RIDING AFTER HOUNDS 223 



first flight men of my acquaintance are decidedly 

 nervous. But both of them are possessed of very 

 strong will and the consequence is that they 

 are a very awkward couple to tackle. I remember 

 on two occasions when one of them was told 

 that some gentleman had made ' remarks ' about 

 his horse and riding, the places he rode over were 

 something to think about. Both times he had 

 it practically all his own way. 



It may perhaps suggest itself to some novice 

 that it would be wise for him to begin with those 

 who ride after hounds and ' work his way up ' 

 into the other class. On first sight so it would 

 seem but it is a curious thing that a man rarely 

 emerges from the ranks of the lookers-on if he 

 has once joined them. Looking on somehow 

 becomes a habit, and so much so that I have 

 on occasion known some very good men indeed 

 who indulged in it to such an extent that they 

 missed many a good thing. A man however 

 has been known to emerge from the ranks and 

 become one of the first flight. An opportunity 

 has presented itself ; hounds have either got 

 into a strange country or he has been one of a 

 few with hounds and has, on the spur of the 

 moment, ridden at and negotiated safely a big 

 place. Others have followed — he has gone well — 

 he is bitten with enthusiasm, and the roads and 

 points know him no more. 



The first thing a man who rides after hounds 

 has to consider and think about is the wind. 

 The man who rides after hounds and persists 



