336 The Hunting Countries of England, 



gone through the harassing service of breaking in 

 young hounds, and been a chief means of bringing the 

 Montgomeryshire hounds to hill fifty -four forces out of 

 sixty -three found last season '' ! ! What say you to 

 that, Messrs. Treadwell, Bob Ward, and George 

 Carter ? 



The tops of the hills, where cultivation has not yet 

 reached them, are in most instances crowned with 

 heather and sprinkled with gorse — often thickly 

 enough to form strong covert in addition to that so 

 bountifully supplied by the woods on their slope and 

 base. The unturned ground of these uplands always 

 carries an excellent scent ; and the smoother summits 

 are also good easy riding. In many cases, however, — 

 notably on the wide ridge of Clun Forest — smooth- 

 sailing is much broken in upon by the wire fences of 

 the sheep farms. 



One of the stiffest and steepest ranges is the Long- 

 mynd (about seventeen hundred feet in height), the 

 crest of which is some ten miles long and is freely clad 

 with heather and gorse. The top, however, is ex- 

 cellent riding, except where broken in upon by the 

 various dingles. On the side overlooking Church 

 Stretton its slope is so sudden and severe that to ride 

 down is at scarcely any point held to be feasible ; and, 

 if obliged to descend, men are forced to lead their 

 horses down the declivity as best they can. Other 

 great hills on this side, such as Caer Caradoc to the 

 east (actually in Shropshire territory, but drawn on 

 sufferance by The United) and rocky Stiperstone more 

 to the west, give a grand picturesqueness to the 

 scenery that appeals to any eye more gratefully than 



