140 



OUR DOMESTIC ANIMALS 



111 IK^K^ Hi 1 111. l..\(. Ll-.il AkM-i 



and forty minutes at full gallop across all sorts 

 of ground and over many obstacles is sure to 

 result in either permanent injury or death. 



Here are a few instances in which the Eng- 

 lish passion for hunting wild animals has been 

 carried to extravagant excess. The old Duke 

 of Richmond suffered so much from the gout 



Training to Hunt 



that he had to be lifted onto his horse, and 

 being unable to hold the reins, they were passed 

 round his neck. And thus he was seen to ride 

 down the slopes of Bow Hill, near Goodwood, 

 at full gallop after the hounds, with all the fire 

 of youth, his arms crossed on his breast. 



An old general, who had had his left arm 

 shot off near the shoulder, leaving only a 

 little stvimp under which he could hold his 

 whip, kept up with the boldest huntsman of 

 the county of Kildare, the hardest hunting 

 ground in Ireland, keeping with the hounds 

 in places where the most experienced riders 

 found it difficult to retain their seats. 



A third case is that of an old English 

 nobleman who, on becoming blind, was un- 

 able to relinquish his mastering passion. He 

 persisted in following the hounds attended 

 by a valet, who shouted to his master as 

 each obstacle loomed in sight : " Bank ! " 

 — " Brook ! " — " Wall ! " — " Fence ! " — 

 " Jump and jump ! " — meaning two ditches, 



