A Mountain Ride. 419 



chained up as good genii in front of the boxes, in 

 which The Hadji succeeded Russboro', Malcolm, John 

 Cosser, Coroebus, and Mango, and where the hunters 

 for Northamptonshire are soiled down. 



In the cart stable there was a score of horses, nine 

 of them greys by Matchless, the Salisbury Royal 

 winner ; and the mare at one end was pointed out as 

 the last love of Russboro'. The Eleventh Grand 

 Duke with his sweet breast and head met us right 

 well, and behind him came the deep-fleshed Duke of 

 Geneva out of Marmaduke's box, who had a two to 

 one run with Booth's venerable Prince Alfred at 

 Peterborough not long after. Messrs. Robinson and 

 Tallant were with " The Duke," but Mr. Savidge 

 would not give in. A Welsh bull and Sambo from 

 Montbletton represented the black bull interest, and 

 the latter has been put to native cows. Old Marma- 

 duke had left eighteen or nineteen roans behind him, 

 and none of them much prettier than Duchess of Lan- 

 caster 5th, and a sweet head and breast marked China 

 Rose of the Duke of Geneva's line, and reminding us 

 of Stanley Rose in her colour. Runts and Cheviot- 

 Welsh sheep are in the park, and the latter know 

 no knife till five years old, and then at I5lbs. per 

 quarter. 



Now we take our road towards Snowdon, and past 

 the great slate works. " Holy Thursday" is the 

 miners' favourite holiday, and four or five hundred 

 keep it by being up betimes, and off with guns and 

 terriers after that " Welsh wolf," the fox. Nine full- 

 grown ones have been in view at one time on the side 

 of Glydyr Mawr, and the assembly of hunters in full 

 chase with whoop and halloo on their track. If they 

 can take them alive, it is a guinea for a full-grown one, 

 and half a guinea for a cub, to go in to the Grafton 

 country. These "wolves" take great tithes, and 

 twenty lambs a week have been known to go. 



Scotch fir, larch, oak, and ash are all on the moun- 

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