C. E. RIDLEY 



139 



Roothing Bury, the}' left off at Poplars, and only thirty at the finish at the 

 outside. No horse appears to have died in the field — a not infrequent 

 occurrence in old days, when a great day followed after a long frost — a 

 circumstance, to say the least of it, that reflects great credit on those who 

 have charge of their masters' studs that they managed to turn them out so 

 fit. I have already remarked that many of us would have given a good 

 deal to have been out. One enthusiast assured me on such a day he would 

 rather have screwed up a horse than have missed it ; but without going so 

 far as that, we would have tackled the twenty miles to the first covert to 

 be drawn had we known. Yes, had we known, or did we know, how many 

 good runs would you miss ? But, believe me, like everything else in this 

 world, they would pall on you after a time if you could always ensure them, 

 and the glorious uncertainty of fox-hunting would be robbed of half its 

 charm. 



C. E. Ridley on " Doneraile " 



Mr. Ridley's name appears a good many times in Messrs. 

 Ball and Gilbey's " History of the Essex Foxhounds," and this 

 is natural, for 'twould be as impossible to write a history of the 

 Essex Hounds without mentioning Mr, Ridley's name as 

 'twould be to leave him behind in a good run across his native 



