[68 COURSING THE HARE 



he times without number won on speed alone, with- 

 out his working powers being brought into play. 



Then, again, there was a great monotony about 

 the courses — no fences, no ditches, and very seldom 

 any variety ; long, very long slips were the rule, and 

 it was quite the exception when a hare and a brace of 

 dogs worked back into the centre of the field, after 

 having gone some distance up the enclosure. The old 

 coursers got sick of these continuous driving chases, 

 for they were more chases than courses. Coursing 

 from a grand stand, too, with luncheon in a Club 

 dining room, after a while began to pall, and the 

 enthusiasts gladly reverted to the open, the ten or 

 twenty mile tramp, and all the invariable variety of 

 sport which country coursing entails. 



It was freely stated at the time that betting 

 killed enclosed coursing, and doubtless the wagering 

 was a very big nail in its coffin ; but, none the less, 

 genuine coursers utterly wearied of its monotony, and 

 when they began to desert the ship it was left in the 

 hands of a crew of ignorant men, who knew nothing 

 of the real business of coursing, and had only rushed 

 into it because of the chances of making money. 

 The ship (juickly foundered ; and I must add thai, 

 though the Eastern Counties Club have an enclosed 

 ground, their modus operandi is very different from 



