The Poacher, 341 



with the hounds when the fox dashed in — the brown colt and Tom 

 . .-lardy botii in good places. 



Waverley Wood was full of foxes J and after dwelling in it foi 

 about a quarter of an hour — which gave time for the stragglers to 

 come up^ and allowed us to pull our horses a bit together — the 

 hounds went away with a fresh fox, who took us as straight as a 

 crow could fly for about seven miles, over a country, if anything, 

 deeper and stitfer than the last : and they pulled him down in Ley- 

 ton Openfield (then just inclosed), after giving us such a dance 

 among the new stiif doubles as few of us who saw the end of that 

 run ever forgot. I always hated doubles — I don't know why, but 

 I always " funked " them, and this day I shirked them j but I jumped 

 four stiff new gates (certainly not very high ones) in a line across 

 the open field without a mistake ; and this performance sold the 

 horse. I could not beat Tom Hardy, but I *^tied him." I got a 

 pad to take home to Jack Russell, who was highly delighted when 

 he heard from a friend how well the horse had gone. 



He kept his word, and gave me three or four mounts that season j 

 and I dare say I could have had more if I had wished 3 but he had 

 picked up a hard-pulling, impetuous young chestnut, who rushed 

 his fences like a bull : he christened it "Kangaroo," and he fancied 

 it would be good enough to win the Findon in the spring. I don't 

 believe Jack cared much about riding him himself, but was always 

 glad to give me a mount on Kangaroo when I chose to ask for it. 

 I sometimes fancied he would make a nice horse, for he had lots of 

 speed, and could jump when he pleased. I could scarcely, if I had 

 wished, have kept count how many falls that horse gave me, suflSce 

 It to say I considered myself very lucky if I got less than two in a 

 day (and as I had the honour of schooling him for the Findon, I was 

 on him during the winter perhaps two days a week), whenever I 

 rode the celebrated Kangaroo (and he did become a celebrated 

 horse after). But one day the hounds cast up suddenly in a lane, 

 which I could not see for the hedge, and the chestnut, who had got 

 the bit between his teeth, carried me through a stiiFbulfinch right 



