INTRODUCTION ix 



spring. But to business has been added pleasure. 

 Business, however, comes first. A day's hunting 

 is always something of a lotter}^, whether it be in 

 Leicestershire or in Lakeland, and it may be at once 

 conceded that the Shires produce more prizes than 

 the fells ; but, on the other hand, the fells never 

 result in a " blank " dsbj. The climatic conditions, 

 propitious as they are for scent, often militate 

 against complete enjoyment of his surroundings 

 by the follower of the hunt. He must be prepared 

 for a very early rise, a long day in the open air, a 

 steep climb, a dreary trudge up or down intermin- 

 able slopes of grass or moss, a scramble across 

 shifting screes, long waits, biting blasts, heavj^ 

 showers, drenched garments, the descent of mist, 

 or the loss to sight and hearing of the pack and all 

 its followers. All these calamities, however, do 

 not often occur in combination. Let us look at 

 the brighter side of things. Then the sportsman 

 may enjoy a glorious outing, a steady climb, when 

 every 100 feet of ascent seems to strike a purer 

 stratum of invigorating air, a gradually expanding 

 view of distant mountain tops, a glimpse of the 

 Solway or the Irish Channel miles away, and when 

 the summit is reached a magnificent panorama of 

 peaks and precipices, of vast stretches of smooth 

 uplands and diminutive lakes. Then comes the 

 satisfying sense of " something attempted, 

 something done." There is also always the chance 



