310 REMINISCENCES OF 



grass fields with good footing close up to the fences ; 

 you jump from one carpet on to another, and with 

 a straight-running fox and a good scent the sport is 

 superb. Riding is the whole business here almost ; 

 very few care a about the hounds, and pro- 

 vided a man can show himself forward, he does not 

 care, and often does not know, whether it be with a 

 scent or without one. I have repeatedly seen the 

 Duke's hounds go about a mile without a scent, 

 flinging a little for it certainly, but so pressed upon 

 by the sportsmen that away from it they must 

 go. The Duke, vulgo Don Dismal, rides by himself 

 at a distance when there is a large field out, but 

 performs tolerably well sometimes when the field is 

 small. 



" Lord Elcho had a bad fall last week. His 

 right shoulder is still so much swelled that the 

 surgeon does not know whether the collar-bone is 

 broken or not. He is an excellent fellow, and more 

 generally at head than any man in Melton. I hope 

 with all my heart he will soon be leading the field 

 again. 



" Now that I have seen all the wonders of Melton 

 riding, I am going to study hunting under Chaworth 

 in Northamptonshire. I expect to see in him the 

 ne plus ultra of a sportsman. Should I have the 

 pleasure of hearing from you again, direct to Post 

 Office, Northampton. I had a letter the other day 

 from Kintore. He tells me they killed a lot of foxes, 

 but had very little running across the country. I 

 was glad to hear that Crane was giving satisfaction ; 



