236 The Hunting Field With Horse and Hound 



to match, golf stockings and heavy shoes. Dark blue short- 

 coats with white breeches was the dress for Master and whip- 

 per-in. The ladies — bless their smiling faces — were dressed 

 for the most part in short skirts of some homespun material 

 that would stand grief, a blouse to match, stout shoes that 

 laced up high, and head gear in variety, from a high theatre 

 hat covered with posies, to a plain straw sailor. Some of the 

 ladies wore the Hunt Club blue. All carried in their hand a 

 straight, iron pointed staff, about six feet in length, a most 

 useful instrument in negotiating fences, ditches, brooks, etc. 

 Besides being very useful at times, it was like carrying a gun. 

 It made you feel as if you were really going hunting. In olden 

 times it was customary for the followers to use a spear on the 

 otter whenever the opportunity offered, but this is not now- 

 adays considered "good form" in sportsmanship, and the spear 

 of former days is now carried as a staff like an Alpine stock. 



Hark! No! yes! 'tis the sweet, mellow note of a distant 

 horn that announces the approach of hounds. 'Tis quite 

 enough to set our blood going. Conversation comes to a stand- 

 still; the story stops for want of a listener, and even the latest 

 gossip comes to an end with, "Tell you the rest later on." 



Listen! 'Tis a sound that cheers you like the voice of your 

 dearest friend. 



"Warrior! Warrior!" Crack! "Warrior!" It's only a 

 whipper-in rating a hound, but it puts your heart in the right 

 place without further ado, and your blood at a gallop in antici- 

 pation of the pleasure that's coming. 



"Here they come!" 



Headed by three little wire-haired, go-as-you-please fox ter- 

 riers, the huntsman, "Marching as for war," comes leading 

 the pack around the bend of the road. 



There is nothing like hunting to shame a case of the blues. 

 From now on we'll let the other fellow do the worrying. It 

 beats whiskey for making you light-hearted, or opium for 



