68 RIDING, D RUING AND KINDRED SPORTS 



When you come home, a cup of tea and a sHce 

 of toast and a dry rub down, not a warm bath. 

 It is better not to smoke till the day's work is 

 done, but that I have ever found a counsel of 

 perfection. Need I say it is probably better 

 not to smoke at all when you want to be in 

 condition ? 



3. Sleep. — At all times, and more particularly 

 when you begin to get a little past your first 

 youth, sleep, and plenty of it, is necessary, and 

 most men require to go to bed fairly early when 

 taking strong exercise; 10.30 p.m. is the hour 

 for the hunting season, and well shall we be 

 rewarded for any self-denial it occasions. Of 

 course it is only reasonable to argue to a limited 

 extent from our own experience, but I am 

 convinced that for enabling a man to do hard 

 and sustained bodily work sleep is by far the 

 most important thing. I am also sure that the 

 sleep that is most needed by hard-worked 

 people is that at the beginning of the night. 

 If you are not a very good sleeper in bed, 

 there is no harm in forty winks in your arm 

 chair, never mind what anybody says ; sleep 

 how and where you can, but sleep you must 

 if you are to ride straight to hounds. 



Now passing from general to particular 

 precautions. I am a great believer in constant 

 changes of raiment. If you are or have been 



