CHAPTER XXI. 



A SPIN WITH THE PYTCHLEY. 



" MR. JORROCKS," we are told by Surtees in his im- 

 mortal work,;* "at length ventured right down into 

 the heaven of heavens the grass or what he calls 

 the cut-'em-down countries." Our writer never clearly 

 defined what he meant by the " heaven of heavens," 

 but he is generally understood to mean what we now 

 call par excellence " The Shires," in which expression 

 the counties of Leicester, Rutland, West Lincoln, and 

 North Northampton are included. This latter is the 

 country hunted by the Pytchley. 



Few packs are better known, and no other has yet 

 had to fix certain of its meets at abnormally early 

 hours in the hope of lessening the enormous crowd 

 which appears at those gatherings. In my experience 

 these meets are only equalled in size by those of 

 the Devon and Somerset Staghounds, where five 

 hundred horsemen and as many carriages is no 

 uncommon sight. But there is room for all on the 

 wide moor, and no farmers to complain of damage 

 done to crops except, indeed, by the deer. I have 



* "Handley Cross," chap, vii., p. 57, original edition. 



