THE FITZHERBERTS. 87 



parish, when the curate got a fall, and his horse fell atop 

 of him. " Never mind him," roared Jack Bond ; " he 

 won't be wanted for a week." 



Always a very brilliant and daring rider, a light 

 weight, a most abstemious liver, no smoker, and mounted 

 on thoroughbred horses, ]\ir. FitzHerbert was very bad 

 to beat over any country, while he could ride anything. 

 To him the lines might well have been applied — 



" He can tame the wild young one, inspirit the old, 

 The restive, the runaway, handle and hold ; 

 Sharp steel or soft solder, which e'er does the trick, 

 It makes little matter to Hard-riding Dick." 



Where the hounds went he went, scorning to deviate 

 from his chosen line, no matter how formidable the 

 obstacle. One day hounds came tearing out of the Birch- 

 wood Hoar Cross, or the Brakenhurst, and with them, 

 over the boundary fence, came Sir William. By-and- 

 by Mr. Meynell Ingram said, "There was no occasion to 

 jump, FitzHerbert ; there was a gate just round the 

 corner." "How should I know where all your gates 

 are ? " was the characteristic reply. With this style of 

 riding it is not to be wondered at that he got many falls. 



Even when he was quite an old man hounds ran up 

 amongst the stone walls. Presently an exceptionally 

 high one with a terrific drop barred the way. No one 

 seemed anxious to go first, and the leading men were 

 huddled up like a flock of sheep. At last Sir William 

 said, in his quiet, deliberate way, and deep tone of voice, 

 " Perhaps you will let me come ? " Over he went, on a 

 horse accustomed to walls, without a moment's hesita- 

 tion, followed by his daughter, and it was some little time 

 before any one caught the pair. About the last time he 

 went hunting the united ages of himself and his horse 

 were not far short of a hundred. Towards the end of his 

 time away went the fox, away went the hounds, and away 

 went he in their wake, with all the dash and fire of a 

 young man, evoking the half-envious observation from a 

 slow-going member of the hunt, " There goes the old 



