The Old Surrey. 151 



The Old Surrey country is divided between hill and 

 vale — the former being about double the extent of the 

 latter. " The hills," then, occupy all the north and 

 centre of the country; and, whether claiming to belong 

 to the county of Kent or of Surrey, are much of the 

 same pattern throughout — steep, sweeping slopes of 

 flinty plough, with woods, and chains of woods, freely 

 interspersed over the whole. The country, of course, 

 has its drawbacks — otherwise, so close and handy as 

 it is to London, there would be no need for men to 

 journey down to Leighton or Weedon. Hounds can 

 frequently run hard over the Old Surrey hills, and the 

 foxes will travel a long distance. But the coverts 

 come too close together, the ascents to be breasted 

 can often only be swarmed at foots pace, the flints cut 

 horses^ pasterns and fetlocks almost as freely as they 

 do the feet of hounds ; and, finally, the fascination of 

 riding over fences has little or no opportunity here. 

 The last-named would anywhere constitute a serious 

 drawback in the eyes of the majority of hunting men. 

 It is especially a shortcoming in the view of men 

 whose days with hounds are only occasional — who have 

 to do additional work at other times that they may 

 snatch their outing, and who naturally look for all 

 they can get on the holidays they manufacture. 



The woods of the Old Surrey hills are tangled depths, 

 of the same hazel, ash, and other growth as belong to 

 the woodlands of Kent — cut down about every tenth 

 year to form hop -holes and wattle. The rides are deep, 

 vague, and casual ; but a huntsman must go boring 

 on through them, while the field generally work their 

 way round to rejoin the pack as it regains the open 



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