1 14 "wire WARE WIRE. 



Gorse ; scent was good, and getting away on very good 

 terms, they crossed the Leicester and Gaulby Road, 

 running in the direction of the brook as though for 

 Ilston Grange, but bore to the left, making for the direc- 

 tion of the Ashlands, by which time — Hke John Gilpin— 

 I was off, and the Old Black settled fairly down, having 

 taken all in his stride since we got away. Upon reaching 

 the fence which lines the road leading from Gaulby to 

 Ilston, however, I perceived two riderless horses who had 

 rushed in where "angels fear to tread," and heard their riders 

 (their whips uplifted) shout — "Wire — ware wire," — which 

 caution saved several others, myself included, who, however, 

 experienced great difficulty m reining in my impetuous 

 steed. The fence was a new quick-set hedge ; no ditches, 

 but rails on either side. The two horsemen who had tackled 

 it discovered — to their discomfiture — a thick heavy wire 

 stapled to the off-posts. As hounds had only been running 

 for a few minutes the field were still pretty well together, 

 and soon noticed the rails broken in two places, one on the 

 near, the other on the off side ; the gaps however not being 

 immediately opposite, but the one on the off side several 

 yards lower down the fence, and here the wire had been 

 pulled out into the road. Several horsemen now rode single 

 file through the first gap, and walking their horses down 

 by the side of the hedge they crossed over it lower down, 

 and out through the other gap into the lane, carefully 

 avoiding the wire which had been drawn from the staples. 

 However, this method of circumventing the enemy was too 

 tardy a process to suit the old black, who soon became too 

 restive to take his place in the zig-zag procession, began to 

 rear, and before I could pull him aside, gave a mighty 

 spring and cleared at one bound, not only the double, but 

 sailed over the hind quarters of a good-sized nag, standing 

 at right-angles in front of him. But although the old black's 

 wonderful leap, at a stand, had cleared the timber, he caught 

 the wire which lay in coils upon the road ; marvellous to say, 

 however, it did not bring him down, only sawed at his chest 

 and my right leather ! and once free from its unwelcome 



