170 The Hunting Field With Horse and Hound 



ments of regulars to South Africa during the war with the 

 Boers. Hardly an English garrison can be found in any part 

 of the world to-day that does not support a pack of hounds. 

 The writer has had several delightful days with the regimen- 

 tal pack on the little island of Jersey, which is only fourteen 

 miles long and four to seven miles Avide and has less than 500 

 men and officers stationed there at a time. They have a very 

 unique way of hunting. The island is so small and well culti- 

 vated that only a narrow strip of land along the coast can be 

 ridden over. The fences are mostly hedge and earth banks 

 where, as in Ireland, a horse jumps upon the bank and then 

 jumps off again. 



They lay a drag for six or seven miles and finish with a 

 "worry" for the hounds near some hotel along the coast where 

 the riders also find something to eat. After lunch they rest 

 for an hour or more, then liberate the hounds and run 

 the same trail backwards to the kennels. Of course this return 

 run is a steeplechase for speed because the hounds are running 

 their own tracks back to the kennels as fast as they can lay 

 foot to the ground. It is all good sport, the best that can be 

 expected. The writer will never forget his first experience 

 in bank jumping on the island of Jersey. His mount was 

 very slow but a very clever fencer. In the first five minutes 

 of the return run, not knowing the game, he found himself 

 quite in the rear. Hounds and riders were seen smnging to 

 the right and the writer thought to improve his position by 

 cutting across the circle they were making, so he headed his 

 lumbering old nag that Avay. He took a bank fence that was 

 only about three feet high from the take off" side, when to his 

 horror he found it a good seven or more feet from the top of 

 the bank to the ground on the landing side. There was notliing 

 to do but harden his heart and take the plunge the best he knew 

 how. Sitting on a sixteen hand horse whose four feet were 

 all in a bunch on the top of an eighteen hand fence, makes 



