74 THE LIFE OF A HUNTER 



distinguished career, but blest with an equable 

 temperament and more than ordinary in- 

 telligence, loving the chase, and supported 

 by a robust constitution and a courageous 

 heart, I can, without boasting, say that, 

 even with a somewhat exacting master, I 

 never failed to do anything that was asked 

 of me. And I know, when I go hence, 

 as I trust, to even happier hunting-grounds, 

 that those with whom I have spent my life, 

 and who have shared with me the pleasures 

 of the chase, will feel that one has gone with 

 whom are associated the happiest hours and 

 pleasantest memories of the irrevocable past. 

 I have said nothing about the companions of 

 my old age, and it may be thought that I am 

 lonely ; but other brood mares, whose best 

 years have been spent in hunting, share the 



