34 THE HUNTING-FIELD. 



Many persons profess to like a good play : years 

 past there were thousands of such persons^ but 

 there are only comparatively a few that do so at 

 the present day. Now if we hear a person say 

 he^ or she, likes to go to the theatre with a party, 

 depend upon it they care nothing for the play. 

 Give me one companion, the centre of the house, 

 and the pit, a few rows from the orchestra. 



So a field of forty, or even a few more good 

 sportsmen, is pleasant. This is enough to enliven 

 the scene, and to make a man on the qui vive for 

 his own and his horse's credit sake ; but from a 

 promiscuous crowd, Gods of the Chase deliver us ! 



It is quite true we see at some of the fixtures 

 monster fields in Leicestershire, and among them 

 an infinite variety of character; but it is only 

 the variety existing among gentlemen and sports- 

 men. Wild riding, T grant, is to be seen there 

 in the fullest sense of the word, and plenty of 

 riders who, rather than make one baulk at all 

 certain, would render the breaking a neck or two 

 probable. " Excuse me, my dear fellow,^^ or " I 

 beg your pardon, Sir,*^ would to some seem small 

 amends for being sent a regular burster horse and 

 all over a fence, from another riding too closely 

 on a horse just "taking off";" but the apology 

 would be admitted, and away sails the more 

 fortunate of the two, leaving the other to get up 

 as he and his horse can. Lucky, more than 



