44 SPORTING REMINISCENCES 



sportsmen, oblivious of Master or anyone else. 

 Then the rest of the hounds driving ahead, but 

 not running nearly so fast, and the field. The 

 vista in pink disappeared into a wood. We fol- 

 lowed. To find Patience and her companions 

 tearing that fox to pieces and the two offenders 

 off their horses dancing up and down shaking 

 hands rapturously. 



It had been too much for them. " Never had 

 such a hunt," one said to the woods ; he was panting 

 for sympathy. 



** Glorious ! " said the other. " All alone too," 

 echoed no one to a beech tree. ** Worry, Worry. 

 No check . . . That big ditch ..." 



Both turned. " Hang it all, old fellow, we 

 must make it up — after riding that together." 



We came on them the firmest friends on earth, 

 and Mr. Langrishe buried his wrath as he pulled 

 back to have his laugh out. 



We had some fine hunts during my three seasons 

 at Kilkenny from Upper Killeen. One fox used 

 to run a wide half-circle of about ten miles over 

 the very best of the country and beat us in the 

 end, close to a covert called, if I can remember, 

 Booleglass, a small gorse in a hollow. I remember 

 seeing Phelan who hunted a lot with the Kilkennies 

 coming up from Tipperary, on a young blood 

 horse, at the end of the second of three gallops, 

 the horse so absolutely done that it fell into the 

 field, tumbled down over a blind drain in the 



