THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 29 



in the counties of Leicester, Rutland, and Northampton, 

 extremely favourable to hounds, from the great prevalence 

 of land which has been under grass beyond the memory 

 of man ; as, likewise, from the prevalence of large en- 

 closures, which often contain forty acres, and occasionally 

 double that number ; but here exists one difficulty. Head- 

 lands and hedgerows are good friends to huntsmen when 

 their hounds are off the scent : indeed, they may be said 

 then to act as guide-posts ; but let hounds throw up in the 

 middle of a fifty-acre piece, and require their huntsman to 

 direct them, the guide-post is not so readily at his hand 

 a? in counties where the enclosures are much smaller. 

 Should he fail to find the chase on one side of his 

 ground, having, of course, ascertained that it is not on 

 ahead, he has a long way to travel for it to the other, 

 whilst his fox is taking advantage of the delay, and 

 making the best of his road to his point. Then, again, 

 another circumstance operates against hounds in these 

 champaign counties, which is peculiar to them. From 

 the luxuriance of the herbage in summer, enough remains 

 in winter to maintain store stock ; and herds of cattle and 

 flocks of sheep abound in them. Scarcely a run is seen in 

 which hounds are not brought to check, from encountering 

 one or other of those obstacles ; and, although not gener- 

 ally so considered, the stain from cattle is worse than that 

 from sheep. Cattle are also more perplexing on another 

 account ; sheep will stand still and confront hounds ; but 

 cattle will keep going on, to the great disturbance of 

 hounds in their work, and often on the very line of scent. 

 Then, again, there is much variety of staple in the land of 

 the counties in which we are now speaking. It is fre- 

 quently our lot to commence a run in a fine champaign 

 grazing country, extremely favourable to hounds and to 

 finish it over cold ploughed land, incapable of holding a 

 scent beyond a passing moment this, too, at a time when 

 every advantage is required. We have likewise, occasion- 

 ally, a great many horsemen in the field, some of whom 

 think more of riding than of hunting, and press on 

 hounds at the most difficult points of the chase." 



Mr. R'll'ij. " But Sir William informs me you have 

 had a capital season's sport up to this period." 



Mr. Somerby. "Why, Mr. Raby, notwithstanding these 

 difficulties, no country under the sun shows such fine 

 runs as that called Leicestershire does ; nor such exquisite 



