104 



FOX- HOUND, FOREST, AND PRAIRIE. 



hugging himself and squeezing his horse joyously. But the 

 good beast had an eye farther forward than his master ; had 

 marked the other two horsemen turn at once down the hedge- 

 side after their jump — and forthwith he cut the corner. The 

 pair came through ; but came through in ribbons. Tis mar- 



vellous what the weight of a galloping horse (one with substance 

 enough to carry 14 stone over wet Leicestershire) will burst 

 through. But, oh, how the face and apparel of the hapless 

 rider suffer, is eloquently told by bleeding features, torn hat, 

 and general aspect of piteous discomfiture ! At the road into 

 Keyham the van closed up ; the hounds took a moment 

 to make their swing forward ; and then the rush went on, 

 straight over the grass to Barkby Holt. The remainder of 

 the eighteen minutes thither might be ridden either by gate or 

 fence ; for the hounds ran close to the bridle-road throughout. 

 They who rode most honestly found plenty of jumping ; and 

 even fell foul of the Beeby stream on their way — arriving at 

 the covert almost simultaneously with the less venturesome. 

 Hounds rattled through the wood and through the gorse at 



