146 THE ANGLER AND HUNTSMAN 



a man of honor and high standing among men. It was a 

 sign of noble, or high breeding. Such was the opinion of 

 the chase across the sea. 



But in democratic, free America, when the chase was 

 instituted by the early colonists, they- saw to it that no race, 

 no creed, and no caste should claim superiority over their 

 common fellowman, for of all things the oppressed emi- 

 grants from England detested it was these things they hated 

 most, and which they had braved the stormy deep to escape. 

 So it was, that the fox hunting sport in America got a demo- 

 cratic start, and it has remained such on down to this time, 

 w r e are indeed thankful to say. 



Perhaps the uninitiated would like for me to describe 

 a typical fox hunt. As nothing would give me more pleas- 

 ure, being an ardent lover of this sport, I will do so. Those 

 already members of the craft may also find some pleasure 

 and some food for thought in the brief description of the 

 chase given below : 



As this is to be a southern chase, the assembled fox 

 hunters, riding their favorite mounts, carry no weapons. 

 Nothing more harmful than a riding whip is in evidence. 



A sudden wind from the North the previous night 

 brought a light fall of snow, for snow is quite common in 

 winter in the Blue Grass region of Kentucky. Indeed, quite 

 frequently during the winter months they have snows th er- 

 as deep as three feet, but more frequently the snowfall is 

 much lighter than that, probably a half -foot being the cus- 

 tomary depth. 



But this was the first snow of the season, early in De- 

 cember, and, as I have said before, it was a light snow. 

 Still, it was a rather moist one, as most snows are this far 

 South, and during the night had packed down well,- so that 

 when a bright day dawned Old Sol looked down upon a 

 world covered by the dazzling white sheen precipitated from 

 the clouds at the Master's bidding. It was indeed a scene of 

 beauty! Nature had fairly outdone herself in thus setting 



