174 THE HUNTING FIELD 



near to make the knocking on the table with his knife answer 

 the purpose of a bell, to indicate when he is ready for the 

 second or third steak and the pudding. He has a nice, clean, 

 healthy-looking girl to wait upon him, and a managing body 

 of a wife to look after the girl and the interests of the dairy 

 and larder as well. Barleycorn hunts his twice a week, and 

 has always hunted his twice a week, and means to continue to 

 hunt his twice a week, and yet he has only the big nag under 

 him, and an old brood mare, that takes her turn about the 

 farm the day after a hard run or a long day. His friend, 

 Brownstout, is a sort oi double, both in size and dress, and, 

 when their backs are turned, it is hard to say which is which. 

 Having great confidence in each other's judgment, they 

 generally bu}' in " duplicate," thus, if Barleycorn treats 

 himself to a new beaver, he buys another for Brownstout ; 

 and, some people say, that after a " wet night "' or two, the 

 hats become common, and they just take either. Both their 

 Christian names being John, and their surnames beginning 

 with a " B," perhaps aids the confusion or commonalt}'. 

 Their thunder and lightning coats are cut off the same web, 

 and made up by the same snip — so are their waistcoats, ditto 

 their big-ribbed cotton cords, as the dangling drab ribbon 

 over the mahogany tops testify. This similarity of dress is 

 often seen in the country ; indeed, in the hunting field one 

 may sometimes tell the residents of particular districts by 

 their clothes. 



In hunting, Barleycorn and Brownstout are equally unani- 

 mous, both being admirers of the silent system. They hunt 

 by the weather, and not by the card. If Monday is a bad 

 day they turn out on the Tuesday, or adjourn again till the 

 Wednesday, the Sabbath and market-days being the only ones 

 to avoid. It says much for their management, that under 

 whatever Master the foxhounds ha\'e been kept. Barleycorn 

 and Brownstout have never been accused of interfering with 



