SCIENCE OF FOXHUNTING. 183 



the gratification of inspecting the hounds for fear 

 of his steed rushing in amongst them ; but we felt 

 also exceedingly uncomfortable in our exalted posi- 

 tion, from which the animal we were bestriding 

 appeared resolved to dislodge us as quickly as pos- 

 sible. Some men have a fancy for prancing horses, 

 to show off their horsemanship before ladies, and 

 this may do very well in Rotten Row, although 

 rather out of place at a meeting of foxhunters, 

 where such exhibitions do not find favour. It is 

 an established rule in the hunting-field, that no man 

 has a right to bring a kicking or riotous horse into 

 a crowd of others, or near the hounds. The risks 

 men encounter in the chase are great enough with- 

 out being subjected to the chance of having their 

 legs broken by a bad-terapered brute at the covert- 

 side. Finding it impossible to keep our Highflyer 

 in decent order, we were obliged to make ourselves 

 scarce, and watch the proceedings at a respectful 

 distance ; but no sooner did the cry of the hounds 

 on finding their fox arise, than he became ungovern- 

 able, and on breaking covert we were hurried along, 

 nolens voleiis, across a couple of fields, and over 

 a flight of hurdles, into a low gorse-brake, through 

 which Highflyer tore also, making fearful bounds ; 

 but the most darino- feat of all was his charo^in^ a 

 high, solitary thornbush, not even standing in his 

 path, in which it was an '^ all but '" that we had 

 not been left impaled amidst the branches. Scent 

 being bad, with little prospect of a run, we soon 

 took a line of our own straight to his owner's 

 stables, and have ever since entertained a whole- 



