AT HOME 357 



with their mother and me; looking much like the Cum- 

 berbatch family in Caldecott's pictures. 



Of recent years I have not been able to ride to hounds ; 

 but when opportunity has offered I have kept as saddle 

 horses one or two hunters, so that instead of riding the 

 road I could strike off across country; the hunter scram- 

 bling handily through rough places, and jumping an oc- 

 casional fence if necessary. While in Washington this 

 is often, except for an occasional long walk down Rock 

 Creek or along the Virginia side of the Potomac, the 

 only exercise I can get. Among the various horses I have 

 owned in recent years Bleistein was the one I liked best, 

 because of his good nature and courage. He was a fair, 

 although in no way a remarkable, jumper. One day, 

 May 3, 1902, I took him out to Chevy Chase and had 

 him photographed while jumping various fences and 

 brush hurdles; the accompanying picture is from one of 

 these photos. Another hunter, Renown, was a much 

 higher, but an uncertain, jumper. He was a beau- 

 tiful horse, and very good-tempered, but excessively 

 timid. 



We have been able to fix a rifle range at Sagamore, 

 though only up to 200 yards. Some of the children take 

 to shooting naturally, others can only with difficulty be 

 made to learn the rudiments of what they regard as a 

 tiresome business. Many friends have shot on this range. 

 We use only sporting rifles; my own is one of the new 

 model Government Springfields, stocked and sighted to 

 suit myself. For American game the modern small cali- 

 bre, high power, smokeless powder rifle, of any one 



