6 A fine stretch of vale. 



was described as consisting mainly of plough land, but, when 

 the price of cereals sank to such a low ebb, a considerable 

 portion of the stronger land was laid away to grass and now 

 there is a much larger average of pasture than tillage. There 

 are some very delightful bits within the boundaries of the hunt. 

 Take, for instance, that fine stretch from North Kilvington to 

 the Tees. Close your eyes, fancy yourself on a good horse, 

 with the rider in good tune (for " nerve " is really enthusiasm 

 backed up by health), and a straight-necked fox sailing ahead 

 over the line under good scenting conditions with hounds sing- 

 ing away behind ! Better still than the delight of imagination 

 — practically realise the actual charm of it, and you will agree 

 with men of experience in many parts of England that there are 

 few finer stretches of country in the United Kingdom. 



One of the great charms of this wide expanse of vale is that 

 a man, with a useful hunter under him and his heart in the 

 right place, may ride his own line without meeting with any 

 obstacle to turn him back. As he throws fence after fence 

 behind him, and warms with indescribable joy and exhilaration 

 to his work, the further he goes and the more satisfied he 

 becomes with his occupation and the locale of it. He has the 

 added satisfaction of knowing, too, that almost every field he 

 crosses is farmed by a sportsman, who, even though he may not 

 ride to hounds himself, is fond of the game and is a Nimrod at 

 heart. Mr. W. Forbes always declared that " the Hurworth 

 farmers were the best set of fellows in the world," and he spoke 

 from long and wide experience. Where such happy conditions 

 prevail one always feels it in what may be described as the spirit 

 of the hunt, and in the Hurworth country strangers are always 

 struck by that spirit — the true atmosphere of sport which may 

 only be a sidelight but still has its influence over the whole. 



