PUECHASIira HOESES. 19 



stone to carry. — We cannot exactly say what Somer- 

 ville does of very undersized hounds : 



The puny breed in every furrow swims ; 



but the spirit of the allusion holds good as regards 

 weeds as hunters. Our Httle friend did not find 

 that " blood was the ticket" when labouring over a 

 ploughed field pastern deep, or, what is more holding 

 still, a pasture in a soft state. He also found that 

 even in a light country his thorough-breds were not 

 more efficient ; for there were fences to be taken, 

 and no one had thought it worth his time to teach 

 fencing to horses — or rather wretches — that no man 

 but our friend would have contemplated making 

 hunters of, or rather attempting to do so. It ended, 

 after having tried each sort for two seasons, and 

 fiindiug neither the right one — in his getting his 

 welter friend to purchase three for him. He then 

 got horses that could carry him. From the way 

 they did this, he got confidence, rode more boldly, 

 and had gained something like judgment. Still his 

 friend always beat him across country; but let me say, 



c2 



