THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 



as we like to heai' what is thought of us by people whose 

 opinion is worth having, I took a peep into the book next 

 morning, and was of course flattered by the handsome mention 

 made of me. I certainly never rode better to hounds than I 

 did that day over a cramped and difiicult country, but I 

 chanced to ride Achilles, who is up to all sorts of trap. There 

 was, however, one fence which I did not attempt, although 

 many of the Yorkshire horses did not appear to regard it ; this 

 was a stile in the shape of the letter V, consequently without a 

 top bar to guide the eye of a horse as to how high he is to 

 leap. One, not accustomed to this sort of fence, would be 

 induced to leap through it, in which case he most likely would 

 be caught. 



' You will expect that I shall say sometliing of the liounds. 

 They are divided into two packs, the large and the small one. 

 The large hounds are noble animals, and good hunters ; but — 

 and I saw both packs at work, and in difficulties — I gave the 

 preference to the small ones, which appeared more handy and 

 quicker. It is altogether, however, a splendid and truly sports- 

 manlike establishment.' 



The summer succeeding the period which we have now been 

 detailing the operations of, having been passed in a way, for 

 the most part, to -the full satisfaction of our hero — namely, in 

 the enjoyment of the London season up to a certain period, a 

 trip to Brighton, a visit to his friend Hargrave, Epsom and 

 Ascot races, Bibury Club meeting, together with his 'parlia- 

 mentary duties' — although he was getting somewhat out of 

 conceit with being a member of the British senate, having been 

 twice obliged to absent himself from a favourite fixture for 

 hounds to- obey a call of the House, and once had a visit from 

 the sergeant-at-arms for not obeying it : when all these 

 momentous affairs were accomplished, he hastened to Farndon 

 Hall, to spend the rest of the summer in a way more congenial 

 to his taste. His coaching establishment was now quite 

 complete by some changes he had effected in London. He 

 had drafted the kicking wheeler ; as well as a leader tliat would 

 not stand still when he pulled up his coach on the road, and 

 he was a bad starter as well. Having witnessed much of the 

 performances of some of the best gentlemen-coachmen of the 

 day, during his stay in London, he was become a first-rate 

 artist himself ; and, after the example of his friend, ' His 



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