HUNTING RECOLLECTIONS. 99 



hounds being kept well away. They throw 

 ropes at him, with very indifferent success, for 

 some time. Finally the deer is lassoed, two 

 ofhcials upset, and then the hounds are intro- 

 duced to the stranger who has led them such a 

 dance. Who- whoop! the performance is over, 

 and the visit of Her Majesty's hounds to the 

 Shires is a thing of the past. Time, two hours ; 

 distance, as the hounds ran, quite fifteen miles, 

 the run being in the form of a semi-circle. This 

 being the day on which a testimonial was to be 

 presented to the Duke of Rutland was unlucky, 

 as the Belvoir sportsmen were unavoidably 

 absent. Now shall we criticise the day's per- 

 formance ? It was a good run ; the deer was 

 unusually stout and bold ; Goodaal was well with 

 his hounds throughout. The hounds were, of 

 course, hardly in trim to cross so severe a 

 country — for a severe country tries hounds as 

 well as horses — and they certainly seemed 

 blown at times. The fences, too, puzzled them, 

 as may well be imagined. That they were 

 pressed upon is undubitable, yet they ere better 

 treated in this respect than Leicestershire fox- 

 hounds usually are, and they ought to be used 

 to being over-ridden. Had this run been with 

 foxhounds, and ended with a kill, it would have 

 been a very different hunting run, but the pace 

 was certainly not equal to the pace of foxhounds 

 in the Shires on a good scenting day. Still it 

 was a most enjoyable outing. There were lots 

 of falls and lots of fun, and the best thanks of 

 the Meltonians are due to Lord Hardwicke for 

 his spirited conduct in affording such a day's 



