COMICALITIES OF THE HUNTING-FIELD 163 



' A story comes from the shires anent a gentle- 

 man now very well known in the hunting world, but 

 who took to the noble science rather late in life, and, 

 with a certain praiseworthy idea of making up for 

 lost time, rode accordingly. One of his first meets 



was with the A hounds, and, determining to 



choose a good leader, he followed old D., then the 

 huntsman, and, ere the hounds had gone three fields, 

 knocked the old man and his horse both down. He 

 was overwhelmed with grief, apologised profusely, 

 and gave D. a sovereign, the latter being perfectly 

 satisfied. Both got up and renewed the chase ; but 

 not very long afterwards the gentleman bowled over 

 the huntsman again ; the same apology and another 

 sovereign were produced, tendered, and accepted, old 

 D. simply observing, " Well, sir, I must say yours is 

 a most liberal style of riding." ' 



Of the excuses made use of to cover mishaps 

 there is no end. One of the best, however, was that 

 invented by an old Cumberland farmer to ex]3lain 

 his want of adhesiveness to the pigskin, and the 

 tale finds place in another sporting publication iu 

 the following form : 



' A facetious old fox-hunting farmer I knew in the 

 iN'orth used to boast that he had followed hounds for 

 fifty years, and never had a fall. Those who know 

 Cumberland will agree with me that it requires a 

 good fencer to get across it, as the land is principally 

 enclosed by stones placed loose one upon another. 



