THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 251 



Tliis has given him the somewhat classic title of the 

 Father of the Trojans, and the foundation of it is this. 

 Many years back, when he hunted another country, his 

 hounds came to a check at the wall of a gentleman's park. 

 The scent appeared to be lost, when one hound, called 

 Trojan, was seen carrying it along the top of the wall, on 

 which the fox had run, and thus baffled his pursuers for 

 a time. This was the distinguishing characteristic of the 

 hound alluded to ; and his after-performances being on a 

 par with it, be became not only the favourite stud-hound 

 in the kennel, but nearly the founder of an entire pack, 

 in which the parent cross was carried too far. As pro- 

 fessed judges entertain this opinion of Mr. C.'s hounds, 

 it would ill become me to dispute it ; but this I will say, 

 that, as far as I have seen them in the field, I can find 

 very little to condemn. The newly prevailing fashion 

 of dividing the sexes is adopted in the field, and the 

 character of the two packs is that, although under very 

 adverse circumstances the dogs may be the most efficient, 

 the bitches are more brilliant with a straight-running fox 

 and a good scent. Of the country, as I have already said, 

 there is good and indifferent none very bad, but the 

 good greatly prevails ; and by way of giving you an idea 

 of the part esteemed indifferent, I must tell you that 

 I saw a run, last week, from one of the covers in it, 

 called Farnborough, of twelve miles, in which we only 

 crossed one ploughed field ! On the other hand, on the 

 Northamptonshire side of the country, there is as fine a 

 grazing district as is to be seen in Leicestershire or 

 Northamptonshire. Then there is another country, called 

 the Meriden country, which these hounds hunt for two 

 periods in the year, and we have just been staying at 

 Meriden, on the high road from Coventry to London, 

 where the kennel is, and whence it is called the Meriden 

 country. The covers are large and frequent, and it is 

 altogether very unlike the Stratford country ; but, speak- 

 ing as a sportsman, I cannot withhold my praise of it. 

 It is a fine, wild, fox-hunting-looking country, in which 

 the foxes are so good that they seldom hang at all in the 

 covers, which are, for the most part, well cut into rides, 

 and we have been having very good sport in it. But it 

 being better calculated for spring- hunting, when travelling 

 foxes are to be met with, I anticipate a great treat on our 

 next visit to Meriden. 



