HISTORY OF HEREFORD CATTLE 



217 



were coming and met us at the station. 1 said 

 to him that "this is a Yankee Captain from 

 New England, and 1 advise you to look out for 

 him." "All right," said he, "and we will make 

 a Hereford man of him." We got there just in 

 time for supper, which was a cold leg of mutton, 

 bread, cheese and water-cresses. The Captain 

 said that he had eaten so much "crow pie" that 

 he did not feel like eating any supper. The 

 Captain liked water-cresses fresh from the 

 spring, and that, with the Stilton cheese, re- 

 freshed his appetite, and we supped together 

 in merry mood, notwithstanding we had eaten 

 crow. 



After supper we took our long pipes, and 

 Miss Hewer brought in some mulled elder wine 

 for a night cap. The next morning after break- 

 fast William ordered his hunter, a mare four- 

 teen years old I had sold him before I left Eng- 

 land, as good a hunter as was ever under a 

 saddle, and as good a pony that he rode around 

 the farm, as ever was crossed by a man, and 

 who knew as much as half of them. The grey- 

 hounds came jumping round, and we were off 

 for a course. Hares were plentiful. "Which 

 will you take, the old mare or the bay ? Sotham. 

 can ride either, and I will ride the pony," but 

 the Captain chose the pony. We joked the Cap- 

 tain on his seat in the saddle, and asked him if 

 we should tie h.is legs. The first field produced 

 a hare, and the greyhounds killed her before she 

 got out of it. The pony became a little excited, 

 but' the Captain stuck to the saddle, and was 

 highly delighted with the course, the first he 

 had even seen. The next field William saw 

 a hare in her form. "jSTow, Captain," said 

 William, "go start for that tree and you will 

 see her, whip her up; a hare will always lie 

 very close when the dogs are round. We will 

 give her plenty of law." The Captain could not 

 see the hare in her form, but he supposed he 

 must be near her, so he popped his whip. Up 

 jumped the hare and the pony jumped from 

 under the Captain. He lay upon his back and 

 the pony kicked up his heels at his leisure. The 

 course lay in the adjoining field. Our horses 

 took the wall in good style (j[ 110). The Cap- 

 tain was soon on the top of it in great excite- 

 ment. It was a capital course and our mutual 

 friend was highly delighted ; the wall gave him 

 the advantage of seeing the whole of it. We 

 afterwards killed a brace more hares and re- 

 turned home to eat a coursed hare that had 

 been hanging in the larder until ripe. It was 

 fine, with the port wine gravy and currant 

 jelly. "I tell you, Sotham," said the Captain, 

 "this is about as good as crow. Why," said the 

 Captain, as we joined in a glass of wine, "you 



English fellows live well. A fine boiled leg of 

 Cotswold mutton and turnips, a roast hare, and 

 an English plum pudding." 



The Captain was as much at home as if he 

 had known Mr. Hewer his whole life, as they 

 were two hearty, good fellows, well met. 



The next day we proposed to go and look at 

 the cattle and Cotswolds that were to be 

 shipped. As it was only half a mile to where 

 the stock were, we agreed to walk and take the 

 greyhounds with us. We walked about twenty 

 yards apart. "So-ho !" said William, "there 

 she sits just before you, Captain; put her up." 

 The hare being so near the color of the ground, 

 and she crouching into it so closely, the Cap- 

 tain could not see her until she jumped up. It 

 was a good, strong hare, and the turnings were 



A ROW OP STOCK BULLS. AT SHADELAND FARM, 

 LAFAYETTE, IND. 



numerous. The hare got a little law, and went 

 straight for the Captain. A hare, when pur- 

 sued by greyhounds, never sees anything before 

 her, as her eyes are always back upon her pur- 

 suers. The Captain took off his new beaver, 

 and as she was coming straight to him, put it 

 between his legs to catch her. She went right 

 straight into it, knocking the crown' partly out, 

 and the greyhounds being so close, came in con- 

 tact with the Captain, nearly upsetting him. 

 The Captain, gaining his equilibrium, gave one 

 of his most hearty laughs, which echoed over 

 the hills and through the vales. Such a burst 

 of laughter issued from this, our trio, that will 

 be remembered to our latter end. The Cap- 

 tain was highly delighted^ and at her death, ran 

 to take the hare from the dogs, forgetting his 

 hat, which lay at a short distance from him. 



"By Jupiter," said the Captain, "did you ever 

 see anything like that ? It will do for me to tell 

 the Connecticut Yankees." We examined the 

 hat, and the crown was about, half circled. 

 "Never mind," said the Captain, "I suppose 

 there is a hat store in Northleach." 



We then went to see the cargo destined for 

 America. The Herefords were in one yard, 

 the Cotswold rams, seventeen in number, in one 



