168 THE HUNTING FIELD 



on hunting. The great Mr. Aleynell, it is said, used to 

 arrange a day in each week to suit the convenience of the 

 graziers attending their marl<et, and Mr. Corbet used to show 

 the Warwickshire ones similar attention. 



Colonel Cook, in his work on foxhunting, speaks of the 

 Farmers in the countries he had hunted in the highest praise, 

 and in enforcing the importance of hunting the good and bad 

 parts of a country alternately, he says, that although Farmers 

 are liberal, they think it hardly fair play, if they rent a farm 

 in the best part of the hunt for sport, to have their land rode 

 over constantly, whilst in the other less favourable part the 

 hounds never meet. Their conversation, says he, " at the 

 market dinner, over a bottle, is often on this subject, whereas 

 if you do but hunt the whole country impartially, there can be 

 no cause of complaint." 



Mr. Smith eulogizes the conduct of the Farmers in all the 

 countries he has hunted, and urges that every attention and 

 consideration should be paid them. There is a story told of 

 Mr. Smith, we forget whether in his book or not, that when he 

 had the Craven countr}', and was in the habit of cub-hunting 

 in Marlborough and Savernake Forests in the autumn, that a 

 fox broke and took through a field of wheat, and on riding to 

 stop the hounds, a young Farmer came up and begged he 

 would ride through the wheat, adding, " his father would be 

 very much offended if he did not." 



Indeed it has been frequently observed that Farmers are 

 generally the first to ride over their own wheat. An amusing 

 instance of this is related by Nimrod in his northern tour. 

 A nobleman's Huntsman was blowing somebody up for riding 

 over a field of wheat, who not attending to the rate, the 

 Huntsman launched out again with something stronger. 

 Still the man paid no attention. The Huntsman "at him " a 

 third time, adding the inquiry if he didn't know he was riding 

 over wheat ? 



