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8 LEAVES FROM A HUNTING DIARY 



the covert, which we had to leave by taking some rails which 

 he jumped capitally, I set sail in a parallel line to the right 

 of the hounds, the Huntsman and other forward riders having 

 taken their left side. Never was I carried in finer style. 

 " Cognac," who I had fancied felt a little tired on the road 

 just before reaching- Aswarby Park after having travelled 

 twenty- eight miles by himself, seemed as fresh as if he had 

 just quitted the stable, swept over the larger fields as though 

 he covered them in a dozen strides, lying clown to his work 

 in a style that made his rider feel as if mounted on a low 

 horse, and took his fences in his stride with judgment and 

 clearness. The bit answered admirably. I believe without it that 

 when he had once set sail he would have gone on in a straight 

 line until stopped either by want of wind or by some fence 

 which he had miscalculated ; but with the aid of the bit when 

 requisite I was able to give him all the advantages of the 

 snaffle alone in his galloping and jumping, while at the same 

 time I could check him at a cramp or impracticable place, or 

 at a gate opening into a road, or when hounds were at fault, 

 or in short, whenever it was requisite and could thus guide 

 and direct him with the snaffle. He seems to have no 

 notion of turning with hounds like old " Carlow." 



Our run lasted about three-quarters of an hour, and we 

 lost our fox rather unaccountably. "Cognac" led by far the 

 greater part of the run, and in the course of it set the whole 

 field twice, and many of the field (in fact all who were in his 

 line) at several other places. The first place looked on coming 

 at it like an ordinary hedge with a widish ditch on the other 

 side, but when taking it it proved to be a Lincolnshire dyke, 

 very wide in itself, but with the earth dug away at this par- 

 ticular place, materially increasing the width. While in the air 

 I thought he must drop short, but he cleared it gallantly, and 

 turning round I shouted to one of the whips who was following 

 me that it was a bad place, but found that he did not need 

 the hint, for neither he nor any one else attempted it. The 

 second place occurred when hounds were running slowly and 

 in the latter part of the run, 1 could observe that the Huntsman 

 and all the field turned away from the line of the hounds into a 

 road ; but supposing this was to avoid a wide place I was not 

 sorry to be left alone with a pulling horse. I soon perceived 

 the cause of their taking to the road, from a bank of earth 

 rather recently thrown up ; but this same bank prevented me 

 from seeing exactly what I was coming to or its width, but 

 seeing Goodall and I hose of the field who were parallel with 



