THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 



and occasionally double tliat number ; but here exists one diffi- 

 culty. Headlands and hedgerows are friends to huntsmen 

 when their hounds are off the scent : indeed, they may be said 

 then to act as guide-posts ; but let hounds throw up in the 

 middle of a tif ty-acre piece, and require their huntsmen to direct 

 them, their guide-post is not so readily at his hand as in 

 counties where the enclosures are much smaller. Should he 

 fail to find the chase on one side of his ground, having, of 

 course, ascertained that it is not on ahead, he has a long way 

 to travel for it to the other, whilst his fox is taking advantage 

 of the delay, and making the best of his road to his point. 

 Then, again, another circumstance operates against hounds 

 in these champaign counties, which is peculiar to them. From 

 the luxuriance of the herbage in summer, enouo-h remains in 

 winter to maintain store stock ; and herds of cattle and Hocks 

 of sheep abound in them. Scarcely a run is seen in which 

 hounds are not brought to check, from encountering one or 

 other of those obstacles; and, although not generally so con- 

 sidered, the stain from cattle is worse than that from sheep. 

 Cattle are also more perplexing on another account ; sheep 

 will stand still and confront hounds ; but cattle will keep going 

 on, to the great disturbance of hounds in their work, and often 

 on the very line of scent. Then, again, there is much variety 

 of stajile in the land of the counties of which we are now speak- 

 ing. It is frequently our lot to commence a run in a fine 

 champaign grazing country, extremely favourable to hounds — 

 and to finish it over cold ploughed land, incapable of holdino- 

 a scent beyond a passing moment — this, too, at a time when 

 every advantage is required. We have likewise, occasionally, 

 a great many horsemen in the field, some of whom think more 

 of riding than of hunting, and press on hounds at the most 

 difficult points of the chase.' 



Mr. Rahy. — ' But Sir William informs me you have had a 

 capital season's sport up to this period.' 



Mr. Somerby. — ' Why, Mr. Raby, notwithstanding these diffi- 

 culties, no country under the sun shows sucli fine runs as 

 that called Leicestershire does ; nor such exquisite enjoyment 

 of them, for the peculiar nature and disposition of it. Indeed, 

 a friend of mine says that the very act of riding to cover over 

 Leicestershire, on a hunter, is nearly equal to following hounds 

 in a run over a great many of the provincial countries. But 



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