HUNTING, AND RIDING TO II0UND8. 37 



rider over a country ever existed than himself, 

 tlioiigh there have been many men as hard ; and I 

 say this because in everything I have ever written, 

 thougli I have been ^^ a traveller" in foreign wilds, 

 I never vary from the truth, nor deal Avith any- 

 thing not within my own personal experience. 



Colonel Paget, then in the Royal Horse Artillery, 

 in the New Forest once mounted me on what must 

 have been a splendid hunter. Colonel Paget drove 

 him in harness, and to look at, the dear old horse's 

 legs were marvels of strange and complicated marks. 

 It did not signify — when Level's hounds began to 

 run the doe or buck, I forget which, all remem- 

 brance of stumped-up legs was speedily forgotten, 

 as much or more by the horse than by me, and a 

 finer hunter I scarce ever sat on. I mention the 

 followino^ instance to show the sense and docility of 

 the horse. The bough of an oak tree, while going 

 at full speed, knocked my hat off; almost before I 

 coidd pull the rein the steed of himself stood stock 

 still, and turned his head to look hack for the! tat. 

 There coidd be no sort of doubt that he stopped of 

 himself on the hloiv and fall of the hat, when, as the 

 hounds and Mr. Lovell were just a-head of me, too, 

 there was no one else there then, and the horse 



