174 THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 



Black'grouse, seven and a half brace ; red grouse, eighty- 

 five brace ; ptarmagan, three and a half brace ; red deer, 

 seven ; and roe, thirteen. 



But something more important and more durable than 

 grouse and deer was the result of this excursion. The trio 

 returned to England with their nerves braced, ready to 

 crack, by the exercise upon, and the breathing the air of, 

 the truly romantic regions of the north ; and each came 

 to the resolution that the excursion should be repeated 

 during the next twenty years, should life and health be 

 so long granted to them to enjoy it, for this was true en- 

 joyment. Exclusive of the actual diversion on the moor;?, 

 everything they ate was delicious ; the champagne and 

 claret were nectar ; their beds were beds of roses ; but 

 why ? Because hunger is the best sauce ; exercise refines 

 the palate, and gives additional go&t to wine ; and hard 

 must be that bed on which sound and refreshing sleep is 

 denied to the man who has had a good day's grouse-shoot- 

 ing over the Scotch hills, or those of any other country on 

 which that noble game is to be found ! There was, indeed, 

 but one drawback from the sum-total of happiness, of 

 which this party were partakers, and this was "the 

 reckoning." Including the rent of the shooting-ground, 

 it amounted to nearly 600, to be divided into three parts, 

 our hero's proportion being rather an awkward set-off 

 against the annual amount of his income, which, as has 

 been already stated, did not exceed 800. To the others 

 of the party it was a flea-bite. 



In the circle of British sports, fox-hunting ever must 

 and will take the precedence ; and towards the end of 

 October, having, up to that period, hunted with his 

 father's harriers, and satisfied himself of the efficiency of 

 his stud, Frank Raby determined on making his debut as 

 a fox-hunter, but not his election of hounds and country, 

 until experience of some of the best of them had fully 

 enabled him to decide as to which to give the preference. 

 Of Oxfordshire he had had a taste during his residence at 

 Oxford, and this was the opinion he had formed of it : 

 the hill country was light and uncertain with regard to 

 scent, but a clean and gentlemanlike one to ride over, and 

 contained many excellent sportsmen. The vale called the 

 Bicester country was preferable ; he considered it, despite 

 of its large woods on one side of it, and the almost fathom- 

 less depth of its soil after a hard frost succeeded by rain, 



