 pack, which have been fortunate in getting away with their 

 fox. It is true they possess the speed of a race-horse ; still 

 nothing short of their high mettle could induce them to thread 

 their way through a body of horsemen going the best pace 

 with the prospect of being ridden over and maimed at every 

 stride they take. But, as Beckford observes, " 'Tis the dash 

 of the foxhound which distinguishes him." A turn, however, 

 in their favour, or a momentary loss of scent in the few 

 hounds that have shot ahead — an occurrence to be looked for 

 on such occasions — joins head and tail together, and the scent 

 being good, every hound settles to his fox ; the pace gradually 

 improves ; vires acquirit eundo ; a terrible hurst is the result ! 



' At the end of nineteen minutes the hounds come to a 

 fault, and for a moment the fox has a chance ; in fact, they 

 have been pressed upon by the horses, and have rather over- 

 run the scent. " What a pity," says one. " What a shame ! " 

 cries another ; alluding, perhaps, to a young one, who would 

 and could have gone still faster. " You may thank yourselves 

 for this," exclaims Osbaldeston, well up at the time, Ashton - 



' Said to be the desiffner of the ' billy-cock ' hat. 



- Mr. Osbaldeston sold Ashtoii to Lord I'lymouth for four hundred guineas after 

 having ridden him six seasons (Author's note). 



10 



