246 THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 



trifling diminution of muscular powers, in the third. 

 The feet of these horses also appeared very different to 

 what their groom had hitherto seen in those of hunters 

 previously under his care, which had run abroad for three 

 months in the summer. They were, in fact, in a more 

 perfect state than when they had left oil' work in the 

 spring, as far as crust and sole and frog were concerned ; 

 and, moreover, their form altogether had approached 

 nearer to the natural one, by having proper attention paid 

 to them during three months' growth. 



This system of summering hunters having been never 

 before seen, nor even heard of, in this part of the country, 

 it excited no little surprise, and the expression of sage 

 opinions that the young Squire's hunters would be spoiled 

 for want of their summer's run in the park, which the 

 old Squire's hunters had always enjoyed, and those of 

 the Squire's father before him. The following dialogue 

 occurred between Mr. Robson the steward, Dick the hunts- 

 man, and Frank Raby's groom, as they were looking at the 

 horses in the paddocks. 



" Poor beasts," said the Scotchman ; " I am sorry to see 

 you shut up this way, in a prison, instead of enjoying 

 yourselves at your pleasure in the park, after the hard- 

 ships you have undergone. And " (addressing himself to 

 James the groom), said he, " who put all this new fashion 

 into Mr. Francis's head 1 " 



" Lord Sandford's groom, sir," replied James. 



"And are you not sorry, James, that your master 

 listened to him ? are you not sorry to see the poor beasts 

 shut up after this manner 1 " resumed the steward. 



" Indeed I am not, sir," answered James ; " for if it has 

 the same effect on these horses that it had last winter on 

 Lord Sandford's, I shall not have the trouble with them 

 next winter that I had last." 



" What d'ye mean, James ? " inquired the steward. 



"I mean this, sir," said the groom: "I had rather 

 look after three horses in the same condition that Lord 

 Sandford's were all through the last season, from the very 

 beginning indeed, than after any two we had in our stud. 

 They were cleaned in half the time it took to clean ours 

 after hunting ; and what is more, they never broke out 

 into a cold sweat, as ours so often did, after we thought 

 we had got them quite dry and comfortable. Then I 

 used to watch them when they were going to cover, in 



