GRAFTON. 267 



another local landmark, visible for many miles. While those 

 who could, or would, were wrecking their hats and bruising 

 their features in wriggling through the grove, hounds had 

 warmed to their work forward as sharply as ever — and the next 

 ten minutes were the choicest morsel of the whole good gallop. 

 Between this lofty clump and the villages of Everdon and 

 Upper Weedon lies a brief lovely valley that is second to 

 nothing in the two counties — so say the merry men who lived 

 within sound of it, and sang 



Troll, troll, jolly brown bowl ! 

 A laugh and a quad' and a dart for me ! 

 This is the toast that all good fellows boast, 

 Whether of high or of low degree. 



And who saw this dart, with hounds, however others may have 

 comported themselves, to their satisfaction or otherwise, upon 

 a distant parallel % Why, Mr. George Campbell, and Lord 

 Fieldinof — the latter after coaxing the brown to roll off his back 

 on to his feet once again, the former by dint of keeping the 

 grey mare's head straight, while others were riding cunning. 

 The last two unsavoury words embody the explanation. It re- 

 mains only to be added that there was a brook — and a bridge 

 over which many of us are in the habit of riding to covert, and 

 towards which, of course, we fancied hounds were rapidly steer- 

 ing. Talk of " knowing a country " as a desirable accomplish- 

 ment ! If the country be but tolerably fair and rideable — to 

 recognise it too vividly is the greatest possible drawback, a 

 prolific and shameful source of mistake and disappointment. 

 Two of the most accomplished performers to hounds after whom 

 it has been my fortune to ride were the late Capt. Coventry and 

 Capt. Arthur Smith, still no doubt as straight and sterling as 

 ever. Neither of these knew, or cared, in the least about the 

 direction or geography of a run. The former even jumped into 

 the park of his own old home before realising his whereabouts. 



But I am on the wander — as one whose day's hunting has 

 left him close to his inkpot. And, by the way, hounds were 

 much in the same neighbourhood, while Mr. Campbell stood 



