266 LEAVES FROM A HUNTING DIARY 



the gallop, to find, if nothing else, the latest ivay of recovering 

 hmtnds when lost, for the enthusiastic pedestrian whose lively 

 holloa in the distance had roused our hopes and stirred our 

 imaginations, confessed upon near approach that he had not 

 seen a hare, but had lost the hounds, and wanted to locate 

 them. As Henry John observed, what could you say to a 

 man like that? Mr. Ouare could only smile under his 

 moustache, like Lord Willoughby de Broke, when on the day 

 succeeding the Lincolnshire Handicap (at which meeting he 

 had unsuccessfully backed Mr. Tritton's horse, " Warpaint "), he 

 remonstrated with Mr. James Rose, ot Leamington, for getting 

 too near hounds. " 'Ware hounds, Mr. Rose! 'Ware hounds." 

 "'Ware paint! my lord," was the ready answer. His lordship 

 smiled grimly under his moustache, and rode on.f 



After this, the hour near 1.30, Mr. Ouare thought it ad- 

 visable to give up the Forest and try fresh fields and pastures 

 new. Mr. Buxton, however, would allow none of us to pass 

 his doors without once more partaking of his hospitality, and 

 nothing loth to avail themselves of it did anyone seem on this 

 cold, bracing day. Cakes, sherry, and some grand old ale were 

 done full justice to, as was early demonstrated by the flippant 

 way certain hard-riding members of the field went hopping 

 over the fences, taking in cold blood, Mr. Miller, what we 

 should have looked twice at when hounds were running hard ; 

 but, after all, gaps are more dangerous than the hairiest fence. 



Arriving at Mr. Avila's farm, a hare was very soon put up. 

 In their eagerness, no doubt, to give the hounds a good start, 

 to get them well laid on, several very keen thrusters rode 

 forward on the line of the hare, which aroused the wrath of one 

 member of the field to such an extent that he said, " I would 

 take the hounds home if they were mine." Perhaps he was 

 right ; perhaps Mr. Ouare might have been justified, too, in 

 adopting such extreme measures, but would he be the popular 

 man he is to-day if he spoilt the pleasure of the many to punish 

 the unintentional shortcomings of the few ? Neither saying he 

 wouldn't take his hounds home nor saying he would — very 

 much reminding me of a very popular clergyman I know, 

 who always says, "Yes, yes," when approached by would-be 

 innovators, but never departs one jot or tittle from the course 

 he has marked out as right — he quietly laid his hounds on, and 

 o-ave us two or three hours' of excellent huntino- and undeniable 

 Sport ; and this episode gives me the opportunity of asking, 



t See " History of the Warwickshire Hunt." 



