THE FIELD 141 



is possible, pick his own place in every fence he jumps, 

 but if the fence is one of those doubtful ones where a 

 gap or two are quickly made, and the field go through 

 in single file, he should, when he reaches the gap, 

 patiently await his turn, and not attempt to go in front 

 of any one who has arrived at the place before him. 



Less than a month from the time of writing hounds 

 were running a fox in a high-lying grass country where 

 all the fences are stone walls. Three or four came in 

 succession, and then an extra high one with a boggy 

 take-off. The first horse to reach it hit the wall hard, but 

 got over with a scramble, knocking several big stones 

 — it was a dry wall — off the top as he went over. The 

 master of that particular pack went next, but one of his 

 field cut slightly across him, and just touched his horse 

 as it jumped. Down went the horse and down went the 

 master, the former rolling over the latter, who was con- 

 siderably knocked about. This was a pure misunder- 

 standing, for the culprit was a lady, and each had 

 hesitated to make way for the other, and had then gone 

 on again. But the moral of the story is that "First 

 come first served " is a good motto — though in the 

 particular case we have quoted the master was entitled 

 to precedence, because he was hunting hounds. 



We once met an astounding novice when hunting 

 with the Heythrop. Quite late in the afternoon hounds 

 went to draw Tar Wood, and we followed them there 

 after a visit to a blacksmith, not being certain whether 

 they had drawn the covert and departed. There were 

 no signs of them on the side we approached by, so we 

 followed the footprints, and were soon in the depths of 

 the wood. At some cross rides we waited for a while, 

 when there suddenly appeared a gentleman in a blue 

 suit, with wide loose trousers, riding a tall horse, and 



