1 84 RIDING RECOLLECTIONS. 



crash through, the first fence, you mark the pack driving 

 eagerly on, drawn to a line at either end by the pace, 

 harden your heart, and thank your stars. It is all right, 

 you may lay odds, y<^u are in for a really good thing ! 



I suppose I need hardly observe that the laws of fox- 

 hunting forbid you to follow hounds by the very obvious 

 process of galloping in their track. Nothing makes 

 them so wild, to use the proper term, as "riding on 

 their line ; " and should you be ignorant enough to 

 attempt it, you are pretty sure to be told where you 

 are driving them, and desired to go there yourself ! 



No; you must keep one side or the other, but do 

 not, if you can help it, let the nature of the obstacles to 

 be encountered bias your choice. Ride for ground as 

 far as possible when the foothold is good; the fences 

 will take care of themselves ; but let no advantages of 

 sound turf, nor even open gates, tempt you to stray more 

 than a couple of hundred yards from the pack. At that 

 distance a bad turn can be remedied, and a good one 

 gives you leisure to pull back into a trot. Remember, 

 too, that it is the nature of a fox, and we are now 

 speaking of fox-hunting, to travel down wind ; therefore, 

 as a general rule, keep to leeward of the hounds. Every 

 bend they make ought to be in your favour ; but, on 

 the other hand should they chance to turn up wind, 



