no THE HAUGHTYSHIRE HUNT. 



declined the honour of jumping him, professed himself 

 satisfied, and eventually, through Mr. Dashwood's good offices, 

 became his purchaser for ^Yhat looked like the very low 

 sum of sixty pounds; whereupon 'Honest Edward' chortled 

 secretly, for this particular animal had hung on hand for 

 weeks, being returned as often as he had been sold on Mr. 

 Fobbs's guarantee that he was a good hunter ; the fact being, 

 that nothing on earth would induce him to even jump 

 through a gap when out with hounds ; he had been taught 

 to get over the made fences in the dealer's paddock, just 

 as a circus horse is taught to tire oft" guns, and pick up a 

 handkerchief with its teeth. The brute would have gone 

 on jumping these particular obstacles all day long, but never 

 a thing would he look at when really wanted to cross a 

 country. For that purpose, he was about as useful as the 

 average milch cow, and, as he would not go in harness, and 

 was a wretched hack, Fobbs was well out of him — and 

 finally so, this time, as he had taken the precaution of 

 saying nothing about his hunting capacity to either Binkie 

 or Jack. ' Good hunter ' warranty means (so says the 

 official definition) ' capable of being hunted,' as well as 

 ' sound wind and eyes ; ' and as no man born of woman had 

 ever succeeded in getting him out of the first enclosed 

 field in pursuit of hounds, there could hardly be much 

 argument on the subject of whether the horse was a 

 good hunter. Finally it was arranged that Jack should ride 

 or drive across on the morrow morning, with the parental 

 cheque, the horses being, meantime, sent over to The Chase, 

 in charge of one of Mr. Fobbs's men. 



On their way homewards, Binkie, a big cigar stuck in the 



