Hunting in the Golden Days. 77 



instructions as to what fences he should ride over for 

 practice ; it has been to a certain extent satisfactory to 

 have a trainer, although Oldwig has occasionally- 

 rebelled against his adopted master. " It's all very 

 well," he would say, " for you to point out those 

 thundering great jumps for me to ride at while you 

 look on, but I can tell you I am not going to break my 

 horse's back for your satisfaction : " and though he 

 has been argued with, and told that the fences he will 

 have to encounter in a week's time will be similar 

 to these or even larger, Oldwig has retorted, ** It 

 will be bad enough to jump the beastly things then 

 without having to do so now in cold blood, and what's 

 more, I don't mean to do so. Order me as much 

 galloping as you like and I'm your man, but I am not 

 going to be eternally jumping fences just to satisfy you." 



Sir John Jarvis is looking forward to this meeting 

 with the greatest expectation, and has arranged to drive 

 over a party of friends from Buckskin Hall on his drag 

 to witness the race, for are they not two of his oldest 

 friends ? And although he regrets that they have been 

 /led into this wager, yet he cannot refrain from being 

 present on the occasion. 



At last the eventful day arrives — as beautiful a 

 morning for the time of year as one could desire. 



A large assembly of carriages are drawn up in a 

 grass field on a hill, where a red flag flutters from a hop 

 pole. The course is to a steeple seen in the blue distance 

 nestling amongst the trees — two miles as the crow flies, 

 the finishing flag being in a parallel line about half a mile 

 distantj'thus obviating thenecessity of havingto cross more 

 than one or two of the same fields on the return journey. 



Winebold has ridden over in good time, and has paid 

 a visit to all the carriages assembled at the rendezvous, 



