SHROPSHIRE 209 



Byrne, I was told, was determined never to be so served again, as 

 he went to a brook, and wetted the knees of his breeches, to enable 

 him to stick to his saddle. I never heard of this experiment before ; 

 but, as far as I am a judge, there is only one other step to be taken 

 with the breeches ! 



I never hear of a man falling from his horse without thinking of 

 Sir Bellingham Graham's definition of a loose seat. He calls it " a 

 wash-ball seat " — the analogy (and a most happy one it is) being 

 taken from a wash-ball slipping about in a basin. I also admire his 

 idea of a gull — a man who believes everything he hears, and who, 

 consequently, is often imposed upon. When speaking of such a one, 

 a few days back, he observed, "Oh, that fellow will swallow any- 

 thing ; he don't require a hailing iron.' 



Monday the 6th, met at Arcall Mill, and had a beautiful find in a 

 gorse-covert — rather a rare thing in Shropshire. The day was 

 extremely stormy, and we could do nothing with our first fox. A 

 curious circumstance occurred with the second. The pack slipped 

 away with him, down wind, out of a large covert, unseen or un- 

 heard by any one of a numerous field, excepting Sir Rowland Hill 

 and Mr. Owen (heir-apparent to Woodhouse), who had all the fun to 

 themselves, and ran in to him in twenty-five minutes. So much for 

 woodland hunting in a very tempestuous day ! It was curious to 

 see the field scattered in all directions, but none of them able to get 

 a gUmpse of the pack. 



The fixture for the 8th was the Twemlows — the crack covert in 

 the Shropshire Hunt. Twice was it fixed upon during my visit to 

 Sir Bellingham, and as often were we booked under the mahogany 

 of that good sportsman, Mr. John Crewe, for the purpose of being 

 near it, as also of seeing Mr. Wickstead's hounds, but were each 

 time stopped by the frost. On the 7th, however, we took up our 

 abode at Prees Hall, the seat of Sir Eobert Hill, which is within two 

 miles of the covert. Anticipation is seldom confirmed, and we had 

 a very bad day's sport. 



Independently of the pleasant party we met at Sir Eobert Hill's, 

 I experienced a great treat in meeting with an old schoolfellow, of 

 whom I had for some time lost sight, but who has been more than 

 twenty years Vicar of the parish of Prees. His Reverence had been 



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