CHAPTER T. 



THE HUNTER. 



" I'd a lead of them all when we came to the brook, 

 A big one— a bumper — and up to your chin ; 

 As he threw it behind him, I turned for a look. 

 There were eight of us had it, and seven got in." 



It may seem an insult to the hunter to call him an 

 accessory, but we use the word in its literal sense, 

 as meaning, "that which accedes or contributes to," 

 and nobody can deny that the hunter accedes or con- 

 tributes to the pleasure of the hunting man. It is 

 the first accessory which he requires, the most difficult 

 accessory to make, and the most difficult accessory to 

 buy ready-made. As this article is intended for the 

 tyro in the hunting-field, we shall not discuss the 

 various arguments which refer to the "making" of a 

 hunter. The finest riders who ever rode to hounds 

 differ in their opinions ; but we firmly believe that 

 this difference of opinion lies in the fact that these 

 fine riders forget that horses are like human beings? 

 inasmuch as no two horses are exactly similar. A 

 system which may succeed with one horse may result 

 in failure with another. Our own experience has 

 taught us that a good horse is often made a bad hunter, 



1? 81 



