THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 239 



was obliged to be kept at house all summer, and for two 

 reasons : first, he was so vicious that he was dangerous to 

 the others in the park ; and secondly, his body was so 

 deep, in proportion to the length of his fore legs, that he 

 could not reach the ground with his mouth without great 

 difficulty, and of course straining his limbs. You do 

 not remember Marplot, Mr. Francis, but you have often 

 heard Dick talk of him. To be sure he always looked 

 very different to the other hunters, especially before 

 Christmas." 



" And how was he treated in the summer 1 " inquired 

 Mr. Francis. 



" He stood in the stable with the coach-horses, and Dick 

 rode him almost every day, when exercising the hounds, 

 in the park," was the answer. 



" His goodness in the field, and his superior condition, 

 are accounted for," said our hero, as he walked away from 

 the steward ; and on his road to the house he met Dick 

 going towards the kennel. " Where now, Dick ? " said he 

 to the man whom he once thought more of, perhaps, than 

 of any other in the world compared with whom Mr. 

 Egerton was a dunce, and even Sir John but second fiddle ; 

 whose very words he had devoured as he sat on his 

 knee in the " hall," when describing the run of yesterday, 

 and anticipating that of to-morrow, which he had obtained 

 permission to witness. 



" To the kennel, to feed, sir," replied Dick ; " will you 

 not come and see 'em ? " 



" Not I, indeed, Dick," answered Frank Raby, " I would 

 not give twopence to see the best harriers in the world ; 

 in fact, I hate anything belonging to harriers. They are 

 always bow-wowing about the country, disturbing the 

 foxes, and they do more harm to farmers than two packs 

 of foxhounds, by being so long pottering in the same 

 place." 



" Sorry to hear you talk so, Mr. Francis," said the old 

 huntsman, evidently chagrined at these remarks, " but our 

 hounds, you know, never hang long about any one place. 

 Indeed, the verv last day but one, the Squire was saying he 

 wished you ha4 been with us, on one of your best hunters ; 

 we went from Burton Clumps to Fox's Barn, good eight 

 miles, as straight as a crow ever flew ; and, out of nine- 

 teen horsemen, six onlv were up when we killed the 

 hare." 



