166 THE HORSE AND HIS RIDER 



after him, put it in his pocket, and bade the field 

 good-bye. On another occasion, when in the same 

 enviable situation i.e.. having the lead he leaped 

 into a deep pit brimful of water. As he was in the 

 act of swimming out of it, he observed a man on 

 foot warning those who were following him of their 

 danger. " Hold your tongue ! " roared his lordship ; 

 " we shall have it full in a minute." But did Lord 

 Forester never press upon hounds ? Now and then, 

 I have reason to believe, which called forth the 

 following rebuke of Mr. Meynell : " We had a pretty 

 find to-day," said he ; " first came the fox, then 

 Cecil Forester, then my hounds" .... His splendid 

 hunter, Bernardo, I cannot forget, nor his leaping 

 the immense space of ten yards and some inches 

 with him over a brook, which space was measured 

 by some of the party visiting at Belvoir Castle at 

 the time.' 



The sporting parson is a character not so often 

 met in the hunting-field now as in days gone by. 

 The hunting clergyman came in for a large share of 

 abuse which, in very many cases, he did not deserve. 

 The rector of a small country village can easily 

 perform all the duties required of him by either law 

 or gospel, and yet find time for healthful recreation 

 in the shape of two or three hours' gallop across 

 country a thing very good for both parson and 

 horse. Of course a clergyman ought not to neglect 

 his duties for the hunt, nor, for the matter of that, 



