368 HUNTING: 



water in such holes will quickly drain off, and little 

 or no injury will be done. While hoping that young 

 horsewomen will not allow their enthusiasm for hunt- 

 ing to outweigh their sense of prudence when steering 

 their horses over farmers' land, I would entreat them 

 to also " hold hard " when approaching allotment 

 ground, for this land is rented, as a rule, by the 

 poorest of the poor, who have no gardens in which 

 to grow vegetables, etc., for their use, and a small 

 field of, say, a few acres may be cultivated by several 

 villagers and their children in their "spare time of 

 evenings." Each tenant has his own patch of allot- 

 ment land on which he grows what he requires for 

 his use. In winter we may frequently see the entire 

 field under wheat cultivation, as many poor families 

 grow their own grain, which the local miller grinds into 

 flour, and in this way they save the baker's bill, as they 

 make their own bread. To ride over and destroy their 

 small crops is a sin which I am sure no lady would 

 knowingly commit, and, therefore, it behoves us all to 

 exercise due circumspection when we find ourselves on 

 arable land. 



Also, on pasture land we have need to temper valour 

 with discretion, and especially after Christmas, when 

 ewes and cows are heavy with young, and are not in a 

 fit state to safely endure the dual evil of fright and 

 violent exercise. Later on, when lambs have appeared, 

 it is cruel to gallop so near these mothers and their 

 young, as to cause suffering. Sheep are such stupid 

 animals that they appear to have no idea of evading 



