CHAPTER IX. 



WITH THE KILLING KILDARES. 



IF Meath Royal Meath be the premier hunting 

 county of Ireland, Kildare runs her pretty close, so 

 close that I doubt if the Kildare men allow the pre- 

 eminence of their neighbour. 



Now it so happens that of Meath I can only say 

 vidi tantum, for only five times in my life have I 

 hunted there, and of those few days one was with 

 the " Wards " and another with harriers. The latter 

 (the pack has long ceased to exist) showed me the 

 best fun I ever saw in the county. Meeting at 

 Fleenstown, they ran in that very good country for 

 seventy minutes, and straight, thanks to luckily 

 changing hares several times to the grief and sorrow 

 of the Master (his own huntsman), who, having " taken 

 a toss," arrived only in time to see one of the field 

 holloa his little beauties for the fifth or sixth time 

 had he known it on to a fresh hare. 



On this occasion, moreover, I jumped (by mistake) 

 what I believe must have been quite the biggest place 

 I ever negotiated. For, putting my mare at a fair 

 ditch, to me, and up-bank with a wattled fence on top, 

 I became aware, when too late, of a yawning gulf 



