122 GOOD SPORT 



but looks like carrying a house, and galloping all 

 day with it." His joints were somewhat big, and 

 he went below his value at loo sovereigns. When 

 we get on the '' horse topic," the subject fairly gets 

 away with us, for each horse called forth some 

 reminiscence of a good day's sport, and there was 

 the good grey pony hunted by Mr. McNeill's son 

 when at home for the Christmas holidays, such a 

 stamp of 15-hand hunter ! 



Our first sight of the North Cotswold in the field 

 was at a meet on a village green in the hill district, 

 when we were mounted for the occasion by Mr. 

 McNeill. As the master rode up in the middle of 

 a pack of seventeen and a half couple of bitches, 

 there was a. cheery word all round, and that note 

 of expectancy which precludes an enjoyable day's 

 sport. The primrose-yellow collar is the distinguishing 

 feature of the hunt uniform, and the coronet on the 

 hunt button, a sole lingering connection of a former 

 mastership under Lord Fitzhardinge. Dan Reid, 

 the kennel huntsman, with a dash of Irish in his 

 composition, looked quite classical riding a thorough- 

 bred long-tailed black horse, and is one who has 

 made many friends all through a life devoted to the 

 service of the chase. For the first draw we com- 

 menced hill-climbing to the larch plantations, some- 

 where up in the clouds. It was a congratulation 

 to find our mount was used to the country, with its 

 steep ascents and surface of loose stones. These 

 hills require a considerable amount of stopping 

 before a day's hunting, otherwise a pack would be 

 always running to ground; but Mr. McNeill's just 

 doubled the average of foxes killed in a season, 

 bringing it up to forty-three brace, though formerly 

 it never reached twenty-five brace. 



From the hill-top, probably a thousand or more 



