SPORTSMAN 197 



of the power of forward riders who have no thong 

 to their whip, and although one smack of it would 

 be invaluable, they cannot make use of it. 



It is not the intention of the ^\Titer to dwell 

 much on the subject of riding to hounds ; but the 

 rage for it has become so gTeat, that many men do 

 not look before they leap, therefore the folloAving 

 fact may be useful. About the year 1835, a gentle- 

 man was ridhig well with the Hambledon hounds 

 in Hampshire, and when they were going best pace, 

 he naturally put his horse at the lowest place hi the 

 fence, and the next moment found himself on his 

 back, and his horse out of sight ; when, on rismg 

 from the ground, he was not a Uttle startled at see- 

 ing a well, or rather a draw-hole the size of a well, 

 into which his horse had gone headlong, and was 

 dashed to pieces ; as was the case ^y\\h the saddle. 

 The fall was of considerable depth ; it was a place 

 from which chalk had been excavated to manure 

 the land. The Amter once hunted that country, 

 and recollects three hounds being lost for three 

 days, and were found in a well of this description ; 

 but they were all got out ahve and saved. This, 

 and the fact of his ha\dng seen men when riding 

 jealously go headlong into a pond on the other 

 side of the fence, and on one occasion into a chalk- 



