HORSES AND HOUNDS. 2G9 



had abandoned his military seat, and rode rather short in his 

 stirrnps. He was well mounted, knew his business, and rode 

 well to hounds, but I never knew him pretend to interfere with 

 them. No fence ever stopped him, and the falls he got were 

 few. I have seen him ride over the lock of a canal, where his 

 horse had to take off on bricks, and land on bricks on the other 

 side. He did it cleverly, but no one followed his example. 

 Upon the hounds crossing a deep and rapid river one day, we 

 rode down together to the bank, where I expected to hnd a 

 ford ; the river was so swollen to the brink that fording was 

 out of the question. "This wont do," I exclaimed ; "we must 

 ride higher up for the bridge." " You may do as you like," he 

 said, " but I shall go at it." Seeing a countryman watching us, 

 he hallooed to him to know what sort of bottom there was. 

 "Very good," was the reply. "Well then," he said,_ "here 

 goes. I shall jump as much of it as I can." So, putting his 

 horse round, he went at it in a canter, and horse and rider dis- 

 appeared in the middle of the stream. Knowing he could not 

 swim, I watched with anxiety his re-appearance above water. 

 He soon emerged all right in his saddle, and guiding his horse's 

 head by his -^diip into a small stream which emptied itself into 

 the rivel-, to my great relief, soon stood once more on terra 

 firma. " Good bye, old fellow," he cried, " I will keep with 

 them till you come up, but don't be long about it." Unluckily 

 the hounds took a different turn to what I expected, and 

 when I reached the bridge they were nowhere to be seen or 

 heard. 



For more than an hour I rode hard to catch them, when their 

 welcome cry once more greeted my ears. I listened — they were 

 running towards me, and in a few minutes the fox crossed over 

 a green" lane where I had pulled up. The scream I uttered was 

 echoed by a faint hurrah to my right, from the sporting 

 baronet, who was coming along at the tail of the hounds by 

 himself I waited until he jumped the last fence into the lane. 

 " By Jove !" he said, " I was right glad to hear that scream of 

 yours once more, for I have had it all to myself ever since we 

 parted at the river, and quantum suff. by this time." "Where 

 in the world have you been to T I asked. " That is more than 

 I can tell you ; but we have had at least ten or twelve miles of 

 as stiff work as I ever cut out, and now you must ride in and 

 win the brush for me." This was easier said than done, my 

 horse being nearly as much beaten as his own. We scrambled 

 on, therefore, together for a few more fields, when, seeing the 

 hounds were running into their fox, I jumped off, gave him my 

 horse to hold, and ran in on foot. I brought him back the 



