3ditJinci; to |^oun"tI^. 135 



Be quick always, but never in a hurry ; be eager 

 to excel in this as in all else you undertake, but do 

 not, I prithee, be jealous. There is room for all 

 here ; your course is not flagged out, but yet you 

 may from time to time, from one cause or another, 

 notwithstanding, have to encounter your fellows 

 crowdedl}^ and anxiously pressing to get forward at 

 gate or gap. If, however, you are made of the right 

 stuff and wish to see hounds run, a little courtesy, 

 though it may delay you for a few seconds, need 

 never deter you from doing so, and it is usually 

 noticeable that those who, on these occasions, push 

 forward with most rudeness and avidity, are such 

 as are least capable of retaining such a prominent 

 position when secured. Always, however, as far as 

 is compatible with discretion, take a line of your own, 

 and avoid such *' jams" as these. Your horse, when 

 accustomed to do so, will jump better, and you will 

 have, in addition to the satisfaction of seeing hounds 

 run, the pleasurable knowledge that you are indebted 

 to your own eye and intelligence alone for such 

 position as you may hold. 



There is a scent ! Now ride, not at hounds or over 

 them, not emulous of being in front of this friend or 

 of that, but a little to the right or left of the line 

 they (the hounds) have taken, and always keeping 

 an eye upon their leaders. I am writing of no 



