144 THE HAUGHTYSHIRE HUNT. 



over a stiff country, so it was hardly to be wondered at that 

 horses were beginning to chance their fences a h'ttle now. 

 " Forrard ! forrard ! forrard ! " still screamed the Huntsman, 

 although hounds were going a cracker, and must have been 

 pressing their fox hard for some time past. The faster they 

 went, the better Marmion seemed to like it, and finding him- 

 self with an undisputed lead, the horse was amiability itself ; 

 a child could have ridden him at this juncture, and Eonald 

 hugged himself, metaphorically speaking, upon his good luck. 

 One doesn't succeed, every day of one's life, in effecting such 

 an exchange as a ' pony ' for a horse ! 



The cheap hunter is a very uncertain quantity. Those 

 whose purse-strings are long, have not, happily for them- 

 selves, to bother about it, or take the chances, risks and 

 annoyance of the doubtful conveyance. But, nevertheless, 

 there is a lot of fun in store for the poor man — a bit too much 

 fun, occasionally ! — in getting hold of cheap ones. The 

 writer having been born minus that fortune which does, all 

 philosophers to the contrary notwithstanding, smooth the way 

 of life and extract many of the thorns from this weary path 

 of ours, has had, throughout a virtuous though chequered 

 career, to choose between cheap hunters and no hunters at all ; 

 and he still thinks that he has contrived to see as much of 

 the sport as a good many more fortunate men. 



The chase now leads across some meadows, wherein are 

 several clean, good fences. After travelling smartly over this 

 delectable ground for some few minutes, hounds suddenly 

 throw up their heads, and the proceedings come to a full stop. 

 Some sheep have foiled the scent, and the check is by no 

 means an unwelcome one. 



