116 ON THE GRAMPIAN HILLS. 



by the shouts of the populace and badgered by his 

 eager pursuers that he takes to the road, and speedily 

 makes for a place of refuge ; at other times he, by a 

 bold course, quickly emerges from the mob that sur- 

 rounds him, gains the open, and goes away a clinker. 

 Then may be witnessed a mad stampede for awhile, 

 many biting the dust in their inexperienced attempts 

 to exhibit their skill in horsemanship; but rapidly 

 (C the field " is winnowed, the unaccustomed are left 

 behind, not a few coming to grief, for 



Yonder a steed is rolled up with his master, 

 Here in a double another lies cast ; 



Faster and faster come grief and disaster, 



All but the good ones are weeded at last- 

 to quote one of Whyte-Melville's best hunting-songs. 

 It is then that the select few who really can ride to 

 hounds in proper form are left to the enjoyment of a 

 rattling run, not unfrequently on these occasions going 

 in the direction of Beaconsfield, the best line of 

 country now left to the Royal Buckhounds. The 

 splendid grass-fields in the vicinity of Harrow have 

 been grievously cut up by that arch-enemy to the 

 sports of the field, the speculative builder, who has had 

 his wicked will, and dotted the fair lands with those 

 hideous erections familiarly known as semi-detached 

 villas, cunningly inserting the dangerous element of 

 wire in the fences, so fatal to riders across country, in 

 order to deter the knowing ones or to entrap the 

 unwary. Leaving Windsor in good time, I trotted 

 steadily away on Whissendine, one of Sherlsy's many 

 useful nags, and with whose " pleasant leetle ways " I 

 am well acquainted, having ridden him with much 



