THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 



Whetstone day, the fox having been found in Whetstone Gorse, 

 between Lutterworth and Melton. It lasted upwards of two 

 hours, with only one check, and all over grass. Still, the 

 person who most distinguished himself was Jacob Wardle, who, 

 although he (with many others) went away with part of the 

 pack, which could not be stopped, and only got up to the 

 main body of hounds just as they recovered the scent, at a 

 check at the end of a very severe burst, took the lead and kept it 

 until the hounds ran into their fox, at the expiration of the 

 time mentioned. The horse he rode — a thorough-bred grey, 

 afterwards called Whetstone — had never been ridden as a 

 hunter before in his life, and was purchased by Forester, for 

 250 guineas, in the field. Lord Maynard, however, seeing 

 the distress this horse exhibited, pronounced that he would 

 never be himself again ; neither was he. Lord Paget, who 

 rode a horse called Slender ; Pole, on True Blue ; and Forester, 

 on Sweeper, also distinguished themselves on this memorable 

 day. 



' Mr. Loraine Smith, on this day, rode a horse he had not 

 long before purchased of Mr. Berridge ; but, not having had a 

 trial of his merits, he had not then given him a name. It 

 was, however, by plunging with him into the river Wellin, 

 near Langton, which he did at no small risk with a horse 

 somewhat beaten, that he was indebted for a sight of the con- 

 clusion of this splendid run. He had the good luck to meet 

 the hounds, evidently running into their fox, pointing for 

 Market Harborough, having no one in company with them but 

 Mr. Wardle. Mr. Smith's horse soon afterwards declined ; 

 and Mr. Wardle, on this young and raw horse, would have 

 been a good two miles ahead of any other man in the field, 

 had the fox not been headed nearly at the finish, which enabled 

 several of his brother-sportsmen to witness it ; and a glorious 

 finish it was, too, in the middle of a large grass field. But, 

 as regards Wardle and his raw horse, the most extraordinary 

 part of the story is yet to come. The country about Langton 

 was then just newly enclosed, yet he jumped all the strong post 

 and rail fences without getting one fall. Neither was his 

 crossing the river Wellin undeserving of notice. He pushed 

 his horse before him, into deep water, leaped upon his back 

 whilst he was in the act of swimming, and thus was carried 

 to the opposite bank ! 



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