THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 



such things that I shall make my selection, and not from those 

 which are well known to be able to jump a few tremendous 

 fences, and travel at the ultra pace for a short quarter of an 

 hour, and then shut up at once, or tumble in every other fence 

 at which their riders may put them.' 



Although our hero's Gentleman, with his hollow sides, 

 dejected countenance, extended nostrils, and dirty face — for 

 he had been twice down on his head, and only picked up by 

 the superior strength of his rider — had not the aristocratic 

 appearance which he had exhibited before the hounds found, 

 when he certainly looked (juite fit to carry a gentleman — and 

 such he had on his back when he carried Frank Raby — still 

 he had enough left in him to trot along with the hounds to 

 Scraptoft, and see a second find. This gave him an opportunity 

 of throwing his eyes over the hounds, which, it might be almost 

 needless to say, he admired beyond any that he had hitherto 

 seen, not only for their form, but their very businesslike appear- 

 ance ; and, as may be supposed, the fact of their having been 

 bred by Mr. Meynell added not a little to their value in the eyes 

 of so young a sportsman. Then the three infheii, having been 

 Mr. Meynell's men, were equally pearls in his eyes. He could 

 not, indeed, but admire the appearance of all three, for any- 

 thing more characteristic could scarcely be exhibited in the 

 human form. As for John Raven, he might have been shown 

 as a pattern-card of his order. His keen and piercing eye, 

 beaming from out a swarthy, but health}' skin, and strictly 

 according in colour with his black and curly hair — raven 

 locks we might call them — just visible under his cap ; all this, 

 added to his well-proportioned form, cast in the very mould for 

 strong work, and of the right height for a horseman — and 

 as such he was first-rate — at once pronounced him entitled 

 to the character we have given of him. Neither were his two 

 whippers-in foils to liim. Joe Harrison (Jones, the cork-legged 

 whipper-in, had then just retired, to the discomfiture of our 

 hero, who wished to have seen the vara avis) was an excellent 

 sample of his craft, as was also Tom Winkfield, with his one eye, 

 and a countenance reminding one of a fox. They were both 

 capital horsemen ; indeed, I think I may say of Winktield, from 

 the long experience I lind of liis performance, that a better could 

 not be found. 



As this was one of the last days of 31r. Meynell appearing 



192 



