232 FOX-HUNTING TYPES 



it," was the reply, " but the fact is the old horse was 

 beat, and I don't think could have jumped another 

 fence ! " This is a perfectly true story, but, of course, 

 an exceptional case, and I am happy to say that this 

 individual retired from the chase some years ago. 



" Duck under. Jack ! Duck under ! " screamed Lord 

 Scamperdale to Mr. Spraggon, who was souse overhead 

 in a clayhole. " Duck under ! You'll have it full 

 directly," added he, seeing Sponge and the rest coming 

 up. This was jealousy pure and simple, of course — 

 jealousy of the stranger who dared to cope with the 

 members of the Flat Hat Hunt. And of all forms of 

 hunting jealousy the dislike of seeing a stranger in a 

 leading position in the field may be perhaps most 

 natural ; but what shocking bad form to evince it ! 

 Some who have been notably fine sportsmen in all 

 other ways have yet not been free from this taint 

 of jealousy ; indeed, certainly three of the best men 

 to hounds I ever saw in my youthful days were jealous 

 as girls. They were all " forty-five if they were a day," 

 but I feel sure they never had any enjoyment out of 

 a run unless they were carried bang in front. For 

 hounds two of them cared nothing, and openly said 

 so, while one of this pair gave them very little room, 

 and, though a good supporter of the Hunt, was always 

 in trouble with the Master. 



The Man who Hunts to Ride is to be found in all ranks 

 of society. " Go along, Jimmy ! " said a late renowned 

 M.F.H., whose language was always tolerably incisive, 

 to a well-known hard-riding candidate for Parlia- 

 mentary honours who was jumping off a road a bit 

 too close to the pack in the Master's opinion — " go 



