THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 



appeared, and, for once, it kept its promise ; but I thought it 

 would be a scenting day, for I observed the clouds were 

 stationary above, and all was clear below, with no sun ; the 

 barometer was also rising. We had a large field, it being a 

 favourite fixture ; and as I had the luck to tally-ho the fox 

 away, I, of course, got a good start. It happened, however, 

 that I this day rode a five-year-old horse, the only one in my 

 stable ; for that tender age agrees not with our shire. I had 

 never had a taste of him before ; but my groom had, and 

 assured me he would make a trump. " He is as quick as light- 

 ning," said he, " and he will face anything ; but his temper, as 

 you know, sir, is none of the best. I would advise you, when 

 you can, to take a line of your own." 



' Our first fence was a flight of rails, with a yawning ditch 



on the further side, which I thought it was my luck to have 



the first fly at ; but, looking earnestl}^ at the hounds, — as every 



man should do, whether on a young one or an old one, — I 



never saw parson Thompson, who came right across me at the 



fence, and got a nasty sort of a fall. (By the bye, he told me, 



afterwards, he " could not stop the old mare, she was so d— d 



fresh " : if so, all well ; if not, served his reverence right.) I 



tried to stop the young thorough-bred one ; but he threw up his 



head, and it was "no go"; so, thinking my own the most 



precious life of the two, — I mean, of more value to me than 



parson Thompson's, — I let him go ; and all I saw, when up in 



the air, was the old mare's belly and his reverence's head, the 



rest of his body being under his mare. However, I never 



touched him, I am happy to say ; and two others, besides 



myself, did as I did ; but the third was not quite so fortunate. 



He jumped, as he thought, on the parson's head ; but, as luck 



would have it, it was only his hat, as his head had just that 



moment slipped out of it. You are aware, Mr. Raby, these 



things will happen in our very fast country, and are thought 



little of ; although it is no joke to get a fall at the first fence, 



with such a crowd behind you, each man trying to be in front, 



and all as jealous as newly-married women at a ball. However, 



I kept ray line ; and, if I remember right, the next fence was 



nothing — only a gate, a stiff" one, to be sure ; but young ones 



are always good at timber — that is to say, if they will but 



look at it. 



' Now the pace soon began to fell ; for the country" rode 



36 



