348 LEAVES FRO-M A HUNTING DIARY 



told SO. I was told yesterday by Mr. Richard Oliver of the 

 "Old Club," that I should find lots of doubles, and I can 

 testify to his being a correct informant. 



(" Carlow " appears to have gone excellently in spite of 

 putting Mr. Vickerman down once, and giving him a nasty rap 

 on his poor proboscis (making the third day in succession in 

 which it had been in the wars having smelt the bullfinches on 

 the two previous days), displaying all his usual quickness and 

 cleverness over the ridge and furrow, and popping in and out 

 of doubles and taking walls and stone stile in excellent form.) 

 The " Diary " continues : — 



(One awkward fence he did so superbly, that I must record 

 it. It was at the top of a grass field which sloped upwards and 

 had a kind of wide stile or rails not particularly high, but placed 

 on the far side of a very wide dry ditch, or rather hollow, or a 

 ditch with the sides worn much away, I was there about fifth 

 or sixth from saving " Carlow " up the hill, and could see those 

 before me incline towards this stile, which was quite in the 

 line of the hounds, but not liking the look of it turn quite out 

 of the line and take a fence at right angles to it. I relied on 

 the old horse's cleverness when he sees his work, and just put 

 him at it without disturbing his stride, and he cleared it 

 brilliantly, kicking his hind quarters sideways on landing, in a 

 most clever style, to get them quite clear of the obstacle, but 

 rather difficult for his rider to sit. As he turned sideways I 

 could see that a man encouraged by my success was coniing 

 at it, but he made a terrible mistake, his horse going right 

 into the dry ditch and falling right on the rails, breaking them 

 and giving his rider a regular purler. 



Just as the fox was killed, I was told that "Carlow" was 

 either staked or over-reached. I found it was the latter, and 

 game as he is, it made him go lame. This was excessively 

 unlucky, as the next covert to be drawn was Vanderplanks, a 

 certain find, and one I had heard much of and greatly wished 

 to see. I was walking afoot leading him, to see if the lameness 

 would go off, w^hen Lord Strathmore (who seems very fond of 

 horses and seems to take good care of them, though he makes 

 them go straight) passed me, and agreeing with me that he was 

 too lame to proceed, I turned round and walked afoot to 

 Rugby, eight miles. My expenses to-day were £2 12s. 6d. 

 but it is certainly the best day I have yet had. 



(One Monday out of Mr. Vickerman's "Diary" re his Leices- 

 tershire experience this season, as written by him, is a fair sample 

 of his diary throughout, and I must, with the space at my 

 disposal, condense the remaining" notes which I extract.) 



