164 ON THE GRAMPIAN HILLS. 



with hounds, but you will be bound to come to grief 

 sooner or later, when sailing, or attempting to sail 

 rather, across the big fields, tall fences, and wide 

 brooks in the shires, on horses that are not fit to 

 go the pace. The well-known adage tells us, " It is 

 the pace that kills," and they do, indeed, go the 

 pace, who ride with these hounds, vide such men as 

 the noble master, Lord Carington, Lord Grey de 

 Wilton, Colonel Molineux, Mr. Chandos Pole, Captain 

 Hartopp, Captain Smith, Mr. Lubbock, Sir John 

 Lister Kaye, Lord Wolverton, and Captain Candy, 

 not by any means omitting the ladies, who are found 

 conspicuously to the fore, distinguishing themselves 

 when the hounds round a cracker, to wit, Mrs. Sloane 

 Stanley, Lady Florence Dixie, Mrs. Chaplin, and a 

 host of other well-known personages whom I might 

 name did space permit. The Quorn is always accessible 

 from Melton by those who like a flight across the grass 

 from Holwell Mouth, Gartree Hill, Ashby Pastures, 

 or other of their celebrated "Fixtures/' especially 

 when Tom Firr gets well away from the crowd, and 

 lays his hounds on to a stout fox. Sir Bache Cunard, 

 who now hunts the country lately occupied by Mr. 

 Tailby, is also within reach of the residents of Melton, 

 though the distances to cover are somewhat long, but 

 not sufficiently so to prevent good men and true from 

 enjoying the excellent sport that is almost invariably 

 shown in that limited district. Under existing cir- 

 cumstances, therefore, I shall not be far wrong, I 

 think, in predicting a good time for Melton. True it 

 is that the political horizon is somewhat disturbed, 

 and that an amount of gloom is hanging over the 

 agricultural interest ; but with a greater allowance of 



