HUNTING FROM LONDON. 287 



the candle at both ends, and we all know how dangerous a 

 game that is. A youngster, some gallant guardsman, perhaps, 

 quartered in London, or some sprightly young stockbroker, 

 may dash down once or twice a week to Melton or Grantham, 

 have his gallop, and dash back again with impunity. But 

 older men will be wise to take their delights less violently. 

 And, indeed, in reason they will probably do so. For 

 a man who can afford the drain on his purse inevitable 

 from such a form of hunting, will hardly be so much, a 

 bondsman to Necessity as to be compelled to live regularly 

 in London. 



Let us suppose, then, that our Londoner has agreed 

 with himself to pursue the fox soberly : he has, as we 

 have shown, plenty of choice. If he choose to hunt with 

 the Garth, he will find as good a pack of hounds as any 

 in England, a pleasant set of comrades, plenty of foxes, 

 and genuine sport, if his ideas of fox hunting be not 

 bounded by grass fields and flying fences. These hounds 

 hunt four days a week, meeting at eleven, and can be 

 reached best from Reading, Wokingham, and Bracknell. The 

 two Surrey packs are good, but their country is bad, and 

 the same must be said for the East Kent and Wickham. 

 The West Kent have a terrible lot of woodland, but get 

 sometimes into a nice bit of country round Penshurst. The 

 Essex country, which is much given over to plough, and 

 generally is not an engaging tract of land to ride over, 

 except in the Roothings, can be commanded best from 

 Harlow, Chelmsford, and Audley End. The Crawley and 

 Horsham show good sport in Sussex, hunting four days a week, 

 and meeting at eleven mostly, though sometimes a little later. 

 Horsham and Steyning are the most convenient stations for 

 their fixtures. The Old Berkeley are now divided into East 

 and West, the former covering the Watford, Rickmansworth, 

 and the Great Berkhamstead districts ; the latter Wycombe, 

 Aylesbury, and Maidenhead. Between them they hunt four 

 days a week. To meet them, Amersham, Slough, and Hemel 



