Preface 11 



the delightful humour of the other. If the writer shall succeed 

 in transmitting to these pages the spirit of the chase, the breath 

 of the fields and the aroma of the forest, and shall uncover 

 sufficiently the hearts of some of the true and noble sportsmen 

 it has been his good fortune to meet, this work will have 

 accomplished its purpose. If, on the other hand, it can be read 

 without leaving in the reader's mind anything beyond a ride on 

 horseback while racing after a fox, or other game, then is the 

 writer's failure complete. 



Past masters in the art and science of hunting will please 

 bear in mind that the writer is but an amateur, and that he 

 comes, not to save the men and women who are already in the 

 field, but to convert the heathen, to preach the gospel of true 

 sport and genuine sportsmanship, and to hunt for the real 

 joys to be found in hunting; viz., pleasure, health, strength, 

 and long life, which are vouchsafed to all who worsliip at 

 its shrine. 



Hunting is about the only stimulant that leaves no scar. 

 It is about the only indulgence to which we may turn, that 

 does not come back to plague and torment us; it is the best 

 remedy through manhood and age, that can be relied on to 

 lighten the heart, drive away sorrow and fortify us against 

 the disappointments of life, and to postpone to the latest 

 possible date the sending of our wills to probate. 



In recording herein the accounts of some glorious days 

 with horse and hound, as they still live in the recollection of 

 the author, he has selected such as give the greatest variety 

 to the chase, both at home and abroad. The account of the 

 two days with the Quorn, and a day with the Devon and 

 Somerset staghounds in England, have appeared in the 

 "Country Gentleman" and "Rider and Driver." Portions of 

 the other chapters have appeared in "Harper's Weekly" and 

 the "Sporting Illustrated News." By kind permission of the 

 editors, they are with slight modification reproduced herewith. 



